7. An iDEa to Utilise Repository Content in Innovative Ways

In today’s scholarly communication discourse repositories are not merely storage places to collect and preserve the intellectual output of university communities, but they are important elements of university infrastructures with customised services built upon them. The digital repository of the University of Debrecen (DEA) has multiple functions. It preserves research publications, digitised content and educational materials.

The development of a database specifically for research data has also been started. Furthermore, beside the preservation function, DEA is an integral part of the reporting system of the University’s scholarly activities. Repository content is also utilised to enhance visibility of the institution; it is connected to numerous European networks; and participates in various aggregation programmes of scholarly results and research data. Overall, DEA contributes to open access activities in Europe.

The University Library of Debrecen has developed a new academic tool for researchers, teachers and students by rechannelling the content of the institutional repository. The iDEa portal of the University of Debrecen (www.idea.unideb.hu) presents a state-of-the-art medium to search and disseminate scholarly results. The portal functions as an up-to-date and effective tool in academic discourse offering information about the institution’s academic activities and creating a new channel for information dissemination. It functions as an online scientific and social forum for future generations of researchers.

As an essential part of the iDEa portal, the Research Profiles present the academic activities and the professional profiles of the institution’s researchers. The Research Profiles serve multiple purposes: they offer easy access to publication lists, create an electronic calling card for our researchers by which a comprehensive picture about the researcher’s scholarly and teaching activities and his/her off-campus life is displayed. They introduce the works and results of research units, support browsing among the research fields and subjects, and help identifying researchers connected to them.

The poster will demonstrate the primary functions of the portal system and the various tools the system offers through the rechannelling of the repository content of the university.