Preservation of Learning Objects in Digital RepositoriesPreservación de objetos de aprendizaje en repositorios digitales

The aim of this article is to analyse the different processes involved in the preservation of learning objects in a digital repository. Presented as a case study is a prototype repository for a collection of statistics-related e-learning materials used in the respective academic subjects offered by the Open University of Catalonia (UOC, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya). The purpose of these materials is to serve the whole community and not just the university. To that end, the repository was created with DSpace open-source software. The goal is to promote the reuse and the digital preservation of such e-learning materials, though certain aspects of these two objectives are somewhat contradictory. This article analyses the requirements of learning objects deposited in a repository and the needs of the various roles intervening in their handling and long-term preservation.