Resolution for Open Source Institutional Repository

RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF OPEN SOURCE SOLUTIONS FOR CSU INSTITUTIONAL REPOSITORIES

Council of Library Deans

California State University

December 1, 2017

WHEREAS:

1. Academic libraries worldwide, along with their parent institutions, recognize the value of open source platforms to encourage collaboration, gain cost efficiencies, provide more flexibility and innovation in development, avoid pressures of the commercial marketplace, and allow developing countries to utilize sophisticated software platforms without high costs; and
2. A well-supported open source product in active development can be configured by Chancellor’s Office technology personnel based on consortial needs and will be expandable, scalable, and upgradeable for the sustainable future; and
3. Open source platforms also afford the opportunity for Chancellor’s Office and campus developers to contribute functional code back to the open source community that uses the platform, thus making additional functionality available to others; and
4. CSU campus experts consulting with the Chancellor’s Office will be able to help establish standards that would be adopted systemwide, which would support campuses with less metadata and archival expertise; and
5. Systemwide standards for archiving specific content types (such as Electronic Theses and Dissertations) would make harvesting the data for the ULMS a much smoother process; and
6. Universal CSU Electronic Theses and Dissertations in one system will become a powerful marketing tool for library value and return on investment; and
7. A unique CSU vision, based on the needs of the CSU and not a proprietary company, will provide CSU libraries the opportunity to be in the vanguard for institutional repository development.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that all members of the Council of Library Deans (COLD) of the California State University are strongly encouraged to move or mirror the content from all campus institutional repositories onto a common open source platform no later than July 1, 2020.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the CSU Chancellor’s Office commit itself to developing ScholarWorks into the institutional repository of first choice for CSU scholarly communications and to work closely with the CSU Libraries to develop the functionality and user experience of this institutional repository.

Action items