SMU's Central University Libraries, Office of Research and Graduate Studies, and Office of Information Technology have combined resources to create the SMU Digital Repository, an online archive for collecting and sharing the scholarly work of SMU faculty, staff, and students.
The repository is the product of a strategic partnership headed by CUL Dean and Director Gillian McCombs, Associate Vice President for Research and Dean of Graduate Studies James Quick, and Chief Information Officer, Joe Gargiulo.
Digital Commons and Open Access
Using the Digital Commons software platform created by Berkeley Electronic Press, the SMU Digital Repository provides open access to research documents, articles, preprints, working papers, conference agendas and papers, and scholarly image collections created by SMU faculty, students, and academic staff. The Digital Commons software also allows the publishing of open access or subscription-based journals, and includes journal management software to customize workflows.
In the early stages of building the repository, "We're focused on getting faculty members comfortable with the interface and with the idea of storing their work online," says Josh Lupkin, faculty liaison for the Digital Repository. "Professors are used to communicating with colleagues in particular ways and publishing in venues specific to their fields. We're not competing with those, but offering them another way to showcase their work and to make it more visible and accessible."
Digital Repository Services and Support
According to Dean McCombs, "The Digital Repository allows you to connect with your academic constituency and engage your colleagues worldwide. Download statistics are tabulated daily and weekly reports sent to each contributor as part of the service," explains McCombs. "You can see at a glance which of your articles is being downloaded the most and where."
Repository staff members are available to address any questions regarding storage, Lupkin says. "Some faculty members may have concerns about uploading papers to the repository, because of publishing agreements. In those cases, we may be able to store an abstract with descriptive keywords and an outside link to the full publication."
The University's Norwick Center for Digital Services (nCDS) works with faculty and academic units to identify, manage, upload and present a wide range of text, image, video, audio, database, and other files that showcase SMU's research and scholarly achievements.
"Above all else, this is a service to faculty," explains Lupkin, "that will afford them and their departments the benefits of increased relevance in Google and other searches."
Details about the Digital Repository, including information about submitting materials, can be found at http://digitalrepository.smu.edu. Digital Repository team members are also available to present information sessions tailored to individual schools, departments and centers.
Funding Available for Digitization of Scholarly Work
The Scholarly Digitization Program, offered by the Office of Research and Graduate Studies, funds the digitization of analog/physical materials (through the nCDS) for university affiliates who would like to contribute non-digital materials to the Repository but lack the technology or funds required to digitize them. Up to $25,000 per semester is available, and applicants can apply for up to $5,000 of funding per project.
Priority will be given to those applications submitted before April 15th, 2012, though rolling applications will be accepted throughout the year. The funding application form is available online.
Engaged Learning and the SMU Digital Repository
The Repository is working with the Office of Engaged Learning to create a space for approved student work, Lupkin says. Papers from the first three students to complete Engaged Learning projects will be uploaded by May 2012. "The Repository will also give graduate students a forum for getting their work out into the world, after consultation with faculty advisors," Lupkin adds. "It's all about making connections."
The Repository can even provide an online home for conferences hosted by a University center or department, Lupkin says. "This could mean anything from storing programs, papers and abstracts to presenting audio or video of individual sessions," he says. "We can tailor the experience depending on the host entity's needs."