Library to launch DSpace this fall
ore than a year ago, the University was invited by Massachusetts Institute of Technology Libraries to join a group of institutions for a test run of DSpace, a digital library system. Since then, a team of librarians, computer programmers, and IT professionals has been working behind the scenes to get the program up and running at Rochester.
Gibbons |
In a recent interview, Susan Gibbons, assistant dean of the Public Services and Collection Department for the River Campus Libraries, discussed the upcoming launch of DSpace and what she sees as a revolutionary approach to archiving and sharing scholarly materials.
What is DSpace and how did the University get involved with the project?
DSpace is an open-source software system, created by MIT Libraries and Hewlett Packard, available to institutions around the world. MIT received grant funding to create a federation of users, or a test group, that included Rochester as well as Columbia University, Cornell University, Ohio State University, the University of Toronto, and the University of Washington. I think a big part of the reason we were invited to join was an initial interest Provost Charles Phelps showed in faculty e-archives. He felt it was something the library should explore.
How will the program be used here?
We as a university have the obligation to try to assist with archiving, migrating formats, and making that information accessible. One of the roles of DSpace here at the University will be as a repository, or safe space, where faculty can deposit digital content of enduring value. What we're trying to do is offer a centralized service where faculty can deposit the materials they think are important and that they want to share with the world.
How does the system work?
It's a faculty-driven process. They make the deposits themselves and the decisions regarding what type of content will be added. Within DSpace there's the concept of communities--a department or division would equate to a community--and those communities can build as many collections as they want. Several departments already have established communities, including the Visual and Cultural Studies Program, the economics department, and the physics department, among others. And we're currently working with several groups from the Medical Center and the Eastman School of Music to establish communities for them as well.
What types of materials typically are deposited?
They tend to be what librarians call "gray literature"--literature that's not published but still has scholarly value: working papers, conference papers, dissertations, technical reports, stuff not typically handled by commercial publishers. Also, it's usually materials that already exist, either on a department's home page or on a faculty member's computer. While text files may be most common, faculty can deposit any type of file they wish, including audio, video, and images, in any format.
What are the overall benefits of using this type of repository?
The materials will be cared for and safely archived. And for departments, it alleviates the burden of trying to publish and archive materials that are otherwise unsuitable for publication. There's also the advantage of being able to access materials from any computer and to make them accessible to colleagues around the world. Recently, the search engine Google began looking for ways to harvest institutional repositories and create a part of Google that is strictly high-quality, academic materials. Depositing materials into DSpace will make them accessible to those searching Google. Plus, the service is completely free.
Is the system open to faculty and students?
Student materials can be included as long as the items are faculty sponsored. For example, a professor may want to create a collection of student research from a specific class. As long as he or she is sponsoring the collection, the student work can be included.
How are materials in DSpace accessed?
Each deposit is given a permanent Internet address or URL that should always remain active and never "break." Faculty can use the URL in publications and feel comfortable that the link will work, which is an extremely useful feature of DSpace. For example, a faculty member publishes a paper that is based on lots of data calculations. By depositing the data set into DSpace, the faculty member can include the URL as part of the published paper, so those interested can access the set without contacting the faculty member. The same would be true for a group of images or other supplementary material that was not included in an original publication. People who access the URL can download the document in whatever format it was deposited.
What is the DSpace team doing now to prepare for the official launch this fall?
Although the system already is up and running, we have a team working to make some final improvements. Our usability team has been testing the system and making improvements to the interface. Before we launch, we'd also like to make sure we have a wide variety of content deposited. Librarian Suzanne Bell has been talking to departments and identifying some good, early collections we can put in so people will be able to see the range of possibilities. Also, thanks to grant funding, we've been able to hire Nancy Foster, an anthropologist who specializes in workplace dynamics and workflow. She's looking at the cultural and political aspects of marketing this new system. We're trying to identify factors that will motivate people to participate in an institutional repository. How do you market it, talk about it, and what should it look like?
What's the first step for departments interested in setting up a DSpace account?
They should contact Suzanne Bell at x5-9317 or sbell@library.rochester.edu. Using a template, we will create a visual presence for them--we try to let the departments do some type of branding. They let us know what collections they want to get started and who will have permission to add to the collections. Once the initial setup is complete, we hand it over to them, and they can start depositing.
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