Advocacy:
Advocacy by repository staff of their repositories is an essential
part of running a successful repository. Engagement with the many
stakeholders and potential users of a repository is important, alongside
the crucial role of advocacy direct to authors and content creators,
encouraging them to deposit their content in the repository.
General Advocacy:
Many repository managers are embarking on a concerted advocacy campaign within their institutions in order to boost awareness and usage of their repositories. The Repositories Support Project provides further information and support on how to go about this.
There are also other support networks, including numerous JISCmail lists (most notably JISC Repositories) and the developing UKCORR. These support networks will be able to help repository staff as they try to implement policies and good practice in their repositories, including implementing the recommendations of this framework.
Advocating Good Versioning Practice:
The most effective way to better version identification is undoubtedly to get the right information from authors and other content creators up front. There are a few very simple hints to give content creators that will make for a much cleaner repository and these can be incorporated within your advocacy program.
- Suggest that content creators look at the Content Creation section of this web site.
- Distribute the VIF flyer, introducing them to our headline recommendations and advice to help their work be recognised and identified correctly.
- Obtain a copy of the VERSIONS project Toolkit, aimed at authors and content creators.
- Examine the RSP Paper submitted by VIF and VERSIONS on versioning issues.
Next Section:
Go back to the Index for Repository Managers.