Cal Poly Pomona Institutional Repository Project http://www.csupomona.edu/cgi-group/library/cgi-bin/blosxom.cgi News en Project web site launch http://www.csupomona.edu/cgi-group/library/cgi-bin/blosxom.cgi/2006/11/21#2.7.06 Welcome to the Institutional Repository Project web log (aka "blog"). The Project web site should provide answers to most of your questions about the Repository. If you don't find the information you require, please contact me, Laura Smart at x5386 or ljsmart at csupomona dot edu.

The web log is for project news, events, and progress reports and will be updated as needed. Occasional items of interest about institutional repositories may also be included.

 Moving closer to mandatory public access to federal research http://www.csupomona.edu/cgi-group/library/cgi-bin/blosxom.cgi/2006/11/21#5.17.06 Information today is reporting on the Federal Research Public Access Act of 2006. It says, "if passed, the policy would require that agencies with research budgets of more than $100 million enact policy to ensure that articles generated through research funded by that agency are made available online within 6 months of publication."

According to Infotoday, the proposed legislation says that, "the agency must ensure that the manuscript is preserved in a stable, digital repository maintained by that agency or in another suitable repository that permits free public access, has interoperability, and is designed for long-term preservation."

Cal Poly Pomona's repository fits the bill.

 Electronic Masters' Theses/Projects http://www.csupomona.edu/cgi-group/library/cgi-bin/blosxom.cgi/2006/11/21#2.23.06 The first Repository project is the Electronic Masters' Theses/Projects collection. Graduate students at Cal Poly Pomona have had the option of submitting an electronic project for the past few years. The Repository initiative aims to develop policies and procedures for electronic submission and increase student participation in the voluntary program. More details will be announced soon. Another step closer to mandatory archiving at NIH http://www.csupomona.edu/cgi-group/library/cgi-bin/blosxom.cgi/2006/11/21#3.7.06 Peter Suber, Open Access advocate and editor of the SPARC Open Access Newsletter, reports on the National Institutes of Health voluntary archiving policy. Since May 2005, the NIH has requested that any publication resulting from funded projects be archived with PubMed. Compliance has been low since archiving is optional. Recently the National Library of Medicine (which produces PubMed), has recommended that the policy be made mandatory. Suber says that Congress has already given the NIH a strong mandate to require deposit. If the upcoming CURES legislation passes then mandatory deposit will extend to other government funding agencies. You can read the entire SPARC Newsletter article.