Abstract
In 2021, the University of Otago’s existing institutional repository system (DSpace v.5) was assessed as highly bespoke, unintuitive, underutilised, expensive to maintain, and a security risk. With high-level sponsorship by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Enterprise, the Library launched a project to select and implement a new cutting-edge repository system, with the goal of elevating Otago’s research visibility in a highly competitive tertiary sector.
Following a rigorous evaluation process, stakeholders selected Esploro, a cloud-based Software as a Service (SaaS) platform from Ex Libris. A small but dedicated project team spearheaded the implementation, involving migration of existing content, and configuration of the new system from October 2023 to March 2024, culminating in a successful launch on 1 May 2024.
The transition was transformative: ~15,000 existing research outputs were migrated from the old system, of which ⅔ were student theses and just ⅓ non-thesis research. One-year post-launch, the repository boasts >44,000 outputs – an increase of 191%, with a dramatic increase in non-thesis research (now 75% of total content).
This successful increase in research outputs was made possible by key features of Esploro, including Smart Expansion, which imports known past publications using paired researcher ID and DOI information, and Smart Harvesting, which automatically identifies and adds new publications daily, minimising the manual deposits by researchers.
This presentation will explore the triumphs and challenges of implementing a new system and the impact on research visibility and accessibility.