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Briefing Paper August 2011

Repository Staff and Skills

OverviewMost research institutions in the UK have orare developing repositories. Increasinglyrepositories are also emerging for other

materials such as data or educationalresources. These repositories are typicallymanaged by teams based in the institutionslibrary.Libraries continually develop and adapt andlikewise the roles of information professionalsalso evolve. Less often however, do entirelynew positions develop. With the advent ofOpen Access (OA) and OA repositories that isexactly what has happened in research basedorganisations worldwide. However, theknowledge and skills required to develop andmanage a repository are highly specialisedand not automatically found among existinglibrary staff.

Job descriptionsWith the growing number of repositories in the UK,the CRC and the RSP are frequently asked forexamples of job descriptions for repository managerpositions and other roles associated with a

repository. There seemed a need for a generic list ofcommon repository roles listing the skills essential todeveloping and managing a repository. To respondto this need examples of actual job descriptions werecollected and the repository community asked fortheir input on the subject. This work is now in its thirdedition and is availableonline. The key findings andskills identified are summarised below.

Key issues highlightedRepositories in the conventional sense provideaccess to the full text of research articles, reports,

etc. However with some thought and ingenuity,repositories can and do serve other purposes as wellsuch as assisting in REF exercises, often partnered

with a CRIS (Central Research Information System).As the remit of a repository expands so too do thestaffing levels needed and the knowledge and skillsrequired to integrate the repository with existingtechnical systems and cultural practices within theinstitution.

Hence the exact requirements of a particularrepository position (e.g. repository manager) willdepend on specific institutional needs. Likewise theactual skills set possessed by repository managersand workers can vary considerably betweeninstitutions.

Repository staffIn general, two repository positions can be clearlyidentified; repository managers and repository

administrators. Repository managers typicallymanage activities such as the advocacy, training andoutreach of the repository while repositoryadministrators typically quality check metadata andcopyright. They may oversee the technicalimplementation, management and upgrade ofrepository software and associated software. Theseroles, whether filled by two individuals or as acomposite skill set across a team, seem to befundamental for repository support.In the wider institutional context there is likely also astrategic third role, usually fulfilled by a Director of

service or similar senior manager; whom providessupport, insight and representation within anorganisations senior hierarchy.Finally there is likely to be a technical support ordevelopment role, the skills of which fall outside thescope of this document.

Repository skills setRather than try to identify the skill set required of aparticular repository post this document seeks toidentify all the knowledge, aptitudes and abilities

required for the instigation, development andmanagement of a successful institutional repository.Summarised below are the main skills identified:

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Repository Staff and Skills support@rsp.ac.uk

Briefing Paper August 2011

Management an ability to manage the set up,development and ongoing maintenance of therepository including strategic and financial planningand engagement with relevant groups, individualsand stakeholders.

Supervision for the manager an ability tooversee the work and day to day activity of anycolleagues directly working on the repository.

Software familiarity with relevant web-basedsystems and repository software. The ability toimplement and modify systems and software tomeet the needs of the repository and institution,often in collaboration with a technical developer.

Metadata familiarity with relevant and emergingstandards and an ability to monitor and ensuremetadata quality is maintained.

Curation Preservation familiarity with currentbest practice and an ability to liaise with otherdepartments to ensure storage and digitalpreservation and curation procedures meet bestpractice.

Rights familiarity with current IPR and relatedcopyright issues, interpretations and best practice.Possesses an ability to develop content policiesand engage with key stakeholders to maximisequality and quantity of content.

Advocacy an ability to liaise and advocate withvarious groups, departments and individuals bothwithin the institution and externally to promote thedeposit and use of items in the repository.

Training and Support an ability to meet theneeds of the repository and its users in terms oftraining and awareness of OA, the repository,deposit routes and continuing scholarlycommunications evolution. Additionally the IR mustbe able to provide support for users requiring

assistance or information in using the repositorysresources and other open access sites.

Current Awareness and CPD familiarity withcurrent trends, standards and emerging bestpractices in the repository and research community.It is essential to maintain an awareness ofdevelopments in repository software andassociated technologies.

Conclusion and the future

When the first version of this document was writtenmost repository workers were ploughing their ownfurrow. Today the range of skills and responsibilitiesof repository personnel is dependent in part on thescope and requirements of the repository itself aswell as external influences like the REF and CRIS. Inthis document we identify the two predominant roleswhich need to be covered. Individual institutionsshould identify how these roles are to be addressedin each institution. The skills listed can be used as apick-list to compile job descriptions, or to identify theindividual contributions needed from a team of staff

to support the repository.

References & Further informationWickham, J (2011) based on the original by Robinson, M (2007). Repository Staff and Skills documenthttp://www.rsp.ac.uk/help/publications/#briefing-papers

Repositories Support Projecthttp://www.rsp.ac.uk/

The Repositories Support Project (RSP) aims to co-ordinate and deliver good practice and practical advice to HEIs to enablethe implementation, management and development of digital institutional repositories.

Centre for Research Communicationshttp://crc.nottingham.ac.uk/The Centre for Research Communications (CRC) is based at the University of Nottingham and helps support and informthese changes and new ideas. The CRC houses the portfolio of open-access projects, services and initiatives currentlyundertaken by the University. These include the home of the SHERPA partnership; the open-access services RoMEO, Julietand OpenDOAR; the JISC Research Communications Strategy project, Repositories Support Project (RSP), and theUniversity contribution to the European and international projects OpenAIRE, Dart-Europe and NECOBELAC. Project andservice funders include JISC, the European Commission, the Wellcome Trust and SPARCEurope.

UK Council of Research Repositories UKCoRRUKCoRR is a professional organisation managed for and by UK based Open Access repository administrators andmanagers. Their mission is to promote repository management as a recognised and respected profession, provide a forumfor discussion and exchange of experience and best practice, as well as representing the views and concerns of those whowork with repositories at an organisational, policy and strategic level.

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