MIT Libraries Publications and Presentations

Topic Brief: Guidance for Reporting on Studies of Open and Equitable Scholarship

Mon, 29 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Topic Brief: Guidance for Reporting on Studies of Open and Equitable Scholarship Altman, Micah The absence of standardized measurement and reporting hinders progress toward more reliable and equitable scientific practices. This topic brief summarized existing practice across stages of the research lifecycle to promote transparency and reliability, and to support the evaluation of participation and equity. The brief also discusses issues surrounding integrating these practices within the context of limited-term fellowship programs.

Seeding metascience in open and equitable scholarship: An Environmental Scan

Sun, 01 Dec 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Seeding metascience in open and equitable scholarship: An Environmental Scan Heidbrick, Amber; Ratan, Kristen This document synthesizes the findings of a landscape analysis of open scholarship, equity research, and their intersection. In our research we found that those areas were still incredibly broad, and focused our efforts on the most impactful levers for change, listed below Areas of focus: Policy (governments, funders, institutions) Funding priorities and allocations (governments, funders, institutions) and receiving funding (researchers within academia and outside it) Research and research communication (journals, non-journals, all stakeholders) Research assessment, career advancement (researchers within academia and outside it, how credit gets assigned) This paper was part of an NSF EAGER grant titled "Developing a Model for Integrating Research in Open and Equitable Scholarship into Open Science Platform"

Cross-disciplinary fellowships are a key to rigorous open and equitable science; position paper

Fri, 05 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Cross-disciplinary fellowships are a key to rigorous open and equitable science; position paper Kriegsman, Suzanne A; Altman, Micah In this position paper, we describe how interdisciplinary fellowships can play a pivotal role in the understanding and practice of open and equitable science. To achieve a substantial and durable impact, fellowships will serve a dual role. First, fellows will contribute systematically to the empirical evidence of the effects of open science policies and practices by embedding in highly-active, well-instrumented research environments to conduct highly-targeted, time-limited research projects. Second, the fellowship program will foster the development of leadership and capacity for open science practices within existing communities of scientific practice by recruiting scholars across multiple disciplines who have the capacity and interest to perform systematic empirical metascientific analysis, supporting them in executing and publishing high-impact science-of-science of research while simultaneously facilitating their professional advancement within their primary field. This paper was part of an NSF EAGER grant titled "Developing a Model for Integrating Research in Open and Equitable Scholarship into Open Science Platform"

We Do Hard Things: Embracing Dissonance and Finding Harmony in Academic Libraries

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT

We Do Hard Things: Embracing Dissonance and Finding Harmony in Academic Libraries Sardis, Heather; Stalberg, Erin S.

The Evolution of Geospatial Data Discovery at MIT

Wed, 22 May 2024 00:00:00 GMT

The Evolution of Geospatial Data Discovery at MIT LaJoie, Paxton This poster was presented at the International Association for Social Science Information Service & Technology (IASSIST) conference, which was held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada from May 28 - May 31, 2024.

Institutional Repository Usage Statistics (IRUS) at DSpace@MIT

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Institutional Repository Usage Statistics (IRUS) at DSpace@MIT Roosa, Sadie Presentation given as part of the LyrOpen Fair 2024, session 3: Open Institutional Repository Usage Statistics (IRUS) on Thursday April 18, 2024. For those interested in institutional repositories and assessment of institutional research and scholarship activity, this session will bring together a panel of experts using IRUS (Institutional Repository Usage Statistics) to obtain openly available standardized usage statistics for item and platform level views and downloads. We will discuss the benefits of open usage stats, as well as broader challenges such as understanding whether, how, and where repository materials are used or referenced after they are viewed or downloaded.

Text and Data Mining: Negotiating Computational Access to Library Resources

Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Text and Data Mining: Negotiating Computational Access to Library Resources Zimmerman, Katie

What We Aren’t Seeing Exclusionary Practices in Visual Media

Wed, 03 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT

What We Aren’t Seeing Exclusionary Practices in Visual Media Smith, Kai Alexis; Malinowski, Christine Disability in visual culture is arguably flawed, with ideas and concepts created and accepted in the vacuum of ableist, capitalist environments. “Disability has always been part of the human condition,” write art historians Keri Watson and Jo Mann. “Through- out history, people with disabilities have often served as visual and cultural objects, rather than as active participants in and creators of culture and media.”1 Mimi Ọnụọha, Catherine D’Ignazio, Lauren Klein, and other scholars establish that visual media have the power to communicate injustices, evoke uncomfortably necessary conversations, and raise the volume on silenced voices.2 Recent scholarship and strategies have focused on visual media under the lens of misinformation and misrepresentation with the aim of training visual consumers’ palates to distinguish propaganda from critical discourse.3 Missing from this mainstream dialogue is that visuals can be equally exclusionary and harmful to persons with disabilities. Information educators play a role in disrupting the assumed perceptions around disability and can challenge situations where common remediations fall short, where barriers are introduced, and where damaging stereotypes are perpetuated.

Margins of the Margins of the Margins: On Being Black with Disabilities and/or Neurodivergence in Libraries and Archives

Sat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT

Margins of the Margins of the Margins: On Being Black with Disabilities and/or Neurodivergence in Libraries and Archives Smith, Kai Alexis

Evolving IRs to serve our expanding open scholarship priorities

Mon, 01 Aug 2022 00:00:00 GMT

Evolving IRs to serve our expanding open scholarship priorities Nurnberger, Amy; Roosa, Sadie Presentation slides used for invited talk given by Amy Nurnberger and Sadie Roosa at the C H Mohammed Koya Library, University of Calicut conference "Futuristic Information Systems: Aspirations and Apprehensions."

Black and Brown at Blue and Gold: Two Notre Dame Experiences as Resident Librarians

Mon, 01 Aug 2022 00:00:00 GMT

Black and Brown at Blue and Gold: Two Notre Dame Experiences as Resident Librarians Smith, Kai Alexis This book chapter describes the experiences of two Librarian-in-Residence program alumni, Naomi Bishop and Kai Alexis Smith. Bishop participated in the program from 2010-2012 designed around Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) and Smith participated from 2014-2016 and her residency emphasized arts and architecture. They discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the program, a resident-led assessment survey of previous residents, the opportunities for career development, and the overall impact of the program on their careers.

Understanding the Unseen: Invisible Disabilities in the Workplace

Fri, 01 Jul 2022 00:00:00 GMT

Understanding the Unseen: Invisible Disabilities in the Workplace Abney, Ann; Denison, Veronica; Tanguay, Chris; Ganz, Michelle ABSTRACT Approximately 61 million (or 1 in 4) adults in the United States have a disability. Despite this prevalence, many people cannot name a coworker who is disabled, possibly due to the number of people who have invisible disabilities. This lack of understanding of both causes and prevalence can cause both the disabled and their supervisors or managers to be unaware of how to address a disabled person's needs. In this article, the authors shed light on how to improve the professional environment for disabled archivists, staff, and patrons. People without disabilities or those with unrealized disabilities can all benefit when universal design is considered. The best way to achieve inclusivity is to encourage all employees to model the behavior you want to see in others and to normalize disabilities and accommodations. In an environment where accommodations for everyone are normalized, many of the micro- or macro-aggressions may be eliminated from the workplace, as it can help remove the stigma surrounding disability. Everyone wants to work in a supportive environment where they feel respected.

