European repositories play a crucial role in the open science landscape by acquiring, preserving, and providing open access to a vast array of valuable research outputs. Recognizing their importance, OpenAIRE, LIBER, SPARC Europe, and COAR unveiled a joint strategy in January 2023 to strengthen the European repository network.
The initiative, launched in early 2023, aims to enhance the value of repositories across Europe, promote best practices, and support the establishment of robust national networks. As a first step, a comprehensive survey was conducted from February to March 2023 to assess the current state of European repositories.
The survey revealed that European repositories manage tens or possibly hundreds of millions of research outputs, highlighting their role as essential, non-profit infrastructure for open science. However, several areas for improvement were identified:
• Maintaining Up-to-Date Software Platforms: Ensuring repositories operate on highly functional, current software.
• Implementing Best Practices: Standardizing metadata, preservation techniques, and usage statistics across repositories.
• Achieving Visibility: Increasing the visibility and integration of repositories within the scholarly ecosystem.
In response to these findings, the collaborating organizations have decided to prepare a position paper outlining a collective vision for the future of European repositories. To ensure this vision is comprehensive and representative of the needs and insights of various stakeholders, an open consultation has been launched.
This open consultation is designed to gather input from a wide range of stakeholder communities, including researchers, librarians, repository managers, and policymakers. The feedback and insights collected will inform the initial draft of the position paper, which will be further refined through targeted focus groups.
The consultation is open until the end of August 2024. Participants can contribute their insights and feedback via the consultation platform here.
Click here to read the original press release.
