Association for Learning Technology launches Open Access Repository

The Association for Learning Technology’s Open Access Repository was formally launched at ALT’s annual conference ALT-C in September and is now available. The repository represents a long-awaited development in ALT’s work and services as it allows users to contribute assets and make them available via the repository. Since it went online the repository has had about 10,000 visitors, browsing, searching for and downloading journal articles, conference presentations, links to webinar recordings and similar content.

Built using EPrints software, the repository conforms to the minimum standards of the OpenDOAR policy supporting the aims of the Open Access movement and has been designed with its wider development in mind, ensuring that it remains a valuable resource in the long term. Currently the repository can be browsed by Library of Congress subject divisions or an evolving learning technology-based subject tree which ALT is developing in accordance with user requirements. This allows the repository to reflect the different user communities which become involved in it or use it to make their output widely available. Furthermore the repository is fully indexed by internet search engines thereby enabling users to find items without having to be on the repository itself.

The ALT Open Access Repository was developed as part of the wALTer project in conjunction with the project partner Cranfield University, under the JISC Repositories and Preservation Programme, and it now exists as an independent freely available service hosted and run by ALT.

The repository currently contains post-prints from the ALT’s peer-reviewed journal ALT-J from its inception in 1993 to Vol. 16 (2007) and will be updated periodically with new volumes 18 months after publication by Routledge. The repository also contains items relating to:

• ALT-C conference
• ALT events and webinars
• Learning Technology topics, events or publications
• ALT Members
• ALT's Certified Membership Scheme – CMALT
• ALT Special Interest Groups such as the recently established Learning Environment Review SIG (LERSIG)

It will be extended further to cover:

• exemplars of best practice
• guides for good practice in design & use of education technologies
• research papers
• sector reports related to e-learning
• wiki-based content that can be added to and extended by practitioners

For further information or if you would like to contribute assets, contact repository@alt.ac.uk or visit http://repository.alt.ac.uk. You can also create your own user account on the repository homepage.