Corporate Bodies: Access Points and Authority Control

Fri, 01 Jan 2021 00:00:00 GMT

Corporate Bodies: Access Points and Authority Control Abrahamse, Ben The concept of authorship is central to how libraries organize their collections. But libraries do not only collect resources created by individuals, they also collect documents issued by organizations. Library catalogers use the concept of a “corporate body” to treat organizations as authors for the purpose of making their documents discoverable to users. This essay looks at the key features of establishing authorized access points (AAPs) and applying authority control for corporate bodies. It examines how practices with regard to corporate bodies have changed over time and considers the changes catalogers might expect to see in the future.

Corporate Bodies: Access Points and Authority Control

Fri, 01 Jan 2021 00:00:00 GMT

Corporate Bodies: Access Points and Authority Control

Tue, 12 Jan 2021 00:00:00 GMT

Responsibility, Rights, and Repositories: Negotiating for Accessibility of Open Access Content

Wed, 27 Oct 2021 00:00:00 GMT

Responsibility, Rights, and Repositories: Negotiating for Accessibility of Open Access Content Roosa, Sadie Presented as part of an London Open Research Week event, hosted by Birbeck, University of London on October 28, 2021.

Do Black Wikipedians Matter? Confronting the Whiteness in Wikipedia with Archives and Libraries

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 00:00:00 GMT

Do Black Wikipedians Matter? Confronting the Whiteness in Wikipedia with Archives and Libraries Smith, Kai Wikipedia is in the top ten of the most visited websites in most places in the world and makes up the backbone of the Internet’s information ecosystem. Despite the global presence of the website and its sister projects, the knowledges of the African diaspora, in particular the Caribbean, are poorly represented. This chapter introduces and outlines Black-led projects, campaigns, and initiatives both within and outside of the formal networks of the Wikipedia communities and the Wikimedia Foundation. The history and value of Black encyclopedic sources are explored and frame the important work by projects like Black Lunch Table, WikiNdaba, Ennegreciendo Wikipedia, and AfroCROWD, which were started to help these editors and bridge content gaps. In June 2020, the Wikimedia Foundation released a statement in support of Black Lives highlighting the support they provide to U.S.-based projects. This was followed with criticism from the community on missed opportunities to acknowledge the work and networks outside the United States of on-wiki communities, information activists, academics, independent scholars, and communities who often go unrecognized. This chapter explores how the system of white supremacy is a part of libraries and archives and Wikipedia; how Black-led shared knowledge information activists are circumventing the system; and suggestions for a more inclusive path forward.

CSU Dreamin': A Case Study of Collaboration across the California State University System with Arts, Architecture, and Performing Arts Librarians

Tue, 01 Jun 2021 00:00:00 GMT

CSU Dreamin': A Case Study of Collaboration across the California State University System with Arts, Architecture, and Performing Arts Librarians Smith, Kai Alexis; Bliss, Laurel; Roll, Ann In summer 2017, the California State University (CSU) system implemented a shared unified library management system. This united the catalog records for the physical and electronic collections from all twenty-three campuses into one system. While multiple university systems collaborate on collection building and share cataloging and discovery systems, few studies have explored what challenges subject librarians across a system face on a regular basis and how communication and partnerships can improve access and services. This study explores such a collaboration among arts, architecture, and performing arts librarians across the CSU system.

Increasing the A in OA: How accessibility work in repositories should influence publisher agreements

Tue, 01 Jun 2021 00:00:00 GMT

Increasing the A in OA: How accessibility work in repositories should influence publisher agreements Roosa, Sadie Presented at Open Repository 2021 on June 9, 2021.

Digital Assessments, Audits and Certifications and our Community

Sat, 01 May 2021 00:00:00 GMT

Digital Assessments, Audits and Certifications and our Community McGovern, Nancy Y Presentation slides followed by speakers notes for each slide

Deciding how to decide: Using the Digital Preservation Storage Criteria

Sat, 01 May 2021 00:00:00 GMT

Deciding how to decide: Using the Digital Preservation Storage Criteria Schaefer, Sibyl K; McGovern, Nancy Y; Zierau, Eld MO; Goethals, Andrea L; Wu, Cynthia CM The Digital Preservation Storage Criteria (hereafter, the Criteria) grew out of a community discussion at the 12th International Conference on Digital Preservation (iPRES 2015) on the evolving landscape of digital preservation storage approaches. A Working Group convened to develop guidance for organizations that either use or provide digital preservation storage. The first version of the Criteria was presented at an iPRES 2016 workshop and outlined the Working Group’s preliminary results and sought feedback. The Working Group has shared iterative versions over the last three years that have been informed by community feedback gathered through conference sessions, online review and a survey. Possible uses of the Criteria include helping organizations to develop requirements for their digital preservation storage, evaluating digital preservation storage solutions, raising awareness about digital preservation storage, and providing training materials to inform practitioners and others, including a game to demonstrate how the Criteria might be adapted for use. A Usage Guide accompanied the release of the current public iteration of the Criteria to help apply the Criteria. This iteration of the Criteria contains 61 criteria grouped into categories: Content Integrity, Cost Considerations, Flexibility, Information Security, Resilience, Scalability and Performance, Support, and Transparency. The unreleased draft, Version 4, includes an additional category: System Security. In addition to introducing the Criteria and providing background about their evolution, this article highlights new areas of development. First, the preliminary results from an ongoing effort to map the Criteria to relevant international digital preservation and information technology standards are presented. Second, updates to the Usage Guide are discussed. The Usage Guide is a supplement to the Criteria that provides the contextual information necessary for implementing the Criteria and includes sections on considerations such as risk management, cost, understanding independence and ensuring bit safety. Finally, examples of using the Criteria in various contexts are provided to encourage organizations to apply the Criteria to their own situation. The Criteria, the Usage Guide, the Criteria game and related documents are open and available for review at https://osf.io/sjc6u/ , where future additions and updates will be shared.

