Thinks tanks, policy research institutes and government departments are increasing demand for knowledge repositories. Knowledge repositories not only will enable people across organizations to share documents and link them to the global Open Access movement. But also will ensure that their publicly funded research, along with the data sets, are made openly available, building the collective knowledge base.
People often focus too much on the technological aspect of a knowledge repository. However, the way users will engage with it should be the starting point for selection. There are three key models for knowledge repositories, range from Institutional Repositories (IR), Research Networking (RN) Tools, to Current Research Information Systems (CRIS).
Once you have determined your model of choice, which depends on what your institution is trying to achieve, this paper outlines a step-by-step for establishing your knowledge repository. The steps are in four broad categories: planning and budgeting, testing user engagement, partners and relationships and legal considerations.
