Beyond Scholarship: Innovative Institutional Repository Collections

Presented as a virtual on-demand session at the 2021 American Association of Law Libraries Annual Meeting & Conference.

Abstract

Repositories are well-established containers for faculty and student scholarship, but there is so much more they can do. During this session, presenters will discuss their unique repository collections, how the ideas were developed, the unexpected stumbling blocks they encountered along the way, and how they worked with stakeholders to develop and market the collections. We will discuss how each collection has benefited the library and institution and the benefits we can show our institutional administration with these projects. The program will include how the libraries developed collections on three different repository platforms, their benefits, and their drawbacks: bepress's Digital Commons, Islandora, and Harvard's homegrown platform. Boston University will discuss its living memorial site for a faculty member, Harvard will discuss its Neil Chayet collection of audio and transcripts from Looking at the Law (a local radio show), the University of Georgia will discuss its podcast collection and a special collection that accompanies a physical exhibit, and the University of Colorado will discuss their Colorado Session Laws collection. One of the speakers is a new librarian who will also speak about getting involved in library projects like this early in his career. The presenters will develop a worksheet for participants to plan their own unique collections, which will include subject matter and platform considerations, an area for brainstorming potential stakeholders, marketing ideas, and considerations the speakers wish they had known about. Attendees will be empowered to connect with each other and others who work on repositories to develop their collection ideas.

TAKEAWAYS:

  1. Participants will be able to identify four institutional repository collections that used their platforms in innovative ways, showcase a school's unique assets, and help draw web traffic to the repositories.
  2. Participants will be able to plan their own unique collections, identify the support needed to develop them, and be prepared to address any unexpected issues that may arise.
  3. Participants will develop ideas for selling those ideas to stakeholders involved in repositories.

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