Unlocking history through automated virtual unfolding of sealed documents imaged by X-ray microtomography

Mon, 01 Mar 2021 00:00:00 GMT

Unlocking history through automated virtual unfolding of sealed documents imaged by X-ray microtomography Dambrogio, Jana L.; Ghassaei, Amanda; Starza Smith, Daniel; Jackson, Holly; Demaine, Martin L.; Davis, Graham; Ahrendt, Rebekah; Akkerman, Nadine; van der Linden, David; Demaine, Erik D. Computational flattening algorithms have been successfully applied to X-ray microtomography scans of damaged historical documents, but have so far been limited to scrolls, books, and documents with one or two folds. The challenge tackled here is to reconstruct the intricate folds, tucks, and slits of unopened letters secured shut with “letterlocking,” a practice—systematized in this paper—which underpinned global communications security for centuries before modern envelopes. We present a fully automatic computational approach for reconstructing and virtually unfolding volumetric scans of a locked letter with complex internal folding, producing legible images of the letter’s contents and crease pattern while preserving letterlocking evidence. We demonstrate our method on four letterpackets from Renaissance Europe, reading the contents of one unopened letter for the first time. Using the results of virtual unfolding, we situate our findings within a novel letterlocking categorization chart based on our study of 250,000 historical letters.

Exploring the Public Evidence on Open Access Monographs

Mon, 01 Feb 2021 00:00:00 GMT

Exploring the Public Evidence on Open Access Monographs Altman, Micah In this blog post we look at the open data available on monograph publication, and use it to explore patterns and trends in open monograph publishing. This blog post takes the form of a guided, interactive, reproducible data analysis based on currently available public data. We aim for this exploration to inform libraries, publishers, and authors about the landscape, and prepare for future transitions to open access.

OA Policies at MIT & Framework for Publisher Contracts

Mon, 01 Jun 2020 00:00:00 GMT

OA Policies at MIT & Framework for Publisher Contracts Hanscom, Laura A Presented at the Ivy Plus Library Confederation Summer of ScholComm meeting on June 24, 2020. Topics include the history of MIT's Open Access Policies, the goals of the Framework for Publisher Contracts, and brief reflections on scholarly communications during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hip Hop and Activism,: Bridging Boundaries and Healing Through Hip Hop Pedagogy

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Hip Hop and Activism,: Bridging Boundaries and Healing Through Hip Hop Pedagogy Smith, Kai

Black to the Future: A Librarian’s Guide to Building an Afrofuturist Comics and Graphic Novels Collection

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Black to the Future: A Librarian’s Guide to Building an Afrofuturist Comics and Graphic Novels Collection Smith, Kai

Applying Concepts of Algorithmic Justice to Reference, Instruction, and Collections Work

Mon, 30 Sep 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Applying Concepts of Algorithmic Justice to Reference, Instruction, and Collections Work Leung, Sofia; Baildon, Michelle; Albaugh, Nicholas As part of the MIT Libraries Library Instruction and Reference Services (LIRS) department’s “Summer of Data” initiative, we participated in a project on algorithmic justice. The growth of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and big data present challenges and opportunities to academic and research libraries. These challenges and opportunities are not only operational, but also ethical, social, and political, and they prompt consideration of core professional and organizational values. The Libraries must be ready to engage with our users in this area by building competencies in social, political, and ethical analysis of data, computation, and AI. We apply a number of concepts from Meredith Broussard’s Artificial Unintelligence and Ruha Benjamin’s introduction to Captivating Technology to our work at the MIT Libraries. After summarizing some key concepts, we then explore implications for three areas of our work as liaison librarians: reference, instruction, and collection development. Finally, we end with some of the larger implications for the program on information citizenship and the Task Force Report on the Future of Libraries recommendations.

Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice in Library Technical Services

Tue, 02 Jul 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice in Library Technical Services Kauffman, Rhonda Y; Anderson, Martina S The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Libraries recently embraced a large-scale initiative to incorporate the values of diversity, inclusion, and social justice (DISJ) into library practices. In early 2017, the MIT collections directorate task force on diversity, inclusion, and social justice released a report with recommendations for embedding DISJ values into the daily work of archives, technical services, preservation, scholarly communications, and collections strategy staff. This chapter focuses on the challenges and opportunities in undertaking a sustained effort to achieve diversity, inclusion, and social justice specifically within technical services. The authors highlight how technical services staff can use their unique position within libraries to dismantle existing structures of inequity and privilege by providing access to information and shifting resources to underrepresented groups. This chapter presents the historical context of DISJ within the library profession and the MIT Libraries, discusses implications of this paradigm shift for library technical services departments, and presents cataloging and acquisitions job profiles to help readers envision the practical significance for library staff of the imperative to incorporate DISJ values into the regular practice of their work.

MIT Libraries Liaison Program: A Paradigm Shift

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT

MIT Libraries Liaison Program: A Paradigm Shift Finnie, Ellen; Peterson, Karrie

Patron for a Day (PFAD): A Space Assessment

Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Patron for a Day (PFAD): A Space Assessment Hartman, Stephanie; Horowitz, Lisa R. A basic premise of User Experience (UX) is to empathize with your users. This assessment exercise encourages your staff to understand what users experience in your spaces and, as a bonus, identifes some immediate space usability issues as well.

Creating a Social Justice Mindset: Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice in the Collections Directorate of the MIT Libraries

Thu, 09 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Creating a Social Justice Mindset: Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice in the Collections Directorate of the MIT Libraries Baildon, Michelle; Hamlin, Dana; Jankowski, Czeslaw; Kauffman, Rhonda; Lanigan, Julia; Miller, Michelle; Venlet, Jessica; Willer, Ann Marie The Collections Directorate of the MIT Libraries sponsored a task force to identify opportunities for archives, technical services, preservation, scholarly communication, and collections strategy staff to manifest the values of diversity, inclusion, and social justice in their daily work. In this report the Collections Directorate Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice (DISJ) task force describes some of the overarching social and economic contexts for academic libraries, as well as the core professional values that guide us, and offers recommendations to the Directorate for operationalizing the values of diversity, inclusion, and social justice. The task force aims to demonstrate, through our recommendations, how DISJ values might guide every aspect of our work. We look forward to working together to foster a social justice mindset throughout the MIT Libraries’ Collections Directorate.

Voting with our dollars: making a new home for the collections budget in the MIT Libraries

Thu, 01 Sep 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Voting with our dollars: making a new home for the collections budget in the MIT Libraries Finnie, Ellen

Campus Open-Access Policy Implementation Models and Implications for IR Services

Sun, 01 Nov 2015 00:00:00 GMT

Campus Open-Access Policy Implementation Models and Implications for IR Services Finnie Duranceau, Ellen; Kriegsman, Sue

Bioinformatics Needs Assessment

Wed, 29 Apr 2015 00:00:00 GMT

Bioinformatics Needs Assessment Crummett, Courtney; Kajosalo, Erja; Noga, Michael; Silver, Howard An assessment of the Bioinformatics Program at MIT Libraries was conducted using quantitative and qualitative data collection methods during FY13-14. Interviews were conducted to gain insight about bioinformatics researcher’s needs and behaviors and insight about the bioinformatics support offered by the MIT Libraries. Data was collected from various services of the bioinformatics program as well as from other library services. The assessment found that the bioinformatics community is interdisciplinary and crosses traditional life science departmental boundaries. The bioinformatics community takes a collaborative do-it-yourself (DIY) approach to computational skills and analytical tools –if they don’t know something or have something to use, they find someone who does or they build it themselves. Themes from the assessment emerged such as computational skills, tools, data, instruction and interdisciplinarity. The bioinformatics community has a desire for computational skills and modular training. The MIT Libraries bioinformatics training sessions are well attended; training sessions taught by experts are popular. Recommendations for the Bioinformatics Program at MIT Libraries include being more aware of open source software tools used by the community, attempting to expand the use of commercial tools in courses, and expanding outreach and advocacy regarding bioinformatics to the entire MIT community.

