Apologies for failing to mention CERN's wonderful self-archiving software http://cdsware.cern.ch/ (and many thanks to Helene Bosc and JY Le Meur for promptly pointing out my error!). Yes, all software for facilitating institutional research self-archiving is eagerly and gratefully welcomed! The only thing to avoid at all costs is being held back from self-archiving still longer than we have alas already been, because, like Buridan's Donkey, we are now paralysed contemplating the free-software options -- instead of picking one and getting on with it!
Chrs, Stevan On Tue, 11 Feb 2003, Jean-Yves Le Meur wrote: > I want to add to Stevan's remark that the free availability of many > different software for self-archiving is intended to boost the OA > movement, not to slow it down ! > And if CERN has also released last year its document server as GNU (from > <http://cdsware.cern.ch>), it is with the idea that it may fit well the > needs of some large institutions willing to start self archiving in a > similar way as it is done at CERN - and not at all to compete with > eprints.org. > > I do hope that more and more OAI-compliant software will emerge in the > coming years and that they will offer a large range of solutions among > which institutions can freely choose ! > > > JY Le Meur. > > > CERN Document Server Project Leader ** <http://cds.cern.ch/> ** > <[email protected]> Room: Bldg 510-1-011 ** Voice: +41-22-7674745 ** > Fax: +41-22-7678142 > > > On Tue, 11 Feb 2003, Stevan Harnad wrote: > > > It is rather ironic that a choice between two free self-archiving > > softwares should lately be holding up self-archiving! > > > > "Should I use http://www.eprints.org/ or http://www.dspace.org/ > > as my Institutional Self-Archiving Software? > > > > The short answer is: It doesn't matter! Use either one! > > > > EPrints and DSpace are both free, both open-source, both OAI-compliant, > > both interoperable, both equivalent in the functionality relevant to > > self-archiving, and even both written initially by the same programmer > > (Southampton's Rob Tansley)! > > > > The two free software packages are of comparable > > complexity, both built using established technologies. So > > choose one http://software.eprints.org/#sites or the other > > http://dspace.org/people/early-adopt.html and start self-archiving! > > (And if you should change your mind about the software, you can switch > > and migrate your archive's content from one to the other later.) > > > > Because the real 1st, 2nd, and 3rd priority today is not > > software-choice but *content*: *filling* those institutional > > archives as soon as possible with all your institution's refereed > > research output, so as to maximise its potential research impact > > http://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/~harnad/Temp/unto-others.html -- which > > is otherwise being needlessly lost, daily. > > > > Thus the only option to be avoided at all costs is "ESpace": an > > empty or non-existent institutional archive! The best way to > > ensure the filling of your institutional refereed research > > archives is to adopt an institutional self-archiving policy > > http://www.eprints.org/self-faq/#institution-facilitate-filling such > > as http://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/~lac/archpol.html or even a national one: > > http://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/~harnad/Temp/Ariadne-RAE.doc > > > > The California Institute of Technology http://library.caltech.edu/digital/ > > is developing an institutional self-archiving strategy > > for its Caltech Collection of Open Digital Archives (CODA) > > -- a strategy other institutions may find worth emulating > > http://library.caltech.edu/evdv/CODA.ppt > > > > So please do take your choice of the two free softwares; the differences > > are trivial. And then get on to the far more important part: Filling > > those archives, by self-archiving all your institutional research output! > > > > Stevan Harnad > > > > NOTE: A complete archive of the ongoing discussion of providing open > > access to the peer-reviewed research literature online is available at > > the American Scientist September Forum (98 & 99 & 00 & 01 & 02): > > > > > > http://amsci-forum.amsci.org/archives/American-Scientist-Open-Access-Forum.html > > or > > http://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/~harnad/Hypermail/Amsci/index.html > > > > Discussion can be posted to: [email protected] > > > > See also the Budapest Open Access Initiative: > > http://www.soros.org/openaccess > > > > the Free Online Scholarship Movement: > > http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/timeline.htm > > > > the OAI site: > > http://www.openarchives.org > > > > and the self-archiving FAQ: > > http://www.eprints.org/self-faq/ > > >
