Editing User:Ckeene/Ideas for future versions of eprints (section)

== One Repository, multiple views (long term?) ==
At the moment eprints has the model: One repository database has one user interface. 

I think there is scope in changing this to one repository, many interfaces. I include deposit/user area, branding, and certain config in with 'interface'. 

* Some Universities have created separate etheses repositories, surely it would be better if everything was in one database, but they were able to create a separate interface. So that theses would see a user area just for them, with unique branding, etc. Postgrad Office may want a unique deposit/management process for theses and not just the generic deposit process.
* Some Universities have semi-autonomous units who have their own branding and organisation. These units may toy with a respository, but want to do it there way, with their deposit process, branding, a search just for their items. etc (but may be happy with the idea that their  research shows up in the main repository as well. this would allow them to create a second interface to do accommodate them, rather than them creating their own repository.
* Repository Managers go to departments to try and encourage them to make use of the IR. A Department may be interested, but again, want specific browse views and searches that can appear on their departmental pages, (they may, for example hate the idea of unpublished items showing up with published ones, or only want their items to show). The ability to say 'sure we can set that up' is a huge plus.

Of course '''some''' of this is technically possible (creating a search form which only searchers certain criteria or creating extra browse views), but I think a more comprehensive approach could have some potential. I guess what I am saying is that to all intents and purposes, the public and users would see two (or more) sperate repositories, but behind the scenes is just one. In fact, situations like the Soton/ECS dual setup could potentially be nicely accommodated with this!

* ''There is a general issue of making special collections a lot easier to manage, and that is something that we are working on. (That will support research groups and journals as well as scholarly collections.) However the issue of allowing groups to have their own listings on their own pages is often better supported by allowing them to import  blank (unbranded) listings from the repository which are then branded by the local site using stylesheets. This puts control of the department/research group's pages into their hands, which makes them happy.'' [LES CARR]
* CJK July 2008: looks like 3.1 will have the option of additional templates. http://wiki.eprints.org/w/New_Features_in_EPrints_3.1#Templates a good start (though still think there is more scope here and so leaving this on this list, for example the idea that someone could go to eprints.uni.edu/etheses/ and search/browse just theses in a completely different looking system and when they click on deposit see a different set of fields customised for thesis submission).