Building Repositories

There are a number of options for an institution wanting to build a repository. They can use open source or proprietary software. They can outsource to a third-party provider. They can go it alone or they can collaborate with other institutions to share expertise and costs. Some examples are given here.

Guide to Institutional Repository Software

Written by Raym Crow for The Open Society Institute, this free guide compares a number of the repository software packages. Written in 2004, this Guide would benefit from being up-dated.

EPrints

Open souce software from Southampton University, UK

CDS Invenio

Open source software (previously known as CDSware) from CERN, Switzerland

DuraSpace

Fedora Commons and the DSpace Foundation have joined their organizations to pursue a common mission. They will still support both DSpace and Fedora Commons and so we will keep the links on this page

DSpace

Open source software from MIT, USA

Fedora

Open source software from Cornell University and the University of Virginia Library, USA

Research-Output Repository Platform

Microsoft's Research Output Repository Platform which 'provides a suite of building blocks, tools, and services to create and maintain an organization’s digital library ecosystem'

EPrints Services

Consultancy service based on and supporting the EPrints software

Opus

Developed at Stuttgart University, OPUS is currently the most common software package for institutional repositories in Germany

Open Repository

Commercial hosting service from BioMedCentral

Digital Commons

Commercial hosting service from bepress

DigiTool

Commercial hosting service from Ex Libris

Repository Staff and Skills

The SHERPA group has compiled a skills set and description of the common repository roles needed to develop and manage a successful institutional repository. The document will help to focus thinking at institutions that are launching new repositories.