Establishing an Electronic Theses Repository Using Digital Commons
Published in “Brick and Click Libraries Conference Proceedings” published by Northwest Missouri State University, Maryville, MO.
Abstract
Has your institution mandated an Institutional Repository for electronic theses? Do you feel intimidated with setting up an institutional repository? The authors will share our success and experience of working with the graduate school at two small universities in rural Kansas to establish an electronic theses program.
The repository serves as an Open Access solution for global dissemination. Both Pittsburg State University (PSU) and Fort Hays State University (FHSU) currently use CONTENTdm (COM) as their primary digital repository. In 2015 both FHSU and PSU purchased and launched bepress Digital Commons (DC), a more robust repository. If you seek global discoverability, unlimited storage, efficient technical support, and the ability to share a wide range of file formats in one interface, then bepress Digital Commons (DC) is the most reliable platform.
The authors will share their experiences and challenges of adapting and implementing an IR at PSU and FHSU. Then the authors will compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of the Digital Commons and CONTENTdm. Finally, they will share the challenges associated with developing IR initiatives at their institutions which includes marketing, workflows, and collection development of ETD materials.