The aim is to create an institutional repository in which published research outputs of staff and researchers at the university are made openly available over the Internet.

University of Bolton institutional repository


Start date: 1 April 2007

End date: 31 March 2009

Funding programme: Repositories and Preservation programme

Project website: http://digitalcommons.bolton.ac.uk/

JISC theme(s): Information environment, e-Research, e-Resources

Repositories start-up project

To create a culture within The University where all research output is deposited within the institutional repository (IR).

Short term

  • Procurement and customisation of IR software, considering interoperability with other University systems and the open access movement as a whole
  • Publication of key policies and documents agreed by stakeholders in The University
  • Completion of the 2008 RAE submission as the pilot of the IR

Long term

  • Achieving a culture supporting the IR, where all research output is deposited in the IR
  • Inclusion of theses, learning and teaching outputs, University administrative documents and raw data

Aims and Objectives

The benefits to The University:

  • Making the details of the University’s research out put more accessible in preparation for the 2008 RAE
  • Standardised CVs
  • Central archiving for research output
  • Improved retrieval of information
  • Long term preservation of The University’s research output
  • Wider dissemination and increased impact
  • A bank of easily accessible research outputs
  • A record of the university research output, for marketing purposes
  • Identification of pockets of research within The University
  • Inclusion of theses, learning and teaching outputs, University administrative documents and raw data

Project Methodology

The project will be structured and managed in accordance with The University of Bolton’s standard project management methodology and JISC’s best practice guidelines.

A steering group consisting of a senior University manager as project sponsor and other stakeholders.

  • A project team consisting of members drawn from Learning Support Services and other relevant departments.
  • The project will be administered with conventional project management quality control tools and documentation
  • The project team has a wide range of relevant experience and skills

Anticipated Outputs and Outcomes

The IR will provide benefits to:

  • The 2008 RAE by making research output more readily available to the RAE panels
  • Learning and teaching by creating a bank of easily accessible research outputs that can be utilised for learning and teaching
  • The University by:
    • creating a managed approach to research output
    • promoting research output on a global scale
    • by raising awareness of similar research interests

    Technology / Standards used

    We will use the standards for metadata and harvesting recommended by the JISC Standards for the Digital Repositories programme. In addition, we will seek advice on standards from the Repositories Research Team, the Intute Repository Search project, the Repository Support project and CETIS.

  • Undergraduate and postgraduate students as a value for money service for theses submission and promotion of their work to potential employers

project staff

Project Manager
  • Sarah Taylor (Electronic Resources Librarian) Learning Support Services, Tel: 01204 903099 Fax: 01204 903166  s.e.taylor@bolton.ac.uk
Project Team
  • Tracey Gill (Project Administrator)
  • Prof. Rob Campbell (Director of Research)
  • Christine Smith (Collection Development Manager)
  • Shirley Ward (Liaison and Development Team Leader, Learning and Teaching Fellow)
  • Richard Cooke (Information Systems Developer)
  • Hilary Birtwistle (Head of Academic Support Unit)
  • Raksha Parmar (Academic Support Unit)
  • Last updated on 09/01/09 by Kerry Ann Down