Frequently asked questions about the Repository

The Leiden Repository: how does it work, what are the possibilities, and how can it help you?

What can be found in the repository?

In the Institutional Repository of Leiden University (the Leiden Repository) publications are submitted by scientists connected to Leiden University. Scientists with various research areas are represented in the repository.
Not all the material described in the repository can be made publicly accessible, this is mainly because of copyright issues and publishers' policies regarding 'Open Access'.

How can I search for publications within the online collection in the repository?

The Leiden Repository can be searched by using the search screen in the repository. Here you can search by author, but also by topic. But when you use Google or another search engine for a search query, you will also find the publications stored in the Leiden Repository: the search engine also searches in our online collection.
Go to the search screen in the Leiden Repository

What is the relationship between the repository and search engines like Yahoo and Google?

When you are looking for scientific publications online and you are using Google for example, Google will also find the publications in our repository. In many cases you probably won't even notice the file (for example a pdf of the article) originates from the Leiden Repository, because in Google you are usually linked directly to the file. When you are trying to find an overview of recent publications by a Leiden scientist, or something else along these lines, this can easily be provided in the repository. If you search for an author in the repository a list will be generated with his or her publications in order of publication year.

How can I subribe to a collection in the Leiden Repository?

The Leiden Repository offers the option to subscribe to a collection. With this subscription you are notified by e-mail whenever new submissions to a collection are made. To subscribe to a collection you firstly need to register to DSpace with your e-mail address. Now you can create a subscription by clicking on the SUBSCRIBE button on the homepage of each collection.
To register

What is DSpace?

The storage of the digital publications occurs in the Leiden Repository and the online access to the publications occurs through this way too. The repository of Leiden University is equipped with the open source system DSpace, developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Hewlett Packard Labs. Among other things DSpace offers the possibility to search publications by author and keyword.
More information on DSpace

What possibilities does Open Access offer?

The infrastructure that will be set up with Open Access Leiden supplies the foundation for many possible services that can support scientists, such as:

  • To signal (new) work and the circulation thereof to internationally orientated websites and organisations.
  • To make scientific work visible through university portals and even personal homepages.
  • To facilitate conference and lustrum sites and on-demand printing of accompanying volumes.
  • To help with arranging the copyright issues.

I would like to see (part of) my publication online in the Leiden Repository, how can I best go about achieving this?

If you have published publication(s) in the period you work(ed) for Leiden University and you are interested in making these publications available online, you can make this happen yourself. You can use METIS (the research registration system) to submit your digital publication to the repository.

What about copyright issues with my publisher if I want to submit something to the Leiden Repository?

With regard to your rights and those of your publisher(s) different anwsers can be given. The starting point of Leiden University is that we ensure that our scientists do not get into any trouble with their publisher(s) whilst submitting their publications to Open Access Leiden.

On the other hand it has to be said that publishers allow you to do more with your publications in relation to self-archiving than one would expect. For example you can consult the overview SHERPA (Securing a Hybrid Environment for Research Preservation and Access) has made of over a hundred leading publishers and their policies concerning copyright and self-archiving.

However, SHERPA points out a reservation in regard to this list: "These summaries are for the publishers default policies and changes or exceptions can often be negotiated by authors. All information is correct to the best of our knowledge but should not be relied upon for legal advice." SHERPA is financed by JISC and RLUK (Research Libraries UK) and is supported by the University of Nottingham.

More detailed information can be found at the Copyright Information Office of the University Library.

Web Editors - University Libraries
Last Modified: 25-10-2012