[Dspace-general] Press Release: MMU launches open access repository

[Carrie@biomedcentral.com]

We hope this will be of interest to the list. With apologies for
cross-posting

Carrie Calder
BioMed Central

==================================

PRESSS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

27 October 2006

MANCHESTER METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY LAUNCHES OPEN ACCESS REPOSITORY USING
OPEN REPOSITORY SERVICE FROM BIOMED CENTRAL

BioMed Central's Open Repository service has built e-space, Manchester
Metropolitan University's institutional open access repository, it was
announced today. The repository is freely available at
www.e-space.mmu.ac.uk. BioMed Central's Open Repository service builds
on the open-source DSpace technology platform, enhancing it with
value-added features unique to Open Repository.

Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) is the fourth most popular
university in the UK, according to the Universities and Colleges
Admissions Service. MMU's institutional repository will allow its 39,000
staff and students working at ten research institutes on seven campuses,
to deposit research findings and to share them effectively between
themselves, and with their international colleagues. MMU will maintain
complete administrative control over the repository whilst BioMed
Central will provide hosting services, customization, backups and
technical support.

Jayne Burgess, e-space Project Manager, explains why MMU chose BioMed
Central's Open Repository service,

"We had been watching developments in UK Institutional repositories and
decided the time was right for us to set up a repository for MMU. We saw
this as a natural extension of the library role both in managing
information and supporting and acknowledging the importance of research
at MMU. We knew that a good deal of staff time would be required for
advocacy and content acquisition and wanted a solution that would leave
core staff time for these tasks and, with limited technical resource
available to the library at this time, we considered Open Repository to
be the most suitable option. BioMed Central provides a complete service
with Open Repository, which means that whilst e-space is hosted,
maintained and developed by BioMed Central, we retain administrative
control over it. We have worked closely with BioMed Central to customise
the website and to map the communities and collections to the structure
of the University. The technical support from BioMed Central has been
excellent and we would like to continue to work closely with them to
make suggestions for additional and added-value service developments
based on researchers' requirements."

Natasha Robshaw, Director of Marketing and Sales, BioMed Central
commented,

"We are delighted to welcome MMU as a customer for our Open Repository
service. Our expert in-house team provides a complete service, making
Open Repository a very convenient way for the customer to establish and
run an institutional archive. The service has been designed to be both
flexible and cost-effective. 
Open Repository also includes tools that make it very easy for
researchers to deposit their articles and other documents. We believe
this is an invaluable service, and look forward to many other
organisations coming on board in the next few months."

Value-added features of the Open Repository in addition to the standard
DSpace functionality can include saved searches, a submission form using
PubMed ID and external linking to Entrez databases. BioMed Central can
also offer Open Repositories in different (Roman alphabet) languages,
customisable submission forms. The service is now W3 web accessibility
compliant AA.

Open Repository offers a Pilot Repository set up scheme, allowing
customers to have working demo sites personalised to their needs for a
3-month, no obligation, free trial.

ENDS

Press contacts:

Grace Baynes for BioMed Central: press at biomedcentral.com or +44
(0) 20 7631 9988

Jayne Burgess for MMU: Jayne.Burgess at mmu.ac.uk or +44 (0) 161 247
6109

For more information about the Open Repository service, or to discuss
setting up a Pilot Repository, please email info at openrepository.com

About Open Repository

Open Repository (www.openrepository.com) is a service provided by BioMed
Central for institutions and research organisations. Open Repository
offers professional help to institutions to quickly and easily build,
launch, maintain, and populate their own repositories. The service has
been designed to be flexible and cost-effective. BioMed Central's
economy of scale makes it possible for institutions that could not
otherwise afford to, or lack the infrastructure or technical capacity
in-house, to set up repositories.

About Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU)

Manchester Metropolitan University (www.mmu.ac.uk) is a forward-looking
university. It is proud of the exceptional breadth of choice it has to
offer students and of its links with business, industry, the professions
and the local communities that all contribute to the learning
experience. The University has a varied population, attracting students
from a broad range of backgrounds and countries, which contributes to
its lively and dynamic atmosphere. The University is based across seven
campuses, five in the Manchester area and two at Alsager and Crewe's MMU
Cheshire. The central Manchester campuses form part of the largest
higher education campus in the UK and one of the most extensive
education centres in Europe.

Grace Baynes
Marketing Communications Manager
BioMed Central
Middlesex House
34-42 Cleveland Street
London W1T 4LB
T: +44 (0)20 7631 9988
F: +44 (0)20 7580 1938
http://www.biomedcentral.com/



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