In a pivotal move to enhance the discoverability of Open Access content housed in repositories, the US Repository Network (USRN) is set to embark on a groundbreaking pilot project slated for launch in November. This initiative is crucial in establishing an interoperable and efficient network of repositories, a vital component of the US national research infrastructure. The project aligns with the recent OSTP Memorandum, mandating the "Ensuring Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research," reinforcing the repositories' role as an effective compliance option.
The USRN's pilot project will leverage services from CORE, a not-for-profit aggregator based at the Open University in the UK, with additional technical support from Antleaf Ltd. The primary goal is to evaluate and enhance local repository practices, ensuring they align with the evolving landscape of Open Access mandates. CORE will aggregate metadata and full-text articles from a selected subset of US repositories, enabling centralized discoverability through a dedicated service. This service will prominently feature links directing users back to the original full-text content within the respective repositories.
Simultaneously, the project aims to assess various aspects, including metadata quality, Open Access deposit tracking, the utilization of persistent identifiers (PIDs), technical support for OAI-PMH, and the adoption of contemporary protocols such as FAIR Signposting. CORE will enrich the aggregated US metadata by incorporating insights from its extensive international aggregation. Participating institutions will have access to a dedicated Dashboard service, empowering them to assess, validate, and monitor their repository practices.
With 18 repositories representing diverse institutions, software types, and repository models, this one-year project is poised to yield tangible recommendations and best practice guidelines. These insights will contribute to both machine and human discoverability of research articles within US repositories.
USRN, spearheaded by SPARC with support from the Confederation of Open Access Repositories (COAR), serves as a catalyst to unite the repository community and facilitate the adoption of best practices. The initiative is steered by an Action Plan and Steering Group comprising library leaders and repository managers. The USRN community extends an open invitation to all Open Access repositories to actively participate in this collaborative effort.
