Responsibility for Institutional Repository Planning

Planning is moving ahead toward a decision to implement an institutional repository. Our primary stakeholders – Office of Research, UK IT, Graduate School, and the Libraries – have determined that the next steps are to put the proposal through an architecture review (from the IT perspective) which is a process for reviewing the software and its intended use before proceeding. Now that planning is beginning in earnest, we need to place responsibility for the institutional repository in a organizational home within the Libraries’ structure. After discussion with EC, I have determined that the IR will be administered by the Collections and Technical Services Division under the leadership of Mary Beth Thomson. This home will enable us to utilize the expertise of that division in metadata and organization as well as tie the IR to our efforts in collection management and scholarly communications. Of course, the IR will need support from our IT and Digital Programs areas as well as the academic liaisons. As the project progresses we will likely form additional working groups as needed. My thanks to CTS and Mary Beth for their willingness to assume this new responsibility.