UMER Collection Policy

Definitions

Institutional repository is used in this paper to mean a digital collection that centralizes, preserves and disseminates the research output of the University of Melbourne's academic staff, postgraduate students and general staff (where appropriate). It complements traditional publishing outlets such as refereed journals.

Introduction

This document contains the policies that guide the selection, management and access provisions of the University of Melbourne Eprint Repository (UMER).

It defines and describes the purpose and content of the collections and provides a general framework against which current and future collection decisions can be made. It has been prepared in the context of the mission statement and goals of both the Information Division and the University, and is intended to be a dynamic document, responsive to changes in the academic environment.

The Vision of the University of Melbourne

The vision is of a University of Melbourne international in character and focus, and world class in the staff and students it attracts, the research and scholarship it produces and the academic standards to which it adheres; a university adding immense intellectual, cultural and professional energy to the City of Melbourne, and serving Victoria and Australia by performing and being acknowledged as one of the finest universities in the world.

The Mission of the University of Melbourne

To make the University of Melbourne one of the finest universities in the world.

Information Division Vision

That all members of the University will be able to use sophisticated information easily and well

Information Division Mission

To implement an information strategy which provides connectivity, content and competence.

• Connectivity - efficient access to information management systems.
• Content - information services and collections, which support teaching, learning, research and administration.
• Competence - equipping members of the University with information literacy, IT and multimedia skills.

Information Division Purpose

Provide members of the University with the most sophisticated forms of information and knowledge available and ensure that staff and students have the confidence to use information easily and efficiently. The Mission of the University of Melbourne Information Division

Content

The collection will be restricted to deposits of full text electronic research output by academic staff, postgraduate students and (where appropriate) general staff of the University of Melbourne. Contributors may include outsiders if they are co-authoring with University of Melbourne authors or are affiliated closely with the University, eg are emeritus professors or hold honorary appointments.

Formats will include the following:

• pre-prints
• working papers
• published articles (post-prints)
• books/monographs
• book chapters
• online journals
• research reports
• inaugural lectures
• draft or final conference papers
• data sets
• theses
• any other form of research output which can be technically loaded to the repository. This would exclude software programs and websites, for example.

Formats

The preferred formats are pdf and html, but other formats will be accepted as required by the content, eg laTeX.

Metadata

The eprints repository uses the simple Dublin Core metadata elements that are mandatory for data providers registered with the Open Archives Initiative. The database is enriched with other metadata schemas where appropriate, for example the use of the ERIC thesaurus for education and Journal of Economic Literature classification scheme for economics. It is expected that the metadata will develop in sophistication as the international eprint movement gains momentum.

Copyright/IP issues

To protect contributors and the University, contributing authors sign a form where

• the creators warrant that to the best of their knowledge and belief that the eprints are original works; the Creators are the owners of all of the intellectual property in the eprints; or the Creators are entitled to deal with the intellectual property in the eprints by publishing the eprints on the internet; the Creators have the right, power and authority to enter into this Agreement and to grant the University the rights contained in this Agreement; and the University's use of the eprints pursuant to this Agreement will not infringe the intellectual property rights of any third party.
• The Creators acknowledge and agree that the University is not responsible or liable for any breach of the Creators' intellectual property rights in the eprints, in particular any breach of copyright, as a result of the use of the eprints pursuant to this Agreement.
• The University acknowledges that the rights granted by the Creators to deposit, store, and make the eprints publicly available do not cause any transfer or assignment of any proprietary rights in the intellectual property in the eprints to the University.

Quality control

Working paper series that will form a substantial component of the repository content, are sponsored by academic faculties/departments of the University. Membership in academic departments is well defined and selective, based on education, experience and other qualifications. This restricted membership helps assure quality. The reputation of a department is a likely indicator of the quality of the research manuscripts it publishes. Many specialists would be willing to trust the papers in a series sponsored by an academic department of a research intensive university such as University of Melbourne.

Most working papers receive informal review from the Dean or Head of Department to protect the University/department from embarrassment or to protect intellectual property rights.

Preservation/archiving

The intention is to create a permanent archive of research output; however, there is the option to remove papers in any of the following circumstances :

• If the journal in which a paper is formally published requires it
• If the paper proves scurrilous, plagiarizes, is libelous or breaches copyright
• If the academic author decides to remove it.