Review: Dr. Abdulrahman Faraj*

Patterns of digital repositories vary between institutional, thematic, periodical, university thesis, educational resource, scientific poster repositories, and data repositories... etc. Repositories play a pivotal role in today's information world; they are one of the ways for open access to scientific information, managing scientific research procedures, preserving digital documents and information, and enhancing education and learning processes. Data repositories add to that the provision of raw data available to researchers and research groups in their scientific projects (and thus the possibility of emulating these projects or repeating them or verifying their validity), as well as data produced by vernment agencies and geographical and environmental survey institutions, ... etc.

In connection with data repository control tools, and in addition to the narrative guide Data Repositories, part of the Open Access Directory (1), and the Data Catalogs guide (2), there is a comprehensive searchable index for data repositories worldwide which is (Databib), hosted by the Purdue University Libraries. This index aims to provide a comprehensive index of research data repositories globally and maximize communication possibilities between researchers and data repositories. By the end of December 2014, it included 992 repositories in many scientific disciplines. Librarians, data users, producers, publishers, and research funding institutions can benefit from this. It answers queries like: What are the appropriate data repositories available in a subject where users can deposit their data? How can users access those repositories? How can librarians help users identify appropriate data and include it in their studies?

Databib offers advanced technical features like Linked Data, providing tools for describing and classifying data relationally. Users can search using keywords or advanced search. Descriptor fields available for search include: repository title, URL, sponsoring agency, short description, target audience, usage licenses, and subject analysis according to Library of Congress Subject Headings. There is also an alphabetical browse and thematic divisions. Index records can be downloaded in RDF/XML format, and data is available under Creative Commons Zero.

* Information Science Department – Beni Suef University

References

1. Data repositories. In: Open Access Directory. http://oad.simmons.edu/oadwiki/Data_repositories
2. Data Catalogs: A Comprehensive List of Open Data Catalogs from Around the World. http://datacatalogs.org
3. Michael Witt. Databib: Cataloging the World’s Data. 9th International CALIBER Repositories, 2013.