Stevan Harnad (SH) wrote:
SH> It is rather ironic that a choice between two free self-archiving
SH> softwares should lately be holding up self-archiving!
SH>
SH> "Should I use
http://www.eprints.org/ or
http://www.dspace.org/
SH> as my Institutional Self-Archiving Software?
SH>
SH> The short answer is: It doesn't matter! Use either one!
While I agree with the short answer, and that it should not hold up
institutional preservation activity, I think that it is wise to ask
the question.
If it is scholarly publications that the institution has, then use
whichever you prefer (asthetically).
If, however, it is database applications running on legacy platforms,
then I would be tempted by DSpace. It is unlikely that either s/w
will be able to provide the full solution.
SH> EPrints and DSpace are both free, both open-source, both OAI-compliant,
SH> both interoperable, both equivalent in the functionality relevant to
SH> self-archiving, and even both written initially by the same programmer
SH> (Southampton's Rob Tansley)!
How much do either conform to the OAIS reference model?
[paragraph snip]
SH> Because the real 1st, 2nd, and 3rd priority today is not
SH> software-choice but *content*: *filling* those institutional
SH> archives as soon as possible with all your institution's refereed
SH> research output, so as to maximise its potential research impact
SH>
http://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/~harnad/Temp/unto-others.html -- which
SH> is otherwise being needlessly lost, daily.
Of course, the wrong s/w choice may lead to a failure in the preservation.
Other material, is ergo being needlessly lost while ever it is not being
preserved.
NB. The references provided by Steven are very useful and will
help in making the choice.
Derek Sergeant
Received on Tue Feb 11 2003 - 13:27:26 GMT