This is an updated version of ‘How To Make Your OA Repository Work Really Well’, the checklist developed by EIFL to help repository managers, administrators and librarians at research and educational institutions to improve their DSpace open access (OA) repositories. DSpace is the most commonly used repository software in EIFL partner countries.

The checklist is a living document that we update periodically. It started with tips drawn from a series of webinars organized by EIFL in 2016. In the webinars, Nason Bimbe of the Institute of Development Studies (UK), and Hilton Gibson from Stellenbosch University (South Africa), shared suggestions and good practices in setting up and running OA repositories using DSpace free and open source software. 

This is the 5th revision of the checklist. We have included the new DSpace 7.1 software release - the largest release in the history of DSpace software. We have updated information about repository interoperability, and added COAR controlled vocabularies, OpenAIRE and Wikipedia to the discoverability section. We have also updated the repository policy and licensing sections and added more tips on ORCID-DSpace integrations.

We welcome comments and feedback - send your thoughts to iryna.kuchma@eifl.net.