Developing an institutional repository using Digital Commons

Pages31-40
Date11 February 2019
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/DLP-08-2017-0028
Published date11 February 2019
AuthorDenise A. Brush,Jonathan Jiras
Subject MatterLibrary & information science,Librarianship/library management,Library technology,Records management & preservation,Information repositories
Developing an institutional
repository using Digital Commons
Denise A. Brush and Jonathan Jiras
University Libraries, Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey, USA
Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to share theknowledge and lessons learned about the process of
developing an institutional repository (IR) using a hosted solution, Digital Commons from bepress, and to
make the case thatDigital Commons is still the best IR solution for smalleruniversity libraries.
Design/methodology/approach This is a case study based on Rowan University Libraries
developingan IR using the Digital Commons platform.
Findings To implement a hostedsolution successfully, key actions includedening the repositorys scope
and mission early in the process,including a variety of stakeholders in promoting the repository,integrating
the repository with a faculty prole system and being able to effectively work collaboratively with both
internaland external professionals in developing the system.
Originality/value This paper will be valuable to academic librariansconsidering implementing an IR
on, or migratingan existing repository to, the DigitalCommons platform.
Keywords ETDs, Academic libraries, Institutional repository, Digital Commons, Faculty proles,
Hosted solutions
Paper type Case study
Introduction
Twenty years ago, the Rowan College of New Jersey (previously Glassboro State College)
became Rowan University. Since then, the university has acquired two medical schools,
doubled its student populationand started doctoral programs. The former state collegenow
has 19,000 students and an R3Carnegie classication.Although this change continues to
amaze alumni and local residents,similar transformations of colleges into universitieshave
happened throughout theUSA during the same time period. Half a dozen examples could be
cited in the Philadelphia area alone.
As explained by Gaye Tuchman in her fascinating book, Wannabe U, the key factors in
these transformations are the decline in state contributions to public higher education, leading
to competition between institutions for students and rankings, and higher education
administrators who believed that universities needed to be run more like businesses (Tuchman,
2009). In many states, including New Jersey, legislators were concerned that too many students
were leaving the state for college and not returning; the perceived solution was to upgrade
regional colleges to larger, more research-oriented institutions (Tuchman, 2009).
When regional public or private universities aspire to become like their larger research
university cousins, the libraryis often expected to provide the comprehensive resources and
services that Association of Research Libraries (ARL) libraries provide, without their staffs
and funding. The largest (often private) research libraries in the USA were the rst to
develop institutional repositories(IRs), usually with in-house technology staff. Now smaller
university librariesare being expected to create repositories.
In the past decade, libraries without dedicated local programmers had increasingly
launched IRs using hosted solutions. Rowan University Libraries chose the Digital
Digital
Commons
31
Received11 August 2017
Revised24 October 2018
27November 2018
Accepted27 November 2018
DigitalLibrary Perspectives
Vol.35 No. 1, 2019
pp. 31-40
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2059-5816
DOI 10.1108/DLP-08-2017-0028
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2059-5816.htm

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