National E-Theses Repository presented
On 5 November 2015 the National and University Library in Zagreb hosted a special programme presenting the National E-Theses Repository (Nacionalni repozitorij završnih i diplomskih radova, ZIR) which was attended by many prominent members of the Croatian academic community and a large number of students. This national repository has been set up as part of DABAR, a digital system bringing together Croatian academic archives and repositories which has been developed through the Library’s cooperation with the Croatian University Computing Centre (Sveučilišni računski centar, SRCE) and libraries at the Croatian universities and other institutions of higher education and whose launching marked the beginning of a systematic and regular storing of academic theses in digital form.
The attendants of the programme were addressed by Zvonko Kusić, President of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Damir Boras, Rector of the University of Zagreb, Ružica Beljo-Lučić, Assistant Minister of Science, Education and Sports, and Tatijana Petrić, Director General of the National and University Library in Zagreb, who all emphasised the significance of this repository for Croatian science as well as for the creation of conditions necessary for the implementation of the Croatian higher education law, which requires that all theses and dissertations defended at Croatian higher education institutions be made permanently available on appropriate web locations. Zoran Bekić, Director of the Croatian University Computing Centre, presented the DABAR system.
This promotional programme included the screening of a short film – made by the X-ica online portal, the Library’s media partner in the organisation of this programme – featuring the opinions of various researchers, students and librarians on issues related to scientific integrity and open access. The programme also included the presentation of written statements on these significant issues by professors and researchers from Croatian universities.
ZIR, a shortend version of the Croatian name of this national digital repository is also the name of one of the hills in Croatia’s region called Lika Field and at the same time a word in the Croatian language signifying a “view”, “perception”. Symbolically, both evoke a wide(er) view one gains after a good climb. As after a thorough research.
