Versioning and Institutional Repositories:

1

• Versioning and Institutional Repositories
• What VIF might do for you

2
Versioning and IRs

• Introductions
• Definitions
• Why should repository managers care?
• What do we do at the moment
• What a bit of VIF will add!

3
Introductions

• VIF project team
• London School of Economics and Political Science
• University of Leeds
• Science and Technology Facilities Council
• Erasmus University of Rotterdam
• Repositories in use
• LSE, ePrints LSE Research Online
• University of Leeds White Rose Research Online
• STFC, ePubs
• Erasmus, RePub
• Outputs
• Survey
• Framework

4
VIF working definition of version

• A version is a digital object (in whatever
  format) that
• exists in time and place and has a context within
  a
• larger body of work.
• .more than just documents audio, video, images
  and small scale data sets are within
  scope..Learning objects and big scale datasets
  are edging away from being in scope

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Why should we care?

• Because it can be a confusing world for those
  trying to find the material they need for their
  research
• and
• We can influence
• what is kept in our repositories by the way they
  are set up the publicity material training we
  provide
• the software developers by identifying missing
  functionality
• our authors by keeping them informed of issues

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The user experience across repositories
Are these the same (content, layout etc)? How can
I tell how they are related? How do I know which
one to use/explore further? Does it matter?
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User experience within a repository LSE
Research Online
Are the first third the same (content, layout
etc)? How do I know which one to
investigate? Author/inputter deciding to make two
records
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User experience within a repository White Rose
Research
Are 2. 3. the same (content, layout
etc)? Author/inputter deciding to make two records
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User experience within a repository - ePubs
The relationships still inferred Author/inputter
making the connections another person might draw
the boundaries in another place
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What the VIF survey told us

• Identification of versions is an accepted
  problem, both for academics information
  professionals
• Most academics are happy with the way they
  organise versions personally
• 60 of academics think that only the latest
  version should be made available.
• 78 of information professionals are interested
  in repositories storing all available versions
• No one approach to versioning (taxonomies,
  chronological or other) will provide a complete
  solution

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What will VIF do for you?

• The outputs of the project are (likely) to cover
• Policy issues to consider
• Practical suggestions
• Suggestions for improvements in DC application
  profiles
• Suggestions for functional changes
• Publicity material for end users (authors
  searchers)

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What next for VIF?

• VIFs expert group is working on the Framework
  until Christmas
• After Christmas a review group will look at the
  work so far
• 22nd April VIF workshop in London to disseminate
  the results.

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What next for repository managers?

• Be aware of versioning issues in your
  organisation
• The VIF team welcomes any insights, practical
  examples or repository manager requirements.
  Either
• Contact the team informally
• Join our Review group
• Come to our workshop!

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www.lse.ac.uk/library/vif
Project ManagerJenny Brace, LSE Library,
j.e.brace_at_lse.ac.uk, tel [phone]. Project
and Communications OfficerDave Puplett, LSE
Library, d.puplett_at_lse.ac.uk, tel [phone].
Project OfficerPaul Cave, University of
Leeds, P.L.Cave_at_leeds.ac.uk, tel [phone]
or 0113 3435502. Project Officer Catherine
Jones, Science and Technology Facilities Council,
c.m.jones_at_rl.ac.uk, tel [phone].