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How AUT and Catalyst built a first-of-its-kind LGBTQI+ research portal
05 May 2025, 1:05 PMAuckland University of Technology (AUT) has long been a leader in fostering inclusivity, boasting the highest proportion of Rainbow students in Aotearoa. With a rich repository of LGBTQI+ research spanning decades, AUT recognised the need for an accessible digital platform to showcase and celebrate Rainbow research excellence. This vision materialised into 'Ia'—the world's first LGBTQI+ research portal— In te reo Māori, ia is a gender-neutral pronoun meaning "they". AUT commissioned Catalyst — their existing partner for Koha and other online collections technologies — to co-design and build Ia. Catalyst is a specialist in open source IT consultancy and development company committed to creating better solutions and outcomes for clients.
Creating an open and accessible research platform
AUT's commitment to open scholarship meant that its wealth of Rainbow-focused research needed to be easily discoverable, not only by academics but by a diverse global audience. The university envisioned a platform that would enable seamless access to research outputs without barriers such as login requirements or paywalls. Furthermore, the portal needed to be inclusive in its design, ensuring accessibility for users of all backgrounds, including students, researchers, community advocates, and individuals of all ages seeking information on identity and queer history.
Collaboration and open source innovation
Catalyst — an open source IT consultancy and development company with a dedicated cultural heritage collections division, Rōpū Kohinga — worked closely with AUT’s library team and the Rainbow Initiative group to develop a tailored solution.
The process began with a series of collaborative workshops, where Catalyst’s team engaged with AUT stakeholders to define the key requirements of the platform. The team explored various open source technologies, ultimately selecting VuFind as the discovery layer and integrating it with AUT’s existing DSpace repository using the Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH). This ensured that research outputs—spanning essays, theses, artworks, and multimedia projects—could be aggregated, indexed, and presented in an intuitive, user-friendly interface.
Build, manage, and better protect your research collections with Catalyst’s expertise in open source digital library solutions.
Delivering a scalable and inclusive platform
Image courtesy of AUT at the Big Gay Out
Led by senior developer Alex Buckley, the team focused on creating a highly accessible and mobile-responsive platform. The implementation prioritised:
- Seamless search and filtering functionality: Users can easily explore content by author, subject, publication year, and institution.
- Anonymous access: A critical feature for international users in countries with restrictive laws against LGBTQI+ communities.
- Inclusive design: Catalyst’s UX team developed a visual identity that aligns with AUT’s branding while incorporating Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) standards.
- Scalable hosting: The platform is hosted on Catalyst Cloud, ensuring long-term sustainability, security and scalability while keeping data under NZ regulation.
Empowering queer scholarship worldwide
Since its launch in September 2023, Ia has rapidly gained traction, hosting over 109 postgraduate theses and staff research papers, with 15 queer research profiles and growing. Research downloads have spanned over 30 countries, including regions where LGBTQI+ scholarship remains restricted. The impact of this initiative underscores the power of open access in amplifying marginalised voices and making knowledge freely available to those who need it most.
Growing the LGBTQI+ research archive
Catalyst and AUT remain committed to expanding the Ia portal. Future collaborations with Rainbow organisations, museums, galleries, and other tertiary institutions are already being discussed to further enrich the platform’s content.
Partner with Catalyst for your digital library solutions
As a leader in open source library management and digital archive solutions, Catalyst helps institutions build, manage, and protect their research collections. To find out more about developing impactful and accessible digital solutions, contact Catalyst today.
