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Purpose - The purpose of the paper is to report on the impact and cost/benefit of implementing three - EPrints digital repositories at the University of Otago, and to encourage others to follow suit. Design/methodology/approach - Three repositories were successfully implemented at the University of Otago using existing commodity hardware and free open source software. The first pilot repository was implemented within ten days, and is now a fully functional system that is being championed for institutional-wide use by the University Library. The other two repositories emerged from different community needs. One is academic, concerned with collecting and researching indigenous content; the other is designed to preserve and manage collective memory and heritage content for a small rural community. Findings - The paper shows that digital repositories can be established quickly and effectively with surprisingly few resources; readily incorporate any kind of extant digital content, or non-digital material that is converted to electronic form; meet multifarious needs, from academic institutions seeking to enhance research visibility and impact, to individuals and small communities collecting and preserving their unique memory and heritage records; and establish connectivity with the global community from the moment they go live. Practical implications - The technology and global support community have matured to a state where a fully-featured repository can be quickly and easily implemented. Originality/value - This paper describes the short history, development and impact of the first live repositories of their kind in New Zealand. Their utility and implications for the unique communities that have given rise to them are also explored, by way of encouraging others to take up the digital challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This paper seeks to discuss a grant-funded digitization project for unique Afghanistan gray literature. It aims to address the digitization tasks, workflow, challenges, and solutions. Persistent identifiers, file-naming conventions, page-naming rules, and a digitization management system are discussed in detail since they were critical to the success of the project. Design/methodology/approach - The paper describes the unique requirements of the project, and analyzes difficult issues related to the separation of pre-digitization and post-digitization in two remote locations. The approach includes persistent identifiers, file-naming rules, page-naming conventions and a digitization management system. After one and a half years of operation, the approach has been effective and efficient. Findings - The paper analyzes the unique challenges for a long-distance collaboration on digitization. Pre-digitization and digital imaging were carried out in Kabul, Afghanistan, with all the physical materials located there, while post-digitization and quality control were performed in Tucson, Arizona. The paper found that several components such as persistent identifiers, file-naming conventions, page-naming rules, and digitization management system were critical to the success of the project. Practical implications - The project demonstrates an approach to address a unique digitization project due to the separation of pre-digitization and post-digitization. In addition, the approach has served other digitization projects well. Originality/value - The paper was written for both project managers and technical staff. Project managers can find out the usefulness of a digitization management system and understand digitization issues; while technical staff can find interests in a persistent identifier scheme, file-naming conventions and page-naming rules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to chronicle the Lamar Soutter Library's effort to build an educational image database, and how the project developed into an institutional repository. Design/methodology/approach - The paper is divided into three phases and highlights the organizational, political, technological and resource issues that are unique to a specialized library with a medium-sized staff, lacking the resources of a traditional university campus. The case concludes with a list of barriers and facilitators to success and a summary of lessons learned. Findings - The paper finds that a library with limited staff, funding, and systems development resources can initiate and support an institutional repository. Facilitators of success include clear lines of authority, a strong champion, and the appropriate technology for the project. Originality/value - This paper serves as an example to libraries that are in the beginning phases of developing an institutional repository by discussing the barriers to and facilitators of success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the benefits and challenges of creating a shared institutional repository and to, describe the process by which a consortium was able to establish such a service. Design/methodology/approach - A case study is presented outlining the process through which the Washington Research Library Consortium selected and implemented the DSpace institutional repository software in a shared information technology environment. The issues confronted in dealing with a multi-institutional implementation are examined through both a detailed description of the implementation and a generalized description of the challenges the consortium faced. Findings - The paper finds that while a shared implementation of an institutional repository does present significant challenges that would not be present for a single institution, the collaborative approach also presents significant benefits in drawing on the breadth of expertise available among the Consortium and utilizing a shared information technology infrastructure. Originality/value - Institutional repositories have generally been implemented within the context of a single institution. An alternative model is described that draws on the experience and expertise of multiple institutions to achieve a common goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]