The Confederation of Open Access Repositories (COAR) is a not-for-profit association of repository initiatives launched in October 2009. It aims to enhance greater visibility and application of research outputs through global networks of Open Access digital repositories.
News & Announcements
COAR and OpenAIRE: Enhancing the Interoperability of Repositories for International Research
Joint Birds-of-Feather Session at the Open Repositories Conference OR2010, Madrid
Wednesday, July 7, 2010, Zone A (Room Goya), 17:30-19:00
Interoperability of open access repositories enhances the visibility of research outputs and adds value to repositories. Therefore, the development and implementation of interoperable standards and consistent policies is important for international repository initiatives.The "Confederation of Open Access Repositories" (COAR) promotes the interoperability of open access (OA) repositories on an international scale. This is based on the ideas and expertise of now about 50 members and partners world-wide. COAR supports the coordination of global collaborative efforts towards high-quality data and interoperable systems. With its actions COAR aims to support regional and national repository initiatives, to disseminate best practices and to facilitate the discussion on interoperability.
OpenAIRE develops a framework for a European-wide network of repositories to support the implementation of the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) Open Access Pilot and the ERC Scientific Council's Guidelines for Open Access. The three-year project builds up a portal and e-infrastructure for repository networks, supports researchers in depositing their publications and explores data management services.
In this session you will have the opportunity to meet members and partners of both initiatives to join the discussion about areas for collaboration.
First General Assembly of COAR, Madrid, March 2, 2010
On March 2, 2010, the General Assembly of COAR was held at the Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED) in Madrid. Of the 48 COAR members, 33 members and one partner organisation was present and further 8 organisations have transferred their vote to a proxy. Based on presentations and proposals discussed by its members, the General Assembly took decisions on
- five core objectives, for which working groups will soon be established
- the extension of COAR's membership scheme by group memberships
- the membership fees for 2010
- a preliminary budget for the activities envisioned for 2010.
Further information on the new COAR membership scheme will be made available very soon.
COAR submits comments to OSTP public consultation on Public Access to Federally Funded Research (January 21, 2010)
On January 21, 2010, COAR submitted a letter responding to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), which launched a public consultation on Public Access to Federally Funded Research. COAR is a not-for-profit association of repository initiatives with members from over 25 nations around the world and is working towards the development of a global network of open access repositories to enhance the wide visibility and applicability of research outputs. COAR promotes infrastructure interoperability and a joint global data store of open access repositories to enable and support the re-use of data by service and portal providers. In particular, this will support the implementation of mandates of research funders and institutions.
Objectives
COAR will focus on the following activities:
- Lobby for repositories, their networks and repository based e-Infrastructures at the national and international level
- Coordinate global collaborative efforts towards high-quality OA content and interoperable systems
- Develop strategic partnerships for research infrastructure related initiatives worldwide
- Promote a joint global data store of OA repositories to enable and support the open re-use of data by service and portal providers
- Act as a reference point for repository standardization efforts and a forum for information exchange
- Develop and support of interoperable standards for national aggregation of research content in OA repositories
- Promote increased rates of self-archiving with as little burden as possible on the researcher
- Advocate for consistent policy formulation on institutional repository development
- Promote the repository manager profession
- Support the implementation of OA mandates by research funders and institutions
- Maintain, develop and expand the COAR international confederation, including regional and subject-based networks of OA repositories
About COAR
Since June 23, 2010, COAR is a registered association under German Law (Register of Associations / Vereinsregister: Göttingen VR 200463)
Launch of COAR, Ghent, October 21, 2009
Articles of the Association
Executive Board
- Chairperson: Dr. Norbert Lossau, Göttingen State and University Library, Germany
- Vice Chairperson: Sugita Shigeki, University Library, Hokkaido University, Japan
- Treasurer: Alicia López Medina, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Spain
Members
- Association for Learning Technology (ALT), ALT Repository
- Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL)
- National Science Library, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
- Coalition for Networked Information (CNI)
- Cooperación Latino Americana de Redes Avanzadas (CLARA)
- Italian National Research Council (CNR), Institute of Information Science and Technologies
- Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CISC)
- Consorcio Madroño
- Denmarks’s Electronic Research Library (DEFF) on behalf of the Danish Agency for Libraries and Media
- Digital Repository Federation Japan (DRF)
- EDINA and Information Services at the University of Edinburgh
- eIFL.net
- Fundação para a Computação Científica Nacional (FCCN)
- Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología (FECYT)
- Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) on behalf of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE)
- Institute of Mathematics an Informatics - Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
- Kungliga Biblioteket, Stockholm
- Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The Hague
- Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciencs / Tudományos Akadémia Könyvtára
- Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Productiva (MinCyT)
- My Open Archive
- National Institute of Informatics (NII)
- NORA on behalf of the University of Tromsø
- National and University Library of Slovenia (NUK)
- Online Computer Library Center (OCLC)
- Red Nacional Académica de Tecnología Avanzada (RENATA)
- Sächsische Landesbibliothek - Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Dresden
- SPARC Europe
- SURF
- Technische Universiteit Delft
- University of Arizona
- National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
- Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin
- University of Bielefeld
- University of Debrecen
- Universidad EAFIT
- Universiteit Gent
- Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
- Universität Konstanz
- Universidade do Minho
- Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED)
- University of Nottingham
- Universidade dp Porto
- University of Regensburg
- Universidad del Rosario
- University of Stuttgart
- Uniwersytet Warszawski, Interdisciplinary Centre for Mathematical and Computational Modelling (ICM)
Partners
Member- & Partnership
If you are engaged in the development of repositories and their networks, we would be delighted to welcome you as a new member of COAR. The first General Assembly of COAR decided in March 2010 about the membership fees for 2010. COAR offers various forms of participation including single and group memberships as well as the opportunity to become a partner.
Contact
For general information about membership and any aspect of COAR’s activities please contact:
Dr. Birgit Schmidt
Göttingen State and University Library
Tel.: +49 551 39-5228
Fax: +49 551 39-5222
coar-office@sub.uni-goettingen.de