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# More on repositories and search engines
- URL: https://www.lorcandempsey.net/more-on-repositories-and-search-engines/
- Published: 2009-02-11T22:40:13.000Z
- Updated: 2020-10-28T09:17:24.000Z
- Author: Lorcan Dempsey
- Tags: Systems, UX

I [referenced](https://blog.oclc.org/lorcand/archives/001876.html?ref=lorcandempsey.net) a [note](https://efoundations.typepad.com/efoundations/2009/02/repository-usability.html?ref=lorcandempsey.net) by Andy Powell on institutional repositories and Google in an earlier post. Herbert Van de Sompel left a [comment](https://blog.oclc.org/lorcand/archives/001876.html?ref=lorcandempsey.net#comments) pointing to a [short document](https://public.lanl.gov/herbertv/papers/Repository%5FUsability.htm?ref=lorcandempsey.net) he has prepared addressing some of Andy’s concerns based on recent work with OAI-ORE. Here are a couple of the opening paragraphs ….

> This write-up is an impromptu response to Andy Powell\`s [Repository Usability](https://efoundations.typepad.com/efoundations/2009/02/repository-usability.html?ref=lorcandempsey.net) blog entry. It also touches on some issues that Andy raised in another entry, [Freedom, Google-juice and institutional mandates](https://efoundations.typepad.com/efoundations/2009/02/freedom-googlejuice-and-institutional-mandates.html?ref=lorcandempsey.net). The purpose of the write-up is to try and alleviate some of Andy\`s pain regarding the status quo of scholarly repositories: while the current situation may indeed not be perfect, a possible solution may not be too hard to establish. The solution I describe uses the [OAI-ORE](https://www.openarchives.org/ore/toc?ref=lorcandempsey.net) specifications, and quite some other techniques that have been introduced by several communities over the past years. Hey, a technological mash-up, one could say. Use and reuse what is there before inventing new stuff is the motto. I am afraid that the solution may cause Andy some phantom pain, since it also leverages [OAI-PMH](https://www.openarchives.org/OAI/openarchivesprotocol.html?ref=lorcandempsey.net). While [I agree that there are a few things we didn\`t get quite right with OAI-PMH](https://hangingtogether.org/?p=616&ref=lorcandempsey.net), I don\`t think it\`s the cause of all evil in the (repository) world, and I actually even think we can leverage the existing deployed PMH repositories for **a good cause**

> Anyhow, I think the [DSpace example](https://hdl.handle.net/1842/1476?ref=lorcandempsey.net) of Andy\`s blog entry is a nice one to have a close look at, indeed. The four URIs that are a source of frustration for Andy, are an indication to me that OAI-ORE Aggregations can come to the rescue. As a matter of fact, the [ORE Primer](https://www.openarchives.org/ore/1.0/primer?ref=lorcandempsey.net) uses an [arXiv example](https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0601007?ref=lorcandempsey.net) that is quite similar to the DSpace one: lots of URIs flying around that somehow belong together. \[[Repository Usability – Herbert’s Take](https://public.lanl.gov/herbertv/papers/Repository%5FUsability.htm?ref=lorcandempsey.net)\]