[OAI-implementers] DARE: a new age in the provision of academic information

[Westrienen van, Gerard]

           *** Sorry for any cross postings ***

DARE: a new age in the provision of academic information

With the award of a NAP grant of 2 million euros for the period 2003-2006,
the Dutch government is giving a strong boost to innovation in the provision
of academic information in the Netherlands. DARE (Digital Academic
Repositories) is a collective initiative by the Dutch universities to make
all their research results digitally accessible. The Koninklijke Bibliotheek
[Royal Library], the Koninklijke Nederlandse Academie van Wetenschappen
[Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences] and the Nederlandse
Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO) [Netherlands Organisation
for Scientific Research] are also collaborating on this unique project.
Coordination is being taken care of by the SURF Foundation, the ICT
partnership organisation for higher education and research in the
Netherlands.

DARE anticipates developments in the provision of academic information, in
which information and communications technology has come to play a dominant
role. DARE is modernising the management of Dutch academic information by
putting an infrastructure system in place and providing advanced services
for the digital recording, accessing, storage and distribution of the Dutch
academic output. This will greatly improve the visibility of and access to
the academic output. This is being done in the same way at all the
institutions, each institution retaining its individual responsibility and
exercising its own management, without duplication in storage and in the
maintenance efforts. The standards used are robust in relation to future
advances and are closely aligned with international developments, enabling
the information to be exchanged nationally and internationally in a highly
efficient way. Digital availability, based on open, international standards,
simplifies the further use of the information for various purposes. Examples
are publication in traditional or new journals (including electronic ones),
long-term storage at the Koninklijke Bibliotheek [Royal Library], inclusion
in the NWO's Open Sources system and incorporation in digital learning
environments for the future.

In the present situation, the visibility of and access to Dutch academic
research leave much to be desired. In the fast-changing world of academic
research and communications, changes are needed if the Netherlands wants to
maintain its position in the academic world. Linking up with international
developments in this area, such as the Open Archives Initiative, is crucial.
A national effort to achieve  this is needed. 

In DARE, all the parties concerned are combining forces and existing
smaller-scale projects are being brought together. Enhanced accessibility to
their research will benefit the public profile of Dutch scholars and
universities. With DARE, the Dutch institutions for university education and
research will be better able to create a framework to fulfil their social
responsibility for recording, providing access to and efficiently utilising
their research. In this way the institutions, and their scholars, will be
able to take up their positions in a better and more efficient way in the
rapidly changing world of the provision of academic information.

SURF
SURF is the ICT collaboration organisation for higher education and research
in the Netherlands. The universities and hogescholen (universities of
professional education) collaborate in SURF regarding ICT developments in
the areas of ICT and Research, Education and Organisation, and regarding the
networkinfrastructur of SURFnet and the software licences of SURFdiensten.


Note:
A summary of DARE is available on the SURF website (www.surf.nl) under
'News'.

For further information please contact:
SURF Foundation
Mrs C.G.E. van Hattem, communications manager
Leidseveer 35						
Postbus 2290					
NL-3500 GG  Utrecht					
T +31 (0)30 234 66 00	
F +31 (0)30 233 29 60
W www.surf.nl
E vanhattem@surf.nl


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Drs. Gerard M. van Westrienen
programme manager  - Stichting SURF
Leidseveer 35
Postbus 2290
3500 GG Utrecht
The Netherlands
W: www.surf.nl
T: +31 (0)30 2346600
F: +31 (0)30 2332960
E: vanwestrienen@surf.nl

The SURF Foundation, Stichting SURF in Dutch, is the higher
education and research partnership organisation for network
services and information and communication technology. 
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