An institutional repository is no longer “just a library project”: the IR is now a core part of campus infrastructure, and serves the university’s highest goals. How can your library secure the resources you need to launch a successful IR--and use that investment to expand the library’s role on campus?
In this session, we will describe how libraries of different sizes and resources have made the case for funding from campus groups including upper administration, the research office, and the graduate school, by demonstrating how the IR supports institutional priorities.
Next, Roger Weaver, Scholarly Communications Librarian at Missouri University of Science & Technology, will share how his library has implemented innovative IR services through Scholars’ Mine, Missouri S&T’s institutional repository--and how he and his library have used those services to provide support for many of the university’s strategic initiatives, including student recruitment and retention, community engagement, and research and data support.
Finally, we will open the floor to all attendees for a workshop on how to staff and fund an institutional repository, as well as how to develop a successful first-year plan. We will discuss how other libraries have used IR initiatives to carve out a stronger role on campus, and brainstorm ways that your library can replicate their success.
Participants will come away with a toolkit to help identify potential supporters, a roadmap of next steps, and talking points to initiate and propel conversations forward once they get back to campus.
