The Knowledge Commons team is over the moon to share with you today that the beta version of our new repository is LIVE!

Knowledge Commons Works (KCWorks for short) has been a massive, team-wide effort over the past year to create a repository platform suited for the needs of our users today, and well into the future. 

The beta version launches today, replacing the old CORE Repository, which has been used by you, our community to share almost 30,000 open-access works since its launch in 2015. KCWorks comes with all the functionality of the old repository (including issuing DOIs and indexing in major venues), and many new and improved features, including:

• Uploading multiple files and versions to one deposit
• Easy metadata editing after publishing
• Collection curation 
• Increased max upload file size and types of files
• Drafting options for pre-publication
• Customized forms and metadata fields for multiple content types
• Generative AI flagging for deposits 

And this is just the first release! We already have a growing list of ideas and inspiration that will keep us busy improving things over time. We’re excited to see all the amazing things you will do with KCWorks for many years to come. Read on for answers to some of your most pressing questions.

What’s a beta?

A beta release allows developers and designers to gain feedback from users while giving users upgraded functionality. We have a Qualtrics survey set up to collect feedback from users. Beta 1 will be followed by Version 1 in mid-2025. Beta releases generally have some bugs and known issues that will be fixed throughout the beta period. Our known issues and limitations will be updated on the About site as we identify and document them. This page also includes a preview of what is coming in V1!

What’s changing for users?

From today, all repository roads at Knowledge Commons will lead to KCWorks. Whether you search or navigate from the main KC site, click an external link or a DOI for an item, or are guided to create a new submission, you will be taken to KCWorks. What you see in all these places will look different, but perform the same basic functionality of the previous versions. 

It can take time to adjust to a new system, but rest assured that all changes have been guided by our focus of helping you get your work out to the people who want to engage with it. We have undertaken usability testing throughout the development process to help us to ensure that things are intuitive and easy to learn, but of course there’s no replacement for having it in your hands. As you run into things that don’t make sense, or see opportunity for improvement, please let us know using our Qualtrics survey.

The full suite of changes is documented on our Help and Support site.

What happens to existing deposits?

All existing CORE deposits have been migrated to the new system. In the process, we have re-mapped the DOIs and redirected the old CORE links to the new locations, so all deposits are accessible just as they always have been. Your works will still be linked to from your profile, and anywhere else you have them listed. Should you run into any issues with an existing deposit, or have trouble finding one, please let us know via the form we’ve listed above. 

Why the change?

Knowledge Commons has been evolving over the past couple of years. Our name change is the most obvious example, but our energy has been directed towards becoming a better, more useful tool in the belts of scholars, educators and knowledge creators everywhere. As we have moved towards being more discipline inclusive, we wanted a system that would allow us to offer first-class support to all disciplines, and to institutions serving a diverse community of scholars, staff and students. That means being able to support things like datasets, multimedia and educational materials.

What happens next?

Over the next few months, our team will be sharing many updates on Works. We’re a small team, so we’re already anticipating an influx of questions and possible issues. We know it can be frustrating when you don’t get an immediate answer to a question or bug, but please bear with us! We will be regularly checking the feedback we receive on the survey, and you can also email hello@hcommons.org with questions specific to your Knowledge Commons account.

Leading into V1, we plan to regularly release updates and bug fixes. These will be incremental, in that while V1 will include some major new features, the system will be regularly updated along the way. This could lead to some unexpected errors, because as many of you probably know, when you fix one thing another breaks. Again, we ask for your patience if things are not perfect throughout beta, and we appreciate your feedback along the way.

Where can I learn more?

We know you probably have a lot of questions, and even if you don’t at this moment, we know you will. The best place to start is Commons Help & Support, our hub for FAQ and help guides.  As we receive more user feedback on Works, we will polish up documentation as we go in order to make sure we’ve addressed your main concerns. We also encourage you to follow us on at least one of our three social media accounts–X, Mastodon, and LinkedIn–to receive the latest news. 

In addition, we will be holding two launch webinars to introduce our users to KCWorks! You’ll hear all about our vision for the project, the development process, tips for getting started, and some of our forthcoming community programming. Please use the links below to register, and if you cannot attend either of these times, we will be recording the session. 

Wednesday, November 13 from 11am-12pm ET

Friday, November 15 from 12pm-1pm ET

We are looking forward to this new generation of our repository, and we hope you are too!