COAR, with other partners including WACREN (West and Central African Research and Education Network) and EIFL, is coordinating a repository workshop in Zanzibar, Tanzania on November 19-20, 2018.
This is the first in a series of meetings to develop a more cohesive strategy for strengthening and building more comprehensive repository networks in Africa. The two-day workshop, which will take place in conjunction with the UbuntuNet Conference, will convene library and NREN (National Research and Education Network) stakeholders from African countries to explore how library-based repositories can better engage with NREN services in order to break down institutional silos, add value to repositories, and support the growth of open science in the region.
The meeting will discuss the current state of open access and repositories in Africa through a presentation of the results of a LIBSENSE survey of higher education sector librarians. It will address issues of interoperability, technical development of repositories, and next generation repository services. Additionally, the benefits and roles of network services will be examined and participants will work together to develop a roadmap and identify priority activities for next steps.
These activities are part of a broader effort by COAR to help build capacity and align repository networks around the world. Work that is funded through the OpenAIRE Advance project. It contributes to our vision of building an inclusive and sustainable global knowledge commons, in which all regions and researchers can participate.
The program and registration form is available on the conference web page.