In 2018, the Next Generation Repository Task Group (NGRTG), a subgroup of the CARL Open Repositories Working Group (ORWG), identified the need for an accurate, community-updated inventory of repositories across Canada.
Having such an inventory available can encourage community conversations around next generation repository infrastructure, including making a case for the upgrading of software, finding colleagues who may offer helpful advice, and promoting connections between repository managers and developers to inform testing and further development. It may also support institutional and national planning efforts to invest in repository infrastructure by providing an up-to-date picture of the repository infrastructure landscape in Canada.
Through this initiative, Canadian repository managers are requested to verify and update their repository information on behalf of their respective institutions once per year in a spreadsheet. Snapshots of the data are taken in December and deposited into the Federated Research Data Repository (FRDR).
This project is currently overseen by the CARL Canadian Repositories Community of Practice Steering Committee.