Implementing Open Access Policies Using Institutional Repositories

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Implementing Open Access Policies Using Institutional Repositories Duranceau, Ellen Finnie; Kriegsman, Sue

Archive and database as metaphor: Theorizing the Historical Record

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Archive and database as metaphor: Theorizing the Historical Record Manoff, Marlene Digital media increase the visibility and presence of the past while also reshaping our sense of history. We have extraordinary access to digital versions of books, journals, film, television, music, art and popular culture from earlier eras. New theoretical formulations of database and archive provide ways to think creatively about these changes to the cultural and historical record. This essay explores the ways in which the current digital environment can be theorized in terms of, what I call, its archival effects.

The Accessibility Quotient: A New Measure of Open Access

Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Accessibility Quotient: A New Measure of Open Access Willmott, Mathew A.; Dunn, Katharine H.; Duranceau, Ellen Finnie INTRODUCTION The Accessibility Quotient (AQ), a new measure for assisting authors and librarians in assessing and characterizing the degree of accessibility for a group of papers, is proposed and described. The AQ offers a concise measure that assesses the accessibility of peer-reviewed research produced by an individual or group, by incorporating data on open availability to readers worldwide, the degree of financial barrier to access, and journal quality. The paper reports on the context for developing this measure, how the AQ is calculated, how it can be used in faculty outreach, and why it is a useful lens to use in assessing progress towards more open access to research. METHODS Journal articles published in 2009 and 2010 by faculty members from one department in each of MIT’s five schools were examined. The AQ was calculated using economist Ted Bergstrom’s Relative Price Index to assess affordability and quality, and data from SHERPA/RoMEO to assess the right to share the peer-reviewed version of an article. RESULTS The results show that 2009 and 2010 publications by the Media Lab and Physics have the potential to be more open than those of Sloan (Management), Mechanical Engineering, and Linguistics & Philosophy. DISCUSSION Appropriate interpretation and applications of the AQ are discussed and some limitations of the measure are examined, with suggestions for future studies which may improve the accuracy and relevance of the AQ. CONCLUSION The AQ offers a concise assessment of accessibility for authors, departments, disciplines, or universities who wish to characterize or understand the degree of access to their research output, capturing additional dimensions of accessibility that matter to faculty.

A Guide to Architecture in Hyderabad, Deccan, India

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A Guide to Architecture in Hyderabad, Deccan, India Khalidi, Omar

Publishing Practices of NIH-Funded Faculty of MIT

Sun, 01 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Publishing Practices of NIH-Funded Faculty of MIT Crummett, Courtney; Finnie Duranceau, Ellen; Gabridge, Tracy A.; Green, Remlee S.; Kajosalo, Erja; Noga, Michael M.; Silver, Howard J.; Stout, Amy Faculty and researchers who receive substantial funding from NIH were interviewed about their publication practices. Qualitative data was collected from interviews of eleven faculty members and one researcher representing six academic departments who received NIH funding. Interview responses were analyzed to identify a representative publication workflow and common themes related to the publication process. The goals of this study were to inform librarians about faculty publication practices; to learn how faculty are affected by and responding to NIH publication policy changes; and to inform planning and discussion about new services to support NIH compliance in addition to general faculty publishing. Major themes from the interviews included consistency in publishing workflows, but variety in authorship patterns and in data management practices. Significant points of pain for authors included difficulty finding quality reviewers, frustrating submission processes, and discomfort about the implications of publication agreements. Some authors found the NIH submission requirement to be burdensome, but most assumed their publishers were taking care of this process for them. Implications for library services are considered.

Future-Proofing Architectural Computer-Aided Design: MIT's FACADE Project

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Future-Proofing Architectural Computer-Aided Design: MIT's FACADE Project Smith, MacKenzie The FACADE project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the USA is exploring the long-term archiving and preservation of digital data from architectural projects in general, and 3D models and related information in particular. The project is working with design data from major building projects of the architects Frank Gehry and Moshe Safdie initially, and will generalize its findings to other architectural firms using 3D design software. The project is also exploring how to relate 3D designs with related 2D drawings, digital images and videos, email and other communications, and with emerging Building Information Models (BIMs). A prototype archive for this material will be produced with DSpace, the open source digital archive system originally developed by MIT and HP Labs and now widely used by research organizations world-wide.

Curating Architectural 3D CAD Models

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Curating Architectural 3D CAD Models Smith, MacKenzie Increasing demand to manage and preserve 3-dimensional models for a variety of physical phenomena (e.g., building and engineering designs, computer games, or scientific visualizations) is creating new challenges for digital archives. Preserving 3D models requires identifying technical formats for the models that can be maintained over time, and the available formats offer different advantages and disadvantages depending on the intended future uses of the models. Additionally, the metadata required to manage 3D models is not yet standardized, and getting intellectual proposal rights for digital models is uncharted territory. The FACADE Project at MIT is investigating these challenges in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry and has developed recommendations and systems to support digital archives in dealing with digital 3D models and related data. These results can also be generalized to other domains doing 3D modeling.

The Data Dilemma

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 18:53:41 GMT

The Data Dilemma Stout, Amy; Graham, Anne There’s a famous allegory about a map of the world that grows in detail until every point in reality has its counterpoint on paper; the twist being that such a map is at once ideally accurate and entirely useless, since it’s the same size as the thing it’s meant to represent 1. Introduction The proliferation of scientific data is inspiring a paradigm shift in the way we manage information. Scientists frequently use other scientists’ data for their experiments 2, taking a step out of the traditional process known as the scientific method 3. As data is rapidly produced and shared, the results of experiments are practically becoming disseminated as they are collected, speeding up a process that used to take longer 4. With such a wealth of data available, information retrieval has become a critical component of scientific research. Tools like metadata, sophisticated databases and search engines are desperately trying to keep pace with the changing world 5. Furthermore, there are social and legal issues to consider. What data can be shared and disseminated? Who owns data? What about “facts” that have been extracted from years of experimentation or using patented devices? Traditionally, so-called facts have not been copyrightable, resulting in laws that become blurred 6. Another issue affecting data management is how to handle data as an object. Librarians are used to the book/journal model 7. Open Access, a movement that started in the early 1990s in an effort to make published articles freely available to the public, is now extending its reach to data 8. As part of a task force at MIT, librarians interviewed researchers to get their perspectives on data, with the goal of gathering ideas on how to assist the researchers. In addition, librarians are submitting a data set to MIT’s institutional repository, DSpace, in an effort to investigate the technical challenges presented by data storage. This experience will provide insight into the technical and social issues librarians can address with expertise. As librarians become more skilled with data management, they will be able to better advise and assist scientists, opening up new collaborations between librarians and their academic communities. Presented by Amy Stout at ASEE Annual Conference, June 24-27, 2007, Honolulu, HI

