what is a repository?

Yesterday a colleague was chatting with me about what make up a repository. Have we been overthinking what is needed? Can we simplify the tools we use? Recombine lightweight tools in a new way?

This was very timely because I'd seen a posting that JISC's Information Environment team is experimenting with IdeaScale to have a discussion about defining repositories to feed into JISC work on repository architecture.

First -- about IdeaScale:

It begins with an idea posted to your IdeaScale community by a user. Each idea can be expanded through comments by the community. The ultimate measure of an idea is determined by a voting system. Any idea can be voted to the top or buried back down to the bottom. It combines the "wisdom of the crowds" concept with Web 2.0 models like Digg.

I think it's interesting that JISC is trying this approach -- have discussants set out a series of statements about repositories, allow comments, and let members of the community sign up to vote +1 or -1 on the positions.

I have a love/hate relationship with the word "repository." It's next to impossible to define or describe, but I haven't been able to come up with anything better. I'm not sure this activity will produce any solid definitions, but it is generating a very interesting public discussion.