DigitalCommons@USU Fiscal Year Report 2014-2015

A report on the growth and changes in the repository over the fiscal year 2014-2015

DigitalCommons@USU Fiscal Year Report 2015-2016

A report on the growth and changes in the repository over the fiscal year 2015-2016

Focusing on student research in the institutional repository

Student research is a significant and rapidly growing component of the institutional repository (IR) at Utah State University (USU). A briefing paper prepared for Open Access Scholarly Information Sourcebook (OASIS) points to student works as one of nine purposes for an IR.1 It is not uncommon to find undergraduate and graduate theses and dissertations in IRs. In 2013, an analysis of 283 U.S. repositories using the bepress or DSpsace platforms indicated 71% include this type of student research. However, other student research such as posters, presentations, or papers were only found in 38% of these repositories. Utah State University’s IR actively solicits student research resulting from research groups and individuals, as well as posters and creative works featured in the university’s Student Showcase symposium

We Have Only Scratched the Surface: The Role of Student Research in Institutional Repositories

Institutional repositories (IRs) and other research archives have at their core the mission to disseminate the scholarship of their communities. At universities, this content is often expected to come primarily from faculty and professional researchers. Certainly, faculty are significant producers of scholarship, but students also make worthy contributions to this body of knowledge. Graduate students, at least, are generally recognized as creators of information, and in recent years, IRs have been successfully collecting theses and dissertations written by masters and doctoral students. However, another important and often overlooked group is undergraduate students

Opportunities Outweigh Obstacles

Student research is an untapped commodity. A survey of 238 Institutional Repositories in 2013 indicated that only 38% collect student research other than theses and dissertations. We think student research is a potential goldmine. Do other librarians agree? What about stake holders outside of the library? And, what are the obstacles preventing more robust collection of student research

Casting a Wider Net: Student Research in the IR

Student research is an untapped commodity. A survey of 238 Institutional Repositories in 2013 indicated that only 38% collect student research other than theses and dissertations. We think student research is a potential goldmine. Do other librarians agree? What about stake holders outside of the library? And, what are the obstacles preventing more robust collection of student research? Includes breakdown of repositories by platform