Transcript Institutional Repository (IR)

TOP SCHOLAR
Digital Research Repository @ WKU
Mike Binder
Dean of Libraries
Western Kentucky University
Presentation at Council of Academic Deans Retreat, Western
Kentucky University, February 2, 2007
Definition
“An Institutional Repository is an online locus
for collecting and preserving–in digital form–
the intellectual output of an institution,
particularly a research institution.”
—Wikipedia
Purposes in General
• “to provide open access to institutional research
output by self-archiving it;
• “to store and preserve other institutional digital
assets, including unpublished or otherwise easily
lost ("grey") literature (e.g., theses or technical
reports).”
—Wikipedia
Purposes of IR at WKU
• To offer centralized system/service that supports
University’s intellectual life without replacing
departmental web sites nor preventing duplication
• To promote scholarly communication and learning
• To improve retention of and access to University’s
scholarly output: collection of research and
teaching materials
Purposes of IR at WKU (cont.)
• To facilitate and enhance information access
and develop new initiatives that support a
dynamic academic environment
• To embrace the research and learning
resources being developed by both the
faculty and the students of the university–in
essence the entire university community
Benefits of IR for WKU
• IR provides fail-safe and lasting records
• IR expedites traditional publication model
• IR showcases faculty and student research to
funding agencies
• IR promotes searchability through search engines
like Google
• IR propels us into the vanguard of universities
across the USA, who are attempting to provide
both open and greater access to their research
Sample Contents
• Faculty Publications
• Faculty curriculum vita
• Graduate theses and dissertations
• Undergraduate Honors Program theses
• Presentations, poster sessions and other works of student
research conference
• Working papers of the colleges; technical reprints; white
papers; gray literature
• Special collections, folklife, photographs, Digital Kentuckiana
Sample Contents, cont’d.
• University lectures from outside speakers
• Learning modules, separated from course support, and deposited for
use across disciplines by anyone
• Performances, other multimedia artistic creations
• Robert Penn Warren Center (lectures, symposia)
• Jim Wayne Miller Writing Contest papers
• Publications resulting from Center for the Study of the Civil War in the
West
• Engaging in the Spirit presentations
• Research from the Applied Research and Technology Centers
• Hoffman Environmental Institute projects, maps, unpublished theses
Structure & Cost
• Hosted service (Outsourcing)
• ProQuest/bepress
• Cost for 1-Year Pilot Project:
• WKU Libraries
• PIE Request:
•
Subtotal:
$18,000
$18,225
$36,225
• Staffing
• Reassignment of additional responsibilities to library
positions involved in currently working with the
colleges (liaison librarians/subject librarians)
Why ProQuest
• Enables us to move forward rapidly within a
proven framework that promotes electronic
submissions and attendant files
• Creates PDFs
• Uploads notifications that a document is ready for
viewing and final addition to the system through a
series of administrative steps
Guarantees for Success
• Commitment from University Deans and
central administration
• Buy-in from University faculty
• Collaboration with IT and legal counsel
• Policy for development and maintenance
• Marketing values and benefits
Guarantees for Success (cont.)
• A University-wide committee with faculty
representatives from the colleges would
serve as a steering committee for start-up
initiatives and spreading the word about the
potential power of this initiative.
• http://www.wku.edu/Library/deansoffice/col
libcom.html
Licensing & Permissions
• Requires legal parameters for uploading data,
granting or receiving rights, distribution rights, and
privacy usage data and stats
• Requires understanding of differences in copyright,
fair use, and publishing licenses
• Allows items to be removed by copyright holders
Librarians Assigned to Colleges to
Play Key Role
• Encourage and assist creators of intellectual works
to deposit their materials
• Actively seek contents
• Train authors in software use and protocol
• Develop training materials for users
• Advocate to campus community the value of TOP
SCHOLAR--Digital Research Repository @ WKU
Thanks!
Questions?