The AuScope Sample Repository supporting the curation of physical sample collections

Physical samples play a crucial role in understanding our complex environment. The idea of a sample identification system was first proposed in 2004 and further developed into the IGSN e.V. in 2011. As a non-profit organisation, it initiated the development of the International Generic Sample Number (IGSN) service to enable globally unique identification of samples across repositories and the sharing of their metadata and derived data. CSIRO, Geoscience Australia, Curtin University, and later Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) were the early adopters and IGSN registration agents in Australia. Many university departments face challenges in keeping track of samples cited in scholarly publications, with only a handful managing a curated university collection with an online catalogue. Libraries and IT departments at universities often view sample curation as beyond their scope, providing limited support to researchers, thus slowing the adoption of IGSN IDs. AuScope provides Australia's geoscience community with infrastructure vital to addressing key questions related to national challenges. After identifying gaps in data management practices, AuScope commissioned the development of Sample and Data Repositories to document and curate collected samples and research data. The AuScope Sample Repository forms part of the AuScope Virtual Research Environment (AVRE) and was created alongside the AuScope Data Repository a curated research data repository. Both initiatives complement each other, are based on and expand the CKAN open-source software and integrate ARDC s DataCite Digital Object Identifiers (DOI) minting service for both data and samples. These unique identifiers link catalogued samples to research data and publications.