Institutional repositories are maturing and beginning to enter a new stage of development - an increasing number are growing by more than 1,000 items per year and are seeing items deposited on every working day ("five items a day" seems a good rule of thumb not just for human diets). But these successes are not always associated with high-profile repositories with large collections and well-publicised ambitions. It is the smaller repositories that are now beginning to seeing authentic, organic growth as a result of their hard work in advocacy and gaining institutional support. Consequently repository managers are finding new challenges and opportunities to stretch their limited resources.
We invite repository managers of all platforms (DSpace, EPrints, Fedora and others) to an informal meeting for Intuitional Repository Managers in the South. This is intended to be a regional event, but we don't want to get too involved with boundary disputes - if you are happy to describe yourself as "from the South" then you are very welcome to attend! The event will be held at the University of Southampton on 24 April 2007.
The day will be round table in style. Please be prepared to say a few words about your repository, both the progress made and problems faced. It would be helpful if you could send in advance the three biggest issues that you feel that you have faced. It will help us shape the focus afternoon.
Please register for this meeting by emailling libsecs@soton.ac.uk.
We will send out more detailed information about the location, public transport options and parking.
Refreshmesnts and lunch are sponsored by CURL. Travel support is also being sought from JISC.