Automated Validation of Trusted Digital Repository Assessment Criteria

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Automated Validation of Trusted Digital Repository Assessment Criteria Smith, MacKenzie The RLG/NARA trusted digital repository (TDR) certification checklist defines a set of assessment criteria for preservation environments. The criteria can be mapped into data management policies that define how a digital preservation environment is operated. We explore how the enforcement of these management policies can be automated through their characterization as rules that control preservation services. By integrating a rule-based data management system with the DSpace digital archive system, we expect to demonstrate automated audits of the TDR checklist for a defined set of local policies. The system is sufficiently general that one can also demonstrate the completeness and self-consistency of preservation environments. This is the concept that all required preservation metadata are controlled by management policies, and that for each management policy the required preservation metadata are preserved.

Digital Archive Policies and Trusted Digital Repositories

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Digital Archive Policies and Trusted Digital Repositories Smith, MacKenzie; Moore, Reagan W. The MIT Libraries, the San Diego Supercomputer Center, and the University of California San Diego Libraries are conducting the PLEDGE Project to determine the set of policies that affect operational digital preservation archives and to develop standardized means of recording and enforcing them using rules engines. This has the potential to allow for automated assessment of "trustworthiness" of digital preservation archives. We are also evaluating the completeness of other efforts to define policies for digital preservation such as the RLG/NARA Trusted Digital Repository checklist and the PREMIS metadata schema. We present our results to date.

Envisioning Reference at MIT

Thu, 01 Jan 2004 00:00:00 GMT

Envisioning Reference at MIT Gass, Steven; Flanagan, Pat; Horowitz, Lisa . In the past few years, the MIT Libraries has been focused on how to turn declining reference statistics, new modes of technology, users’ increasing needs and expectations, and constrained staff resources into a robust and valued reference service. A 5-year strategic plan written in 1999 spurred staff to develop a new service based on chat technology, but once the service was established, it was unclear how it fit into the future of reference at MIT. This article describes how library staff worked together to envision a future of reference at MIT that would incorporate the values of reference, the needs of the users, and the infrastructure of the Libraries. The final product was the Reference Vision, which now guides all of our new reference services.

Transforming Scientific Communication for the 21st Century

Mon, 01 Jan 2001 00:00:00 GMT

Transforming Scientific Communication for the 21st Century Gass, Steven Since its inception in the 17th century the research journal emerged as the formal communication method in the sciences. The last half of the 20th century has seen stresses develop on the journal system due to the explosion of scientific research, increasing subscription costs, and technological advances. New models, taking advantage of digital technology, have demonstrated that great improvements are possible if the scientific community is willing to embrace change. Two methods for significantly changing the model are suggested: adopting an e-print moderator model which decouples the dissemination of information from its review, and shifting the costs of publication from the reader to the author and sponsoring agencies and organizations.

Use of collaborative spaces in an academic library

Tue, 01 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Use of collaborative spaces in an academic library Silver, Howard With the design of new libraries increasingly emphasizing support for collaborative activity, librarians need to understand how and why their users are working together in library spaces. No published studies quantify the impact of collaborative spaces in academic libraries on student learning behaviors. The objective of this study was to determine how and why the collaborative spaces in an academic library were used, and how well the observed use matched the intent of the people who designed and managed the spaces. The study was conducted in the Fall of 2005 at a recently built academic library in New England that was designed with over 70% of seating allocated for collaborative use. The primary data collection methods were observation and interviews. Observation sessions were conducted using a sweeps methodology. Approximately 20% of the observed users were interviewed. Undergraduate students made up 95% of the observed population and third year students were the most frequently observed class. Seventy nine percent of those interviewed visited the library two or more times per week. The mean length of visit for those interviewed was 3.9 hours. Students estimated that 55% of their non-classroom study took place in the library. Seventy-one percent of the users were in groups. Sixty-three percent of people in groups were actively working together. There were significant variations in patterns of space utilization by time of day and between different seating clusters. There were significant variations in the spaces that different types of groups selected to work in. New construction and renovations of academic libraries in recent years have created new kinds of user spaces that support collaborative work and learning. This study demonstrated that this library’s collaborative spaces are being used to support both curriculum-initiated and student-driven collaborative learning, and that the library’s collaborative spaces are the primary location for this activity on the campus. The collaborative spaces at the study site were heavily used and highly valued by the people who used them. Students view these spaces as essential infrastructure to support project work. The library is viewed by those who use it as a key resource to support their learning, and this perception is supported by frequency of visitation and time spent in the facility.

Kicked a heading lately? The challenge of establishing headings for buildings and other structures

Sun, 01 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Kicked a heading lately? The challenge of establishing headings for buildings and other structures Cuccurullo, Linda Providing access points for building names is a tremendous challenge for library catalogers. Using Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum as an example of the complexities involved in assigning these types of headings, and reviewing previous work of library groups to develop policies, some solutions are proposed. The author's goal is to make the issues understandable to the general public and encourage discussion among art catalogers so that the problems can eventually be resolved.

The Materiality of Digital Collections:Theoretical and Historical Perspectives

Sat, 01 Jul 2006 00:00:00 GMT

The Materiality of Digital Collections:Theoretical and Historical Perspectives Manoff, Marlene Digital and textual objects are coming under a new kind of scrutiny as scholars are becoming more interested in physical artifacts and their relation to their social and cultural environment. This study of material culture suggests a need to explore the nature of digital materiality, as well as the broader historical context in which electronic objects and collections are created. The following essay analyzes the implications of this work and related research into the ways in which knowledge is shaped by the technologies used to produce and distribute it. Understanding the materiality of digital and textual objects will be crucial for charting the future of libraries.

The Symbolic Value of Libraries in a Digital Age

Mon, 01 Oct 2001 00:00:00 GMT

The Symbolic Value of Libraries in a Digital Age Manoff, Marlene As an increasingly virtual society anticipates the decline of print, it looks to the keepers of the written record to maintain continuity with its past. Libraries cannot formulate intelligent collection and preservation policies without taking into account current perceptions of the fragility of historical memory. Understanding the symbolic role they play in the cultural imaginary will help libraries to map a future that addresses public concerns about the preservation of the historical record.

