OARS: Open Access Repository System

OARS is coordinated by a team based at the Refugee Studies Centre, Department of International Development (QEH), University of Oxford.

• Start date: 1 September 2007
• End date: 28 February 2009
• Funding programme: Repositories and preservation programme
• JISC theme(s): Information environment, e-Resources, e-Research

This project will migrate a fragmented digital repository of scholarly resources, currently managed by two proprietary software systems, to a single open source platform. This repository, based at the Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford, is the largest in the world on its subject area of forced migration. It is a unique, widely used and constantly expanding collection of resources. The enhancement of this repository will make it more manageable for those maintaining it, and also make it globally interoperable with other open systems, as well as with the University of Oxford’s institutional repository.

Aims and objectives

The aim of this project is to enhance and preserve the Forced Migration Online repository by migrating it from its current proprietary software platforms to a single open source one.

Main objectives

• Enable the repository to serve all types of content; not just text-based items
• Enable the repository to be compatible with our institutional repository, the Oxford University Research Archive
• Enable metadata and content to be harvested by other HE institutions
• Reduce maintenance costs, due to the migration to open source and a single management interface
• Improve prospects for long-term preservation of the content

Project methodology

OARS basically consists of repository development and of ‘networking’ with Higher Education institutions. The core of the development will be to construct a new repository and migrate our existing content to it. A software developer will be recruited to develop the repository and migration tools. Other members of the FMO team will provide test materials etc. to support this work.

The activity of establishing a formal network between specialized centres and other university departments with an interest in forced migration studies will be mostly undertaken by our Content Manager, with assistance from other members of the FMO team as required.

Anticipated outputs and outcomes

Outputs

• Single management/search interface across Forced Migration Online (FMO)
• Interoperability between the FMO repository and other institutional repositories and search services
• Potential to make FMO’s grey literature collection available via the University’s online Library Catalogue
• Open source management/search software built on Fedora
• Dissemination via documentation and Project website

Outcomes

• All FMO content discoverable from one search interface
• Enhanced ability for HE institutions and others working on forced migration to add resources to the subject’s largest online repository
• Improved access to FMO’s resources
• Long-term sustainability and preservation of the FMO repository

Technology / Standards used

• Fedora (Flexible Extensible Digital Object and Repository Architecture)
• Qualified Dublin Core
• OAI-PMH
• XML and HTML

Lead institution

• Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford