What Is EPrints

Let's get away from the OAIS definitions and repository talk. Let's think about EPrints as an abstract information system. WHat features does it provide, so what classes of problem can it be used for?

Acquisition

Perhaps primarily, EPrints is a tool for getting information from people. It has a very good interface (though we say so ourselves) for helping people enter quite complex information in as accurate and complete a way as possible, and it is very flexible about what kind of information can be entered and how.

You can use it for anything you want to capture from people: coursework handins, conference submissions, blog entries, summer holiday photo snaps, MP3 or video collections, questionnaires, workshop registration or credit card details. Or there's the more obvious repository candidates: scientific data, published documents, student portfolios, fine art exhibitions.

Review

EPrints provides an editorial workflow for items that have been entered (see acquisition, above) to be checked, reviewed, commented on, modified, returned to the original depositor, moved to another reviewer, or placed into a final, published state. This facilitates simple peer review, editorial oversight or management authorisation for publishing, commentary or rights checking.

Dissemination

EPrints allows you to create and manage a large web site, with skins, a variety of navigation structures and search options, multilingual intefaces and adaptable content. The licensing and visibility of each item of content is controllable.