If you've got it, flaunt it: repository improvements to increase discoverability, visibility and usability

Since starting as the Open Access and Research Repository Specialist in March 2018, I have undertaken a comprehensive review on the Open Access (OA) processes in place at Aston University. The aim of this project was two-fold: the immediate enhancement of service levels and the implementation of workflows and technical improvements to increase the visibility and usability of Aston Publications Explorer, our institutional publications repository. There were multiple challenges along the way, including: entrenched behaviours by Library staff and academics, Pure-Eprints interoperability, external support limitations, and knowledge gaps– not to mention the pressures of REF 2021 and an eventful time in Open Access policy across Europe. Despite these challenges, we have made a great deal of progress in the past year. Key milestones include ORCiD integration, Core Recommender integration, better Google/ Google Scholar indexing, a new repository policy, and an improved user interface in both the publications and data repositories. While most of these changes have been more 'tweak' than 'major overhaul', all of them have contributed to a better user experience and greatly improved the visibility and discoverability of the content in our repositories and show that even little changes can have a big impact on repository users