Theories of the Archive from Across the Disciplines

Thu, 01 Jan 2004 00:00:00 GMT

Theories of the Archive from Across the Disciplines Manoff, Marlene Creative and compelling theoretical formulations of the archive have emerged from a host of disciplines in the last decade. Derrida and Foucault, as well as many other humanists and social scientists, have initiated a broadly interdisciplinary conversation about the nature of the archive. This literature suggests a confluence of interests among scholars, archivists, and librarians that is fueled by a shared preoccupation with the function and fate of the historical and scholarly record. The following essay provides an exploration and overview of this archival discourse

MIT's CWSpace project: packaging metadata for archiving educational content in DSpace

Fri, 20 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMT

MIT's CWSpace project: packaging metadata for archiving educational content in DSpace Reilly, William; Wolfe, Robert; Smith, MacKenzie This paper describes work in progress on the research project CWSpace, sponsored by the MIT and Microsoft Research iCampus program, to investigate the metadata standards and protocols required to archive the course materials found in MIT’s OpenCourseWare (OCW) into MIT’s institutional repository DSpace. The project goal is “to harvest and digitally archive OCW learning objects, and make them available to learning management systems by using Web Services interfaces on top of DSpace.” The larger vision is one of complex digital objects (CDOs) successfully interoperating amongst MIT’s various learning management systems and learning object repositories, providing archival preservation and persistent identifiers for educational materials, as well as providing the means to richer shared discovery and dissemination mechanisms for those materials. The paper describes work to date on the analysis of the content packaging metadata standards METS (Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard) and especially IMS-CP (IMS Global Learning Consortium, Content Packaging), and issues faced in the development and use of profiles, extensions, and external schema for these standards. Also addressed are the anticipated issues in the preparation of transformations from one standard to another, noting the importance of well-defined profiles to making that feasible. The paper also briefly touches on the DSpace development work that will be undertaken to provide new import and export functionalities, as the technical specifications for these will largely be determined by the packaging metadata profiles that are developed. Note that the degree of interoperability considered herein might be referred to as “first level,” as this paper addresses the packaging metadata only, which in turn is the carrier or envelope for the descriptive (and other kinds of) metadata. It will no doubt be an even more challenging task to ensure interoperability at what might be referred to as the “second level,” that of semantic metadata.

User Needs Assessment of Information Seeking Activities of MIT Students - Spring 2006

Mon, 17 Jul 2006 14:19:28 GMT

User Needs Assessment of Information Seeking Activities of MIT Students - Spring 2006 Hennig, Nicole; Gabridge, Tracy; Gaskell, Millicent; Bartley, Maggie; Duke, Darcy; Quirion, Christine; Skuce, Stephen; Stout, Amy; Duranceau, Ellen Finnie The SFX/Verde Group was authorized to complete a user needs assessment in the form of a Photo Diary Study with MIT students in the spring of 2006. The goal of the study was to inform the MIT Libraries of online tool improvements that should be implemented to meet our most pressing user needs. Sixteen graduate students and sixteen undergraduate students participated in offering a fascinating glimpse into the information-seeking aspects of their academic lives. The team categorized user behaviors into goals and tasks and then analyzed the 277 goals and tasks and the 507 methods shared with us by the students in the study. The study yielded the following priorities for the Libraries' online tools: Make discovery easier and more effective. Incorporate trusted networks in finding tools. Continue to put links to the Libraries' services and resources where the users are. The study also showed that the students used a variety of highly successful strategies for performing quick lookups of information and finding specific known items. Finally, while the assessment focused on aspects of the students' work related to online tools, it also yielded rich information that could be useful in improving other aspects of the Libraries' services.

Improving Access to E-Journals and Databases at the MIT Libraries: Building a Database-Backed Web Site Called "Vera"

Tue, 01 Jan 2002 00:00:00 GMT

Improving Access to E-Journals and Databases at the MIT Libraries: Building a Database-Backed Web Site Called "Vera" Hennig, Nicole The MIT Libraries provide access to databases and electronic journals via the online catalog and the web. The Vera database was created in order to improve public access to a growing number of resources listed on web pages and also to help the staff more easily maintain these pages. Details of the database, called "Vera" (Virtual Electronic Resource Access), are described, including field definitions and how the database is used by both staff and public. The development of the database helped to improve access and made it easier to maintain a growing number of resources. It has also led to many further questions and discussions among the staff of the MIT Libraries about the scope of the OPAC and how tools like Vera should be related to it. Co published simultaneously in The Serials Librarian, Vol. 41, no. 3/4, 2002, pp. 227-254; and: E-Serials Cataloging: Access to Continuing and Integrating Resources via the Catalog and the Web, ed. by Jim Cole and Wayne Jones, The Haworth Information Press, 2002, pp. 227-254. [PDF version of entire journal issue available for free from Hayworth Press]. HTML version available at

When a Librarian's Not There to Ask: Creating an Information Resource Advisory Tool

Fri, 01 Apr 2005 00:00:00 GMT

When a Librarian's Not There to Ask: Creating an Information Resource Advisory Tool Gabridge, Tracy; Hennig, Nicole; Lubas, Rebecca; Wenzel, Sarah It is 2am. A professor wakes up with a new direction for her research; she must immediately learn about bioethics. In a dorm a student is finally ready to begin a paper on Cuba. Where do they turn? The library web site presents them with a bewildering array of resources and no librarian on hand to serve as intermediary. How can librarians facilitate research in their absence? What interfaces can be designed to educate users in their search? What metadata is needed to enable accurate retrieval? What is the librarian’s role in the increasingly indirectly-mediated information-seeking environment? Can the reference interview be effectively translated into a search interface? This paper describes a step towards resolving these issues by creating an on-line tool to assist users in selecting the database(s) most germane to their research needs.

Staffing for Electronic Resource Management: the Results of a Survey

Tue, 01 Jan 2002 00:00:00 GMT

Staffing for Electronic Resource Management: the Results of a Survey Duranceau, Ellen; Hepfer, Cindy The authors offer the results of an informal survey of library staffing trends related to the acquisition and maintenance of electronic resources. They test their hypothesis that the problem of staffing for e-resources has reached a critical level.

Exploring Variety in Digital Collections and the Implications for Digital Preservation

Sat, 01 Jan 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Exploring Variety in Digital Collections and the Implications for Digital Preservation Smith, MacKenzie The amount of digital content produced at academic research institutions is large, and libraries and archives at these institutions have a responsibility to bring this digital material under curatorial control in order to manage and preserve it over time. But this is a daunting task with few proven models, requiring new technology, policies, procedures, core staff competencies, and cost models. The MIT Libraries are working with the DSpace(TM) open-source digital repository platform to explore the problem of capturing research and teaching material in any digital format and preserving it over time. By collaborating on this problem with other research institutions using the DSpace platform in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, and other parts of the world, as well as with other important efforts in the digital preservation arena, we are beginning to see ways of managing arbitrary digital content that might make digital preservation an achievable goal. Page image PDF

