Preserving repository content: practical tools for repository managers

The stated aim of many repositories is to provide permanent open access to their content. However, relatively few repositories have implemented practical action plans towards permanence. Repository managers often lack time and confidence to tackle the important but scary problem of preservation. Written by, and aimed at, institutional repository managers, this paper describes how the JISC-funded KeepIt project has been bringing together existing preservation tools and services with appropriate training and advice to enable repository managers to formulate practical and achievable preservation plans. Three elements of the KeepIt project are described: 1. The initial, exploratory phase in which repository managers and a preservation specialist established the current status of each repository and its preservation objectives; 2. The repository-specific KeepIt preservation training course which covered the organisational and financial framework of repository preservation; metadata; the new preservation tools; and issues of trust between repository, users and services; 3. The application of some of the tools and lessons learned from the training course to four exemplar repositories and the impact that this has made. The paper concludes by recommending practical steps that all repository managers may take to ensure their repositories are preservation-ready.