Oxford Digital Repositories Steering Group

2.1. Purpose

The Oxford Digital Repositories Steering Group provided a coordinating role for the development of digital repository services within Oxford. The Group comprised key stakeholders from across the University, representing existing activities, and sources of expertise as well as the teaching and research domains. The Group had responsibility for ensuring communication across repository activities in the University; stakeholder and user input to the requirements gathering and analysis; overseeing the definition of services; and for developing and communicating standards to ensure interoperability between services.

2.2. Role

The Oxford Digital Repositories Steering Group had particular responsibility for:

• Ensuring communication across repository activities in both research and learning;
• Maintain a portfolio of relevant activities and promoting collaboration between digital repository initiatives within, and where relevant, beyond the institution;
• Advising on the strategic development of digital repository services, identifying priorities and, where relevant, supporting bids for further resources;
• Overseeing the development of an interoperable services framework for institutional repository services;
• Ensuring appropriate input from, and consultation with, stakeholder and user communities;
• Receiving reports from projects and activities;
• Raising awareness about and promoting digital repository activities, policies and standards.

2.3. Membership

The membership of the Steering Group was as follows:

• Chair (April 2007 to September 2008) - Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research, Academic Services and University Collections;
  • Professor Ewan McKendrick
• Chair (as nominated by the Pro-Vice Chancellor from September 2008)- Director of IT;
  • Professor Paul Jeffreys
• One nominated representative from each of the four academic divisions;
  • Professor John Baines, Humanities
  • Vacancy, MPLS
  • Dr Vivien Sieber, Medical Sciences
  • Professor Jonathan Zittrain, Social Sciences
• Director of IT
  • Professor Paul Jeffreys
• Two senior members of the Library Services;
  • Dr Sarah Thomas
  • Mr Richard Ovenden
• Two senior members of the Computing Services;
  • Mr Lou Burnard
  • Ms Ruth Mitchell
• A member of the OeRC;
  • Professor Anne Trefethen
• Principal investigators or heads from relevant projects or services;
  • Dr David Shotton
  • Dr Mike Fraser
• Co-opted members with expertise relevant to the role of the Group;
  • Dr Anne Bowtell
  • Mr Luis Martinez Uribe

2.4. Meetings

The Steering Group met once per term.

Agenda and papers were circulated electronically to all members at least five working days prior to the date of the meeting; and unreserved agenda and minutes were made available on the dedicated website.

The committee were able to resolve any issues within its remit which arose between meetings either facilitated through an email list or by delegation of authority to the Chair.