Piggy Bank: Experience the Semantic Web Inside Your Web Browser

Sat, 01 Oct 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Piggy Bank: Experience the Semantic Web Inside Your Web Browser Huynh, David; Mazzocchi, Stefano; Karger, David The Semantic Web Initiative envisions a Web wherein information is offered free of presentation, allowing more effective exchange and mixing across web sites and across web pages. But without substantial Semantic Web content, few tools will be written to consume it; without many such tools, there is little appeal to publish Semantic Web content. To break this chicken-and-egg problem, thus enabling more flexible information access, we have created a web browser extension called Piggy Bankthat lets users make use of Semantic Web content within Web content as users browse the Web. Wherever Semantic Web content is not available, Piggy Bank can invoke screenscrapers to restructure information within web pages into Semantic Web format. Through the use of Semantic Web technologies, Piggy Bank provides direct, immediate benefits to users in their use of the existing Web. Thus, the existence of even just a few Semantic Web-enabled sites or a few scrapers already benefits users. Piggy Bank thereby offers an easy, incremental upgrade path to users without requiring a wholesale adoption of the Semantic Web’s vision. To further improve this Semantic Web experience, we have created Semantic Bank, a web server application that lets Piggy Bank users share the Semantic Web information they have collected, enabling collaborative efforts to build sophisticated Semantic Web information repositories through simple, everyday’s use of Piggy Bank. The original publication is available at www.springerlink.com http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/11574620_31

DSpace: An Open Source Dynamic Digital Repository

Wed, 01 Jan 2003 00:00:00 GMT

DSpace: An Open Source Dynamic Digital Repository Smith, MacKenzie; Barton, Mary; Bass, Mick; Branschofsky, Margret; McClellan, Greg; Stuve, Dave; Tansley, Robert; Walker, Julie Harford For the past two years the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Libraries and Hewlett-Packard Labs have been collaborating on the development of an open source system called DSpaceâ„¢ that functions as a repository for the digital research and educational material produced by members of a research university or organization. Running such an institutionally-based, multidisciplinary repository is increasingly seen as a natural role for the libraries and archives of research and teaching organizations. As their constituents produce increasing amounts of original material in digital formats—much of which is never published by traditional means—the repository becomes vital to protect the significant assets of the institution and its faculty. The first part of this article describes the DSpace system including its functionality and design, and its approach to various problems in digital library and archives design. The second part discusses the implementation of DSpace at MIT, plans for federating the system, and issues of sustainability.

DSpace as an Open Archival Information System: Current Status and Future Directions

Wed, 01 Jan 2003 00:00:00 GMT

DSpace as an Open Archival Information System: Current Status and Future Directions Tansley, Robert; Bass, Mick; Smith, MacKenzie As more and more output from research institutions is born digital, a means for capturing and preserving the results of this investment is required. To begin to understand and address the problems surrounding this task, Hewlett-Packard Laboratories collaborated with MIT Libraries over two years to develop DSpace, an open source institutional repository software system. This paper describes DSpace in the context of the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) reference model. Particular attention is given to the preservation aspects of DSpace, and the current status of the DSpace system with respect to addressing these aspects. The reasons for various design decisions and trade-offs that were necessary to develop the system in a timely manner are given, and directions for future development are explored. While DSpace is not yet a complete solution to the problem of preserving digital research output, it is a production-capable system, represents a significant step forward, and is an excellent platform for future research and development.

Eternal Bits

Fri, 01 Jul 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Eternal Bits Smith, MacKenzie The MIT Libraries is addressing the problem of maintaining and sharing digital content over the long haul with a project called DSpace. For this digital repository, a simple, open-source software application was built that not only accepts digital materials and makes them available on the Web but also puts them into a data management regime that helps to preserve them for generations to come. Other organizations worldwide have begun similar efforts including Cornell University, and the University of Toronto, the University of Cambridge. DSpace has a growing group of committed programmers distributed across the globe who continually maintain and improve it.

The DSpace Open Source Digital Asset Management System: Challenges and Opportunities

Sat, 01 Jan 2005 00:00:00 GMT

The DSpace Open Source Digital Asset Management System: Challenges and Opportunities Tansley, Robert; Smith, MacKenzie; Walker, Julie Harford Last year at the ECDL 2004 conference, we reported some initial progress and experiences developing DSpace as an open source community-driven project [8], particularly as seen from an institutional manager’s viewpoint. We also described some challenges and issues. This paper describes the progress in addressing some of those issues, and developments in the DSpace open source community. We go into detail about the processes and infrastructure we have developed around the DSpace code base, in the hope that this will be useful to other projects and organisations exploring the possibilities of becoming involved in or transitioning to open source development of digital library software. Some new challenges the DSpace community faces, particularly in the area of addressing required system architecture changes, are introduced. We also describe some exciting new possibilities that open source development brings to our community.

DEJA :“ A Year in Review

Tue, 01 Jan 2002 00:00:00 GMT

DEJA :“ A Year in Review Baudoin, Patsy; Smith, MacKenzie The MIT Libraries'€™ proposed to the Mellon Foundation to plan a preservation archive for dynamic electronic journals (DEJA : a€“ Dynamic E-Journal Archive) that would be reliable, secure, enduring, and sustainable over the long term. The Foundation'€™s own request for proposals had previously laid out that it was interested in preserving the wealth of research electronic journals currently available to the scholarly community before it was too late.

DSpace : An Institutional Repository from the MIT Libraries and Hewlett Packard Laboratories

Tue, 01 Jan 2002 00:00:00 GMT

DSpace : An Institutional Repository from the MIT Libraries and Hewlett Packard Laboratories Smith, MacKenzie The DSpaceâ„¢ project of the MIT Libraries and the Hewlett Packard Laboratories has built an institutional repository system for digital research material. This paper will describe the rationale for institutional repositories, the DSpace system, and its implementation at MIT. Also described are the plans for making DSpace open source in an effort to provide a useful test bed and a platform for future research in the areas of open scholarly communication and the long-term preservation of fragile digital research material.

The DSpace Institutional Digital Repository System: Current Functionality

Wed, 01 Jan 2003 00:00:00 GMT

The DSpace Institutional Digital Repository System: Current Functionality Tansley, Robert; Bass, Mick; Stuve, David; Branschofsky, Margret; Chudnov, Daniel; McClellan, Greg; Smith, MacKenzie In this paper we describe DSpaceâ„¢, an open source system that acts as a repository for digital research and educational material produced by an organization or institution. DSpace was developed during two years’ collaboration between the Hewlett-Packard Company and MIT Libraries. The development team worked closely with MIT Libraries staff and early adopter faculty members to produce a â€˜breadth-first’ system, providing all of the basic features required by a digital repository service. As well as functioning as a live service, DSpace is intended as a base for extending repository functionality, particularly to address long-term preservation concerns. We describe the functionality of the current DSpace system, and briefly describe its technical architecture. We conclude with some remarks about the future development and operation of the DSpace system.

