Talk given at the UKCoRR members meeting Jan 2012, by the Chair of the organisation.

1. Gaz J Johnson
Chair, UKCoRR
@llordllama
University of Portsmouth
27th January 2012

2.  Reflect on membership survey outcomes
 Consider questions raised within
Committee
 Look to the past, but focus on future
activities
 Debate, discuss, and question…

3.  Who are you?
 What do you want?
 Why are you here?
 Do you have anything worth living for?
 Who do you serve?
 Who do you trust?
 Where are you going?

4.  Membership is
 Individual not institutional
 Limited to people currently working as repository
practitioners, administrators and managers in the UK
 How stringent should we be in enforcing
membership criteria?
 Should we define criteria more precisely?
 Should we have grades of membership
 Should we charge…?

5.  Facilitating exchange of best repository practice
 Lobbying scholarly publishing sector
stakeholders
Popularity
 Advocacy & representation of repository worker
community's interests
 Publication of briefing papers or position
statements
 Conducting research into activities across sector
 Seeking funding for activities and development
 Membership recruitment

6.  Foundation of UKCoRR is free exchange
 Information, advice, support etc
 Is UKCoRR membership of value to you?
 Discussion list at the heart of membership
 Do the current activities match your needs?
 If you had to pinpoint a USP what would it be?
 Is lack of membership fee a USP for UKCoRR?
 No funding means lightweight, adaptable, servant to
none, master of our own destiny
 But induces limitations on activity
 Are there opportunities for a funded UKCoRR?

7.  UKCoRR focus is on serving the membership
 Independence of funding assures no conflicts of interest
 New Council Cycle April 2012
 Do we need members to do more?
 Just what does being a member require of you?
 Should we empower members to be UKCoRR
ambassadors?
 How is UKCoRR membership viewed within
institutions?
 Irrelevant? Misunderstood? Valued?
 Does UKCoRR serve a broader church of
stakeholders?

8.  The usual suspects
 RSP, JISC, other repository managers
 The wider community
 Eprints, DuraSpace, CRIS manufactures
 Do we still trust publishers or is it open season?
 What about CILIP – is it relevant to UKCoRR?
 What about COAR?
 Institutional members or UKCoRR as an organisation
 What would we be required to do?
 Who would fund attendance at COAR meetings?

9.  More linkage into national developments via
representation and consultation
 More position statements, press release and
public responses to developments
 Considering our relationship to ARMA and
those working on OERs
 Knowing and working within our limitations
 Continued consultation with the membership
 Development of a long game strategy

10. “It was the year of fire, the year of
destruction, the year we took back what was
ours. It was the year of rebirth, the year of
great sadness, the year of pain, and the year
of joy. It was a new age. It was the end of
history. It was the year everything
changed…?”

11. “How will this
end?”
“In fire.”

12.  Are we asking the right questions?
 Are we heading in the right
direction?
 What could/should we be doing as
a group?
 Where should we be in 12 months?