NASIG 2019

Open access (OA) now has many tendrils running across the wider research information landscape. There are more researchers, organizations, and systems than ever before that are engaging with (or being asked to engage with) open access throughout the research ecosystem. However too often open access activities and processes from repositories remain siloed from other research information management systems (RIMS) and tasks, creating an undue burden of time, duplication of effort, thereby undermining the overall the effectiveness of OA.

By investing in interoperability, metadata standards and practices, and creating a networked landscape of systems and community, we can create ecosystems that encourage researchers to make even more of their research open while streamlining research information management activities. By uniting the community around a more sustainable, systems-agnostic approach focused on flexible interoperability, it is possible to create an environment in which organizations can choose the tools relevant to their needs, and bring them together to complement each other, and maximize data reuse.

This presentation and discussion will explore pathways for creating a more interoperable, networked research information ecosystem, including strategies to bring together communities, content, systems and processes. Drawing examples from the usage of figshare for institutions (Repository system) and Symplectic Elements (Research Information Management System) at Carnegie Mellon University , this presentation will specifically explore where repositories sit within the research information management landscape and how they can be bridged to RIMS, outline opportunities for interconnectivity within multiple connective points, and highlight the successes of vendors and institutions working collaboratively towards common goals and achievements.