HarvestIR: UFV's Institutional Repository: HarvestIR History

UFV joined six other BC post-secondary institutions in being early adopters in the creation of the BC IR Network, and the resulting digital repository, Arca.

"The BC IR Network will be built on Islandora, a Canadian-developed open-source platform currently in use at over 100 public and private institutions worldwide. This shared platform will provide post-secondary institutions with open-access repositories for research, theses, and any other digital assets they wish to make available to the wider community."

The BC IR Network is made possible by a partnership between the British Columbia Electronic Library Network (BC ELN) and Charlottetown, PEI-based software firm discoverygarden, supported by a grant from the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills & Training and the Administrative Services Delivery Transformation (ASDT) Steering Committee.

As of early 2017, there were14 BC post-secondary institutions in Arca. As of late 2019 Arca had expanded to include 19 repositories including cultural organizations and post-secondary institutions in Council of Prairie and Pacific University Libraries (COPPUL).

The University of the Fraser Valley Library became actively involved in the BC IR Project in November 2012, shortly after the project began. UFV played an integral role in the development of the consortial IR, Arca, along with the other early adopters in the pilot phase:

• College of the Rockies
• Douglas College
• Emily Carr University of Art + Design
• Justice Institute of BC
• Thompson Rivers University
• University of the Fraser Valley
• University of Northern British Columbia.

HarvestIR allows UFV to gather and share all the important work that is undertaken at our institution.

• What does an IR do?
  • it digitally gathers, showcases, and preserves an institution's output
     
• Formats can include:
  • text
  • images
  • videos
  • sound
  • data
     
• Authors/contributors can include:
  • faculty
  • staff
  • students
  • departments
  • community liaisons
     
• Typical IR contents:
  • journal articles (pre- and post-prints)
  • books or book chapters
  • conference and workshop papers
  • student major papers and projects
  • institutional publications (newsletters, reports, publications, etc.)
  • special collection/archival materials
     
• An IR can increase an institutions visibility, aid in recruitment and retention of employees and students, attract donors, encourage collaboration, showcase student work, and encourage community engagement

Canadian Association of Research Libraries' list of Canadian Institutional Repositories:

International directory of open access repositories: