SAVE THE DATES: All About Repositories Webinar Series

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 20, 2009

Contact: Corrine Cho-Beaulieu <Corinne.Cho@Sun.COM>



DSpace Foundation, Fedora Commons, Sun Microsystems and SPARC Present  
All About Repositories Webinar Series
Mountain View, CA Got a repository? Would you like to understand more  
about what repositories are and how they operate? This spring DSpace  
Foundation, Fedora Commons, Sun Microsystems and SPARC (The Scholarly  
Publishing & Academic Resources Coalition) will offer a free About  
Repositories Webinar Series to provide professional learning  
opportunities for repository managers, developers, curators and  
decision makers. The seminar series will kick off on Feb. 18 at 9:00  
a.m. PT with DSpace and Fedora: A Collaboration Update presented by  
Michele Kimpton, Executive Director, DSpace Foundation, and Sandy  
Payette, Executive Director Fedora Commons.

Each month a new topic or issue of interest to repository communities  
will be presented in a one-hour online format. All About Repositories  
Webinar Series will be web cast for synchronous event access, and will  
also be made available through DSpace, Fedora, Sun and SPARC web sites  
as an open educational reference for repository users and developers.

Future web seminars will focus on topics such as web services, and  
will take an in-depth look at some of the top implementations from the  
Innovation Fair held at the November 2008 SPARC repositories meeting.

Save the following dates for the All About Repositories Webinar  
Series. Pre-registration is required for all seminars at http://www.education-webevents.com/ 
.

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DSpace and Fedora: A Collaboration Update

Wed., February 18, 2009

9:00 a.m. PT; 12:00 p.m. ET

In 2008 the DSpace Foundation and Fedora Commons came together to work  
on joint initiatives that would better serve both open source  
repository communities. Several directions have emerged.  Both  
organizations are working together to improve interoperability of the  
software, forming joint collaborations with other organizations that  
offer value to both communities, and developing joint programs for  
advocacy, education and outreach. In addition, Fedora Commons and the  
DSpace Foundation are collaborating to investigate the prospect of  
jointly developing new technologies. Both organizations received a  
grant from the Mellon Foundation to design "DuraSpace", a service that  
will allow users to replicate and access their digital content in the  
cloud. Join Michele Kimpton, Executive Director, DSpace Foundation,  
and Sandy Payette, Executive Director Fedora Commons for a 60-minute  
update on the multiple dimensions of this dynamic collaboration  
between two of the largest providers of open source software for  
managing and providing access to digital content.

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All About Fedora

Wed., March 18, 2009

9:00 a.m. PT; 12:00 p.m.. ET
The letters in Fedora’s name stand for “Flexible, Extensible, Digital  
Object Repository Architecture,” and also for the idea that it’s core  
structure provides a robust, integrated, open source repository  
platform that enables storage, access and durable management of  
virtually any kind of digital content, “All Ways. Always.” Most  
developers and repository managers like those terms, but what do they  
really mean? How do users get started with Fedora? Who else is using  
it? Where can users get hands-on help with planning and  
implementation? Join Thornton Staples, Director of Community Strategy  
and Outreach, Fedora Commons for a 60-minute overview that explains  
what Fedora is, why many large national repositories use it, and  
advice on the nuts and bolts of getting started.

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Topics from the SPARC Repositories Meeting

Wed., April 15, 2009

9:00 a.m. PT; 12:00 p.m. ET
SPARC guests will explore in more detail projects that were introduced  
at the SPARC repositories meeting in November 2008. Specific details  
to be announced.

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An Open Repositories 2009 (OR09) Preview

Wed., May 13, 2009

9:00 a.m. PT; 12:00 p.m. ET
OR09, to be held in Atlanta, Georgia from May 18-21, 2009, promises to  
showcase the latest global repository developments and breakthroughs  
that increasingly play a pivotal role in the information landscape.  
Tune in for six previews of conference presentations that will span  
repository implementations for education, research, science, and  
cultural heritage. Join members of the OR09 Program Committee for this  
60-minute conference preview session.

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Two Repository Platforms: Key Features of Fedora and DSpace

Wed., June 17, 2009

9:00 a.m. PT; 12:00 p.m. ET
The DSpace Foundation and Fedora Commons are two of the largest  
providers of open source software for managing and providing access to  
digital content with a combined global community of more than 450  
institutions, national libraries, research projects, businesses and  
universities. What are the natural strengths of each repository  
platform? What circumstances and requirements would dictate using  
either one or the other or both? Join Michele Kimpton, Executive  
Director, DSpace Foundation, and Sandy Payette, Executive Director  
Fedora Commons for a 60 minute look at each repository platform that  
highlights key features and selection criteria.