From DSpace to Figshare… and back again
The migration project had a unique history. UL originally moved from an in-house hosted DSpace to Figshare some years ago. In this latest project, the decision was made to migrate from Figshare to Open Repository, bringing the university back into the DSpace ecosystem while also ensuring modern features and integrations.
The repository data in Figshare presented a particular challenge. Some records only carried over the original DSpace handle, while newer items were assigned Figshare DOIs. This created inconsistencies in identifiers and made a “straightforward” migration impossible.
With Open Repository, this has now been resolved: Every single item has both a DSpace handle and a DataCite DOI, ensuring persistence, stability, and future-proof interoperability.
Smooth migration, fast delivery
Despite these complexities, the migration was completed smoothly and in record time. The combined expertise of the University of Limerick team and Atmire’s migration specialists ensured a seamless transition with minimal disruption for researchers and students.
I've managed and/or been technically responsible for more library systems migrations than I care to remember and this was by far most stress-free experience that I've had.
The onboarding process was reasonable in its approach and included a good balance of meetings and independent actions. Atmire was always very approachable for any questions. Any expectations or requirements were clearly articulated and actionable. It was a pleasure working with Atmire!
Caleb Derven (Head, Digital Scholarship & Systems at University of Limerick)
Powerful analytics
The new Open Repository installation includes the Usage Analysis module, giving the university detailed insights into how repository content is accessed, shared, and reused. This supports evidence-based reporting and helps track the impact of UL’s research outputs.
Looking ahead: OpenAIRE and Pure integration
UL’s repository roadmap is strongly aligned with national efforts in Ireland to optimize OpenAIRE compliance. Ensuring compatibility with European open science infrastructures is a key objective. In addition, integration with Elsevier Pure is planned to streamline the research information management workflow, ensuring that repository and CRIS systems work hand in hand.
Our goal was to migrate the University of Limerick from Figshare to Atmire’s Open Repository platform. We completed a clean transfer of more than 13,000 items.
A particular challenge was that nearly half of the content had originally lived in DSpace before the move to Figshare. Working closely with the UL team, we safeguarded the scholarly record by retaining the original DSpace handles and preserving the DOIs assigned in Figshare, ensuring uninterrupted citation and discovery.
The UL team’s familiarity with both environments made this a highly effective collaboration. We are proud to see the University of Limerick rejoin the DSpace community, alongside a growing number of Irish institutions for whom DSpace underpins Open Science infrastructure, including compliance with OpenAIRE harvesting.
Bram Luyten (Co-founder at Atmire)
Discover repository
Discover the repository here: https://researchrepository.ul.ie