Digital Commons: Starting an Institutional Repository at a Small University Christopher W. Nolan Assistant University Librarian Trinity University

Project Summary  Digital repository based on Berkeley Electronic Press publishing platform  Consortium project with Carleton, Dickinson, Middlebury Colleges & Trinity U. at this time  Student theses & honors papers first priority

Goals: Primary  Create student thesis/honors project digital archive to:  make student work more accessible  promote Trinity’s record of undergraduate research  develop expertise in library for other digital projects  …while using staff time efficiently and sparingly

Goals: Secondary  Create a faculty scholarship repository to:  promote Trinity faculty research  teach faculty about scholarly communication crisis  show an open access/Creative Commons solution  Consider adding other suitable campus resources

Digital Commons / bepress Positives  Hosted model  Less staff time required  Attractive design & interface out of box  Predictable costs  Stable vendor partner  Supports innovative journal publisher  Consortium-friendly Negatives  Annual subscription price is substantial  Works best for larger items (entire papers), not for many small, discrete items like photographs

Slow Start…  Installation is a snap  Populating a repository is much more work  Strategies needed for content acquisition  Anticipate staff time devoted to marketing

Establish Value  Institutional repository is not a sexy concept  Look for campus problems you can solve or projects to which you can add value  Build on library’s reputation

Marketing to Students  Online is where it’s at  URL is great for resumes, grad school applications  Students are future alumni, too  Ask faculty for names of students who have done exemplary work

Marketing to Faculty  Show off their students’ work  Increase the impact of their own work  Make management of their creations easier  Consider adding resources other than faculty journal articles

Branding  University’s (and perhaps consortium’s) brand important for students, administrators, alumni, staff  Faculty more likely want personal or professional branding

Marketing to Other Campus Entities  Administration: highlight faculty & student achievements in one place  Performance creators: drama, communications, musical performers  Official communications: Faculty Handbook

Planning Growth  Don’t over-promise  Hand-select projects likely to succeed  Use initial successes as seeds for new projects  Tailor your marketing (& repeat it often)  Look for natural partners

Consortium-Linked Repository  Cost savings  Shared expertise (& perhaps procedures, standards, etc.)  Marketing tool, both external and internal  Highlight products of fine liberal arts schools  Encourage our community to keep up with peers

Copyright  Beginning , all Trinity students will submit theses electronically  Students retain copyright to their papers  Asked to sign Creative Commons copyright

One Size Fits All?  Our current repository excellent for papers, web pages, videos (but without streaming)  We’re planning to use other software for digital photo archives (but will tie to IR)

Possible Upcoming Additions  Other reviewed senior student projects  Faculty/student co-authored papers  Faculty bibliographies  Locally edited e-journal  Selected retrospective thesis additions  Faculty and Contract Staff Handbook