Ball State University Libraries' Use of CONTENTdm for Repositories

by Arthur W. Hafner, Dean of University Libraries

The Ball State University Libraries currently manage two digital repository systems, the Ball State University Digital Media Repository (DMR) and Cardinal Scholar, the Ball State Institutional Repository.

The difference between the two is that Cardinal Scholar allows for direct deposit of Ball State-created digital assets by faculty and students while the DMR is mediated by professional librarians and includes digital assets created by Ball State community and non-University content providers through collaborative projects.

Our Digital Media Repository, http://libx.bsu.edu, currently contains over 102,000 digital objects created by the University Libraries’ personnel, Ball State faculty and students, and community partners. It utilizes CONTENTdm to deliver digital images, Indiana Public Radio and local public television content, student-produced news video, oral history audio and transcriptions, World War II films, and 3D objects such as anatomical models and theater costumes. CONTENTdm has proven to be an excellent vehicle for the management of audio and video digital assets.

Cardinal Scholar, www.bsu.edu/cardinalscholar, is our institutional repository (IR) that supports the University’s research publishing distribution strategies by making faculty and student work globally accessible and electronically searchable. We use EPrints software for Cardinal Scholar.

When we were investigating IR solutions, we considered CONTENTdm as a potential platform because of our investment in the system. However, without major customization, there were key features that CONTENTdm did not handle well for our IR needs. For this reason, we chose EPrints. Features we like in EPrints include:

· Easy management of individual and group logons to self-deposit assets
· Grouping assets by academic unit
· Control of self-deposit process
· Built-in Web 2.0 features such as RSS

While it may have been possible to customize CONTENTdm to handle these and other features, we determined that the required time and personnel investment was not cost-effective because EPrints either included these features or would require less customization.

We are satisfied with both products for their respective solutions. Various Ball State academic units have consulted with the University Libraries to explore the use of EPrints for individual departmental applications in those cases where they wish to restrict access to selected digital assets.

Update on Cardinal Scholar Institutional Repository

Cardinal Scholar, Ball State University’s institutional repository, serves as a place where students, faculty, staff, and both academic and administrative units can deposit their intellectual and creative works and have the content accessible to a worldwide audience.

The Cardinal Scholar system stands poised to become an important element of the Ball State University’s research publishing distribution strategies. The service premiered in January 2008.

Representatives of the University Libraries have met with several faculty groups and administrative units on campus to publicize and explain the benefits, features, and options that the repository provides.

Anyone interested in more information about Cardinal Scholar or who wishes to discuss use of Cardinal Scholar, please contact John B. Straw, Assistant Dean for Digital Initiatives and Special Collections, JStraw@bsu.edu, 765-285-5078.

University Libraries Premiere Cardinal Scholar Institutional Repository to Provide Global Access to Ball State Faculty and Student Work

Cardinal Scholar, Ball State University’s institutional repository, is now ready for business at www.bsu.edu/cardinalscholar. A project of the University Libraries, Cardinal Scholar serves as a means for faculty and students to make their intellectual and creative work globally accessible. The vision for Cardinal Scholar is to

· Promote open scholarly communication
· Preserve access to scholarly work produced at Ball State University
· Promote Ball State’s intellectual capital to a worldwide audience

By achieving this vision, Dr. Arthur W. Hafner, Dean of University Libraries, says that “Cardinal Scholar has the potential to be a key element in the University’s research and publication distribution strategy.”

Materials deposited in Cardinal Scholar are made available through the system’s interface, search engines like Google, and other indexing tools. This broad accessibility has been proven to increase the number of citations of such work.

Cardinal Scholar includes both published and unpublished articles, lectures and other presentations, reports, papers, and other research or scholarly work that faculty and students choose to make available. Supported formats range from text to video to maps to photographs of artwork and more.

Faculty and administrators can easily add annual reports, meeting minutes, and other documentation. Students can add their work and link it to their portfolios. Student works sponsored by faculty will be openly accessible to a worldwide audience to demonstrate the positive impact and contribution of the faculty’s teaching and guidance.

All members of the Ball State community are welcome and encouraged to add materials to Cardinal Scholar through the easy-to-use interface. Helpful pages like Getting Started, Guidelines, FAQs, and Help are available on the site. The site also includes specific information for administrators, faculty, students, and publishers. To begin using the system, go to the “Getting Started” page on the Web site. The University Libraries are pleased to offer assistance in using Cardinal Scholar.

For information, contact John B. Straw, Assistant Dean for Digital Initiatives and Special Collections at JStraw@bsu.edu, or Philip J. Deloria, Archivist for Digital Projects and University Records, at PJDeloria@bsu.edu, or call 765-285-5078.