Introduction of of DSpace 7 in 2021 sparked a worldwide migration of institutions to this and further versions. We are very proud to say that we participated in a lot of those migrations, most importantly we helped to migrate two of the largest repositories in Poland: one at the Jagiellonian University and the other one at the University of Warsaw.

So you’ll ask: why it is important to migrate? Lyrasis decided to end all of the support for older versions – there will be no more updates, new functionalities and security patches. This is particularly important, because of the recently passed NIS2 directive regarding the common standards of cyber security in the European Union. However if you do decide to update to the newest version of DSpace, you’ll enjoy all of the latest new functionalities, development and community support that goes with it.

Why is DSpace migration challenging?

In short because of the huge technology gap between the version 7 and 6. It’s so much more complex process than before: we think that smaller teams and individuals will struggle with managing it. This complexity stems from a combination of many factors: data mapping, data migration, moving custom developed features and integrations. Then there are several nuances related to accessibility, responsiveness, user interface and user experience.

As PCG Academia we have project and process experience that is required to safely and smoothly get you to the newest version of DSpace and to provide you with ongoing support development of custom features and further growth of your repository.

Why is PCG Academia uniquely qualified to do DSpace project for you?

First of all, we are an integral part of Public Consulting Group with almost 40 years of experience in public sector technology and consulting services and a strong financial standing.

Secondly, we are the Gold Service Provider of DSpace. We contribute a lot of code and a lot of support to the DSpace Community. We develop custom new features for our clients and we are well qualified to deliver the type of quality service that you need.

Finally, we’re very proud of the dedicated project management methodology that we developed based on our previously delivered DSpace projects, the best practices and elements of Agile. We call it IRIS, which stands for Innovative Repository Implementation Strategies and this model is custom fit to any type of institutions.

IRIS project management methodology

IRIS methodology is a structured approach for migrating or implementing digital scientific achievement repositories in universities or other institutions. It’s specifically focusing on DSpace technology. IRIS lets us support you effectively in every phase of the project.

Needs assessment

Our process begins with a needs assessment which allows us to deliver a well scoped project with a clear timeline and budget. We cover several essential areas: Data structure and volume, Custom integrations, Custom features and workflows, UX and UI requirements, IT related factors.

Once we’ve completed the needs assessment and sign the contract we launch the actual project. Together we establish a steering committee composed of decision makers from your institution as well as project managers and representatives from our team. We also share the project plan that will help us track the progress and make corrections throughout the entire project until it’s completed.

We also implement a structured communication plan that includes weekly status meetings, where we review progress, discuss challenges and adjust as needed. We record these meetings for easy reference and our team documents every detail so that no information is lost.

Development phase

It’s time to do all of the configuration, development and migration. It doesn’t really matter whether you have the previous version of DSpace or any other system, or maybe your data is spread across many other systems or databases. We will just simply make this migration happen for you.

Design  – We start with analyzes of university websites and brand book. We create outstanding graphical design different than standard DSpace look and feel. See the examples: REPO ASP, REIN UW. Usually we provide you with a few page layout proposals. There are no limits in iterations – we work as long as you say „we love it”.

Features – Apart from standard DSpace features, you may have additional needs that you want to be developed. Working with PCG Academia gives you an unique advantage to use dozens of features that we have created. For instance, instead of starting from the scratch, you can use our preconfigured metadata model for all types of content. But what but what if your needs are exceptional? No worries, we’ll face them. Whenever required, we can provide you with the custom development that is fully compliant with DSpace code standards and our SDLC processes.

Integrations – DSpace is all about being compliant with standards and using the most from its integrations.  They need to be configured and it is usually very difficult to do this on your own, but not for us. We configure data flows from and to the systems, like Scopus, Web of Science, Crossref, ORCID, Pubmed, Sherpa Romeo, as well as any additional metrics like Dimensions, PlumX or citations data.

Accessibility – Unfortunately, standard DSpace implementation needs some improvements. Having that in mind, we are exclusively offering to all of our clients DSpace distributions that is fully WC AG 2.2 compatible and thas has unique features like page navigation from keyboard or full compability with screen readers.

Training phase

After development we enter the training phase which typically lasts two to three weeks. Our goal here is to ensure that your team can effectively use the new DSpace platform and its custom features so they can leverage its full potential.

First, we create customized training plan. Each training session is tailored to the configuration and features of your repository. We provide comprehensive, userfriendly training materials that your team can refer back to as needed. These materials are also updated with any new features or updates. We also provide indepth technical and functional documentation.

Throughout the training itself, you’ll have access to a dedicated PCG consultant who can answer questions and address additional needs. This consultant ensures that any additional requests identified by end users during training are promptly addressed.

Production release

Production release is where the system goes live. First, we conduct a seamless data migration to ensure all your existing records metadata and content transfer accurately to the new DSpace environment. Then our team conducts extensive testing in the live environment.

We also often recommend a Soft Launch period, where key stakeholders and a small group of users can test the system before full deployment. This allows us to collect final feedback and make any last minute adjustments. Finally, we make sure that your new repository is properly indexed by Google Scholar and all other crawlers that collect information on scientific achievements.

Ex-post & support

When the system go live does not mean that we are done with our job. We are still still there to support you. After the repository is launched, we work with your team to review the project in detail. Once we’ve gathered and discussed the insights we compile them into a formal Lessons Learned document. It is shared with all stakeholders for transparency and as a foundation for future collaboration. By thoroughly evaluating every aspect of the project, we not only enhance our service delivery, but also ensure that your institution has a repository that continually improves and adapts to the changing requirements.

Continous growth

One of the key challenges of DSpace users is staying up to date with the current dynamic development of the platform. We know how to do that securely update DSpace without interrupting your custom functionalities, integrations anduser interface.That’s why staying up to date is actually at the core of our SLA agreement that we sign with all of our DSpace clients.

Certainly this is not not the only asset of our SLA agreement. Under this contract you get to collaborate with a dedicated PCG consultant, who is responsible for communication with you via one of the available channels, either through our ticketing system or through teams or simply by phone. You can contact us to issue unlimited number of tickets, as well as schedule unlimited number of meetings and consultations just to ask questions and make sure that you use your repository to the fullest of its capacity.

Let’s talk!

We invite you to schedule one-on-one consultations with PCG Academia. We’ll be happy to meet with you, walk you through our demonstration site and show you all of the key highlights of the custom development that we’ve done to our clients. Based on that, we’ll take a closer look at your repository, at your particular needs and we’ll come back to you with a very precise project plan and pricing.

You can contact us by either email: mateusz.adamiak@pcgacademia.pl or by phone: +48 519 703 062.

We hope to meet with you!