National Perspectives on Sustainable Repositories

Sustaining Digital Objects in the Research Information Infrastructure

An APSR-sponsored Colloquium, 10/6/2005, RG Menzies Building, ANU.

Background

Distributed open-access digital repositories are moving towards the centre of a global system for archiving, discovering and accessing digital materials in support of research and education. In this movement the transformation of our complex scholarly communications system from print to digital is joined by moves to archive valuable data and information more generally. Sustainability is intrinsic to this movement and essential for successful development of the global system. APSR has convened this colloquium to provide a forum to address sustainability issues with a focus on Australia's emerging research information infrastructure.

In particular the colloquium seeks to explore the following:

What are the key sustainability issues in archiving digital research materials? How do they relate to established procedures for non-digital formats? What needs to change?
How wide-spread are the issues across various research communities?
Who are the stakeholders in research data? What are their motivations to help establish these environments?
Where are the costs and benefits in providing these environments?
What coordination and collaboration is desirable from the national perspective?

The colloquium will have four sessions:

"Australian Settings - The Research Information Infrastructure (RII)"
"National Programs for Sustainability"
"National Perspectives on Sustainability"
Discussion Forum

During the discussion forum we will re-visit the underlying questions and your input will help to formulate a report which will record the voice of the forum.

The day will also be interspersed with short case study presentations to exemplify the sustainability challenges. These will provide insight into the issues from different perspectives along the research spectrum.

We have scheduled a busy morning session and a concise lunch session, so that we can finish by mid-afternoon and allow our interstate travellers an early mark on a Friday.

We look forward to your participation.