DRIVER: Digital Repository Infrastructure Vision for European Research

DRIVER is an EU-funded initiative linking thousands of European digital libraries and archives in one of the largest efforts of its kind. At this time it houses over 1 million open access scientific/research documents drawn from journal articles, dissertations, books, and lectures reports and harvested from over 200 institutional and subject-specific repositories. Some 25 languages are represented. The DRIVER project is seen as still in its infancy: it establishes a working vision for future sharing of this type, aiming toward a virtual "United Nations" of repository information. (Repositories in China, India and South America have already expressed interest.) Rapid growth is anticipated due to both its technological innovation (D-NET open source software) and its forging of cross-border connections. Its Guidelines for repository managers should promote greater interoperability between different systems.