RE: US University OA Resolutions Omit Most Important Component

["David Goodman" <David.Goodman@liu.edu>]

I can only add to DS's summary:  we should be concerned not only with
institutions too small to run their own IR, but with those lacking the
stability of staff, interest, and funding to guarantee their permanent
operation and updating.

Implementing an IR does not mean starting one with the present tools, and
maintaining it at that level, adding documents as they arrive. It means,
at the very least, committing to the perpetual upgrades as the state of
the art advances --and, inevitably, becomes more complicated.

(Just as with libraries. It's not enough to buy books, or even enough to
endow funds to continue buying books. It's necessary to commit to the
future conversions, upgrades, and changes in role. )

Dr. David Goodman
Associate Professor
Palmer School of Library and Information Science
Long Island University
dgoodman@liu.edu

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu on behalf of David Stern
Sent: Wed 5/4/2005 11:02 PM
To: liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu
Subject: Re: US University OA Resolutions Omit Most Important Component
 
While Stevan's push for 100% coverage of academic materials within OA
repositories is on target, I still believe that we need a more reliable
and universal infrastructure for decentralized repositories ... one that
includes long-term support, which means funding for all authors and
organized R&D for enhanced navigation.

The present loose federation of existing D-Space (and other) and possible
FEDORA-based institutional repository (IR) platforms does not yet offer
the scalable design that we require in order to develop integrated tools
with universal storage. Perhaps we need to devlop a blend of IRs and
discipline-based repositories (a la arXiv) in order to provide platforms
and navigation for all users -- not just those in organizations able to
run their own IRs?
 
We have the technology, now we need to focus our support on a plan that
provides universal storage and access ... with or without the peer review
overlay for the present time.

David

David Stern
Director of Science Libraries and Information Services
Kline Science Library
New Haven, CT  06520-8111
email:  david.e.stern@yale.edu