Putting Eprints Software into the User Community

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Putting Eprints Software into the User Community
An invitation-only international roundtable
workshop organised by JISC and the School of
Electronics and Computer Science (ECS),
Southampton University Wednesday June 23, 2004,
at The School of Oriental African Studies
(SOAS), University of London
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Eprints software is a success!

• Thanks to you.
• "The EPrints software has the largest - and most
  broadly distributed - installed base of any of
  the repository software systems"Open Society
  Institute Guide to Institutional Repository
  Software
• Eprints is free software for creating online
  digital archives, principally those that store
  the research output of an academic institution
  and make it openly accessible to users and OAI
  service providers on the Web. It has been
  developed at the University of Southampton.
• http//software.eprints.org/

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What is changing and why?

• Number of users A larger user community will
  demand more, and more varied, support than one
  developer institution alone can provide at a time
  when Eprint archives are beginning to assume
  greater importance in the digital infrastructure
  of institutions
• Funding JISC funding for Eprints is being
  reviewed
• Alternatives competing software performing
  similar functions

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Purposes of the meeting and framework for the day

• To consider the transition towards a more
  community-led approach for Eprints software on
• Technical development
• User support
• Business models and management

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Some issues technical development

• What are the technical requirements of future
  implementations?
• Can technical development of Eprints be managed
  as distributed open source software within the
  community?
• How can the danger of fragmenting the software
  be avoided?

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Some issues user support

• How can institutions attract users, and how can
  these users be properly supported?
• Is there a need for an expanded Eprints user
  forum (beyond current Eprints mailing lists), and
  what shape should it take?

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Some issues business models and management

• How should the transition towards more community
  participation be managed?
• What are the funding needs of a new business
  model, and how should these be met?
• Is there a market-based solution, or is some
  direct funding still necessary?

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This meeting is about you!

• This is your chance to shape the strategy that
  will guide Eprints software through this
  important transition.
• Make your views known.