Digital Commons Network^™

Migratory Patterns In Irs: Contentdm, Digital Commons And Flying The Coop, Michele Gibney, Kristin Laughtin-Dunker, Elizabeth Chance

Michele Gibney

What is the importance of institutional history and special collections in a digital environment? Should these pieces of history have their own digital platform or be merged with the institutional repository? What role do repositories play in the institutional environment? What impact do digital historical collections have on the stakeholder contingent as well as the global community? The speakers will discuss the rationale behