MBLWHOI Library’s institutional repository stewardship responsibility

Abstract

The MBLWHOI Library’s Institutional Repository (IR) is a CoreTrustSeal certified repository. We chose to go through this process to demonstrate our commitment to quality stewardship and to be a trusted option for our researchers facing funder and publisher requirements that data be accessible, and more recently, also citable with a DOI.

The Library always recommends that researchers deposit data in an appropriate subject or community repository, but there are many cases where the dataset needing a DOI does not fit that scenario. The ability to quickly and easily deposit data in a certified repository is a value added service for our users. Some funders now mandate the data must be deposited in a FAIR repository. Being a CoreTrustSeal certified repository ensures that the MBLWHOI Library’s Institutional Repository practices FAIR principles.

This lighting talk will show the steps we went through to become certified, some of the hurdles and benefits, as well our current status as an application reviewer. This process enabled us to review our internal process and procedures and re-examine any outdated practices. It shined a light on places we could improve our documentation and more clearly state our policies. The importance of demonstrating our commitment to quality and the Library’s continued efforts with the repository to remain on the forefront of technology with linked open data, schema.org, etc.