Scholaris
Shared service and support for the Canadian scholarly community.
Institutional repositories, and repository managers, play a vital role in the academic research environment by advancing scholarship and fostering open access to research. As a national shared repository service, Scholaris leverages local expertise to facilitate knowledge sharing, foster collaboration, and increase the discoverability and impact of Canadian research excellence.
Scholaris provides scalable infrastructure, technical expertise and community support for institutional repositories. The service uses open-source repository software (DSpace) and is hosted and managed by Scholars Portal. Participating institutions enjoy the benefits of both local and national service models: an institutionally branded repository instance with centrally managed hosting and upgrades, shared resources, and access to a vibrant national repository network.
May 20, 2025
It’s been a busy and exciting first year for the Scholaris service! As we reflect on the Scholaris Early Adopter Program and the Scholaris Network of Experts, we’re celebrating the progress accomplished in this short period.
March 18, 2024
The Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) and the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) are seeking early adopters for a collaborative initiative aimed at developing a national repository service infrastructure called ‘Scholaris’.
November 22, 2023
The Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL), the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL), and University of Toronto Libraries are pleased to announce their signing of an MOU outlining our collaborative intent to develop a National Institutional Repository Service to be hosted by Scholars Portal.
Scholars Portal installs, hosts and maintains the key technical components so you can focus on your core work.
Data is hosted and securely stored at Canadian university-owned and operated data centres.
Regular upgrades and modern architecture mean your repository benefits from the latest technological developments.
Scholaris is shaped and strengthened by shared expertise and engagement with our vibrant repository community.
Scholaris is being developed by the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL), the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) and the University of Toronto Libraries (UTL), in collaboration with the Shared Repository Infrastructure Advisory Committee (SRIAC), regional consortia, academic libraries, repository practitioners and communities of experts. The shared technical infrastructure is hosted and managed by Scholars Portal.
Scholaris uses a tiered approach for migration and hosting fees.
Migration costs are determined through an assessment conducted by the Scholaris team and based on the anticipated complexity of the migration (low, medium, or high). These fees cover a standard six-month period for onboarding, migration work, and expected launch. There is a one-time basic instance set up fee of $6,000 in addition to any migration costs.
Annual hosting fees are modelled on the CRKN Banding System and are charged six months after an institution’s onboarding date.
Optional fees
Prospective institutions are invited to contact the Scholaris team to schedule an assessment so we can learn more about your current repository, future goals, and migration timelines.
Frequently Asked Questions
Scholaris is an opt-in repository service that provides technical and community infrastructure. It is not a unified institutional repository as each participating institution receives their own DSpace instance. These parallel instances are hosted and managed by the Scholaris technical team through a centralized service delivery model.
Scholaris institutions receive a local, institutionally-branded repository instance that benefits from regular upgrades, maintenance, reporting, and shared repository expertise, resources, and documentation.
Find more information and updates about the development of the service on the Scholaris wiki.
Is it possible to search across repositories through Scholaris?
Although Scholaris is not a repository discovery portal, we believe in the value and utility of searching across repositories to discover Canadian scholarship, and intend to participate in any collective explorations of shared discovery applications and initiatives.
Research libraries at Canadian universities and members of the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) are eligible to participate in the service.
Because each institution receives its own DSpace instance, the theming is up to you! You can design or keep your current branding, including the name of your current repository. Note that a new URL will be created for your repository:[institutionidentifier].scholaris.ca with redirects put in place.
Can we join Scholaris if we don’t currently have an institutional repository?
Yes! The Scholaris team can set up a new repository if your institution currently doesn’t have one. If you’d like to learn more about what joining Scholaris could look like for your institution, please contact us.
Can we join Scholaris if our repository is currently on a different platform (i.e., not DSpace)?
Yes! Our team can migrate your repository from another platform to DSpace. If you’d like to learn more about what joining Scholaris could look like for your institution, please contact us.
Our institution is interested in joining. What are the next steps?
We recommend getting in touch with the Scholaris team so we can learn more about your repository needs, answer any questions you have, and provide a pricing quote.
Get in touch!