Building DSpace to Enhance Scholarly Communication

Tue, 01 Jan 2002 00:00:00 GMT

Building DSpace to Enhance Scholarly Communication Celeste, Eric; Branschofsky, Margret The MIT Libraries has built a durable digital document repository called DSpace to house the digital output of our faculty's research. DSpace will be a home for the digital documents our faculty want to share with their colleagues around the world. DSpace also expresses the ferment in scholarly communication, and the potential shift away from the journal as the primary means of disseminating research findings. This article takes a brief look back at where scholarly communication has been, describes how it may now be changing, shares our vision of how DSpace fits into that picture, and glances at the impact DSpace will have on our faculty and library.

DSpace: Durable Digital Documents

Tue, 01 Jan 2002 00:00:00 GMT

DSpace: Durable Digital Documents Branschofsky, Margret; Chudnov, Daniel The DSpace system for long-term management of institutional scholarly research repositories is now in use at the MIT Libraries; we will demonstrate the system and provide more information about its design, use at MIT, and other potential uses.

DSpace: Durable Digital Documents

Mon, 01 Jan 2001 00:00:00 GMT

DSpace: Durable Digital Documents Chudnov, Daniel DSpace is a joint development project of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Libraries and Hewlett-Packard Company. Its mission is to establish a library service to capture, distribute, and preserve the digital, intellectual output of the MIT community. We are developing a software platform for long-term digital content storage and preservation, and implementing this platform as a service of the Libraries.

DSpace at MIT: Meeting the Challenges

Mon, 01 Jan 2001 00:00:00 GMT

DSpace at MIT: Meeting the Challenges Bass, Michael; Branschofsky, Margret DSpace is a joint development effort by HP and MIT to establish an electronic system that will enable MIT faculty and researchers to capture, preserve, manage, and disseminate their intellectual output, and that will enable the Institute to maintain its intellectual heritage. The effort further aims to facilitate sharing of intellectual content and metadata among institutions by minimizing barriers to adoption and federation. This brief paper describes the motivation behind the project, its goals, objectives, progress, and references to detailed definition & design materials.

Building a Business Plan for DSpace, MIT Libraries Digital Institutional Repository

Wed, 01 Jan 2003 00:00:00 GMT

Building a Business Plan for DSpace, MIT Libraries Digital Institutional Repository Barton, Mary R.; Walker, Julie Harford This paper presents an overview of the methodology and results of the MIT Libraries’ business plan development project for DSpace (http://www.dspace.org/), MIT’s digital institutional repository. The introductory section includes a description of DSpace, the objectives of the business plan project, and the current status of the DSpace project. The methodology section explains the process and tools with which the business plan was developed. The remainder of the paper describes the results of the business plan project, including the DSpace service definition, the cost model, potential funding sources, and future DSpace plans.

Implementing an Institutional Repository: The DSpace Experience at MIT

Tue, 01 Jun 2004 00:00:00 GMT

Implementing an Institutional Repository: The DSpace Experience at MIT Baudoin, Patsy; Branschofsky, Margret This paper describes MIT Libraries' experience implementing DSpace, a home-grown open source digital institutional repository, which other institutions may want to introduce as a service to their communities. MIT's introduction of DSpace as an operating service illustrates the many political and organizational considerations that must be addressed to establish and operate institutional repositories. In addition to detailing some of the policies developed and organizational changes undertaken, this article describes the kinds of questions future implementers of DSpace will want to answer. It also outlines the impacts the service has had on the library, on MIT, and on the perception of MIT Libraries within the Institute.

Creating an Institutional Repository: LEADIRS Workbook

Thu, 01 Jan 2004 00:00:00 GMT

Creating an Institutional Repository: LEADIRS Workbook Barton, Mary R.; Waters, Margaret M. The Learning About Digital Institutional Repositories Seminars programme (LEADIRS) aims to describe and illustrate how to build an online institutional repository. The LEADIRS series of seminars present specialists from the UK and abroad sharing their expertise and experiences in building institutional repositories. This workbook book supplements the seminar presentations and offers practical advice as well as work sheets yo u can use to get started with your own repository programme. Where possible, we point you to real-world examples of planning aids or presentations used by university library teams in the UK and around the world.

DSpace: A Year in the Life of an Open Source Digital Repository System

Thu, 01 Jan 2004 00:00:00 GMT

DSpace: A Year in the Life of an Open Source Digital Repository System Smith, MacKenzie; Rodgers, Richard; Walker, Julie; Tansley, Robert The DSpaceâ„¢ digital repository system was released as open source software in November of 2002. In the year since then it has been adopted by a large number of research universities and other organizations world-wide that need a digital repository solution for a number of content types: research articles, gray literature, e-theses, cultural materials, scientific datasets, institutional records, educational materials, and more. The DSpace platform and its various applications are becoming better understood with experience and time. As one result of a recent meeting of the DSpace user community, we are now venturing into the territory of broad, community-based open source development and management, and gaining insights from the experience of the Apache Foundation, Global Grid Forum, and other successful open source projects about how to build open source software for the digital library domain.

Electronic Resource Management Systems From ILS Vendors

Wed, 01 Sep 2004 00:00:00 GMT

Electronic Resource Management Systems From ILS Vendors Duranceau, Ellen For several years libraries, especially larger libraries and research libraries, have been more and more desperately seeking systems and tools to help them manage electronic resources for several years. To date, most libraries seeking support for the full life cycle of electronic resource management (ERM) from selection through purchase, access, license management, and renewal or cancellation, have had to build their own systems, and many have done so. In addition to these homegrown systems, commercial sources have emerged to support ERM: there are those from third party serial and/or serial data vendors, such as EBSCO, SerialsSolutions, and TDNet; and those from major vendors of integrated library systems (ILS), such as Innovative Interfaces Inc. (III), which has an ERM system currently on the market, and other ILS vendors who are in varying stages of developing ERM functionality.[1] This article is an overview of the latter market.

Electronic Resource Management Systems, Part II: Offerings from Serial Vendors and Serial Data Vendors

Sun, 19 Jun 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Electronic Resource Management Systems, Part II: Offerings from Serial Vendors and Serial Data Vendors Duranceau, Ellen In the September 2004 issue, I reported on the Electronic Resource Management (ERM) offerings of the major ILS vendors, and promised to follow with a second article covering the ERM tools offered by other kinds of companies, primarily serials vendors or serial data vendors. This is the promised part two. Together, the articles attempt to provide an overview of the ERM market, describing what products and services are currently available to libraries seeking systems and tools to help them manage electronic resources. Libraries who want support for the full life cycle of electronic resource management from selection through purchase, access, license management, and renewal or cancellation, have had the option of building their own systems, as many (such as Boston College and Harvard University, just in the last year) continue to do. Other libraries have purchased the Innovative Interfaces ERM system which has been on the market for more than a year, or have signed on to be beta testers of one of the new ILS-provider offerings, such as ExLibris’ Verde, which is expected to be available for sale in the summer of 2005. Still other libraries are working with data and support services offered by their serial vendors or other companies, such as SerialsSolutions (recently acquired by Proquest). It is this segment of the market that is focused on here.