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General Information on Institutional Repositories (IR)
What is an IR?
In the simplest terms, an Institutional Repository is “a digital preservation system” and showcase for an institution’s scholarly output. Additional information concerning IRs can be found in these articles:
- Lynch, Clifford A. “Institutional Repositories: Essential Infrastructure for Scholarship in the Digital Age” ARL, no. 226 (February 2003): 1-7. http://www.arl.org/resources/pubs/br/br226/br226ir.shtml
- “Institutional Repository.” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Http://www.wikimediafoundation.org/, 12 Aug. 2011. Web. 19 Aug. 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institutional_repository
What system supports this IR?
The system is supported by bepress’ Digital Commons. Find out more information on Digital Commons here: http://digitalcommons.bepress.com
Who else uses the Digital Commons software to preserve and showcase their research?
CalPoly, UCF, and Purdue to name a few. To see a complete list, please visit: https://www.bepress.com/products/digital-commons/why-digital-commons/customers/
Is IR content always openly accessible?
Some IR’s do allow for restricted content; however Digital Commons @ USF is a completely open access IR. If you require restrictions on your material, please contact the administrator to learn about other available options.
USF Digital Commons @ USF
What is the project’s mission?
The USF Tampa Library strives to develop and encourage research collaboration and initiatives throughout all areas of campus. Members of the USF community are encouraged to deposit their research with Digital Commons @ USF. We commit to assisting faculty, staff, and students in all stages of the deposit process as well as managing their work to optimize access/readership and to ensure long-term preservation. Long-term preservation and increasing accessibility will increase citation rates and highlight the research accomplishments of this campus. Digital Commons @ USF will have a direct impact on the University’s four strategic goals: student success, research innovation, sound financial management, and creating new partnerships.
What is the project’s vision?
Digital Commons @ USF will provide digital preservation and open access to all scholarly works produced by the University of South Florida Community. We want to grow Digital Commons @ USF to be a vehicle to drive research communication across disciplines and the globe.
What are the benefits of using Digital Commons @ USF?
- Digital Commons @ USF assists with copyright clearance, while allowing you to freely and legally link to your research output.
- Digital Commons @ USF satisfies many requirements to publicly disseminate the results of grant generated research.
- Digital Commons @ USF’s platform is optimized for visibility through Google and other search engines. Research is more frequently cited, more visible, and receives greater impact.
- Digital Commons @ USF provides the global community barrier- and cost-free access to your important research. In a time when the average annual scholarly journal subscription costs $1,200, open-access is more important than ever before.
- Digital Commons @ USF provides participating faculty a monthly “readership report” with download statistics.
- Digital Commons @ USF content is archived and digitally preserved.
- Digital Commons @ USF provides a platform for grey information resources such as reports, image galleries, data, and other material that is important to scholars but is not typically published in traditional channels.
How long has Digital Commons @ USF existed?
Digital theses and dissertations produced by USF students in the period 2003-2010 made up the first significant deposit into Digital Commons @ USF in February of 2011. In March 2011, we initiated a “soft launch” focusing on select works generated by faculty in two academic departments and one college. The official USF-wide release was made in Fall 2011.
Who can download material from Digital Commons @ USF?
Digital Commons @ USF is globally accessible by anyone with access to the Internet.
Who can add content to Digital Commons @ USF?
Generally, only members of the USF academic community may contribute content. If you feel that your material would be an appropriate addition, please contact the administrators at .
Is the content secured against loss?
Digital Commons @ USF uses a bepress platform that features a multi-tiered disaster recovery plan utilizing fail-over servers and regular on-site and off-site backups. They make copies of repository content available for institutional back-ups and support LOCKSS, an OAIS-compliant preservation strategy that provides tools for libraries to back up each other’s content. Additionally, a full site backup is maintained with Amazon Web Services S3.
How long will my content be preserved?
All content will be preserved indefinitely, unless a specific request for removal of a specific item is directed to the IR managers. If you believe that your copyrighted material has been deposited into Digital Commons @ USF without consent please immediately contact the administrators at .
Who do I contact for additional information?
| Jason Boczar | Carol Ann Davis |
|---|---|
| Digital Scholarship and Publishing Librarian | Associate Dean |
| USF Libraries | USF Libraries |
| jboczar@usf.edu | borchert@usf.edu |
| (813)-974-5505 | 813-974-3901 |
You can also get additional help by visiting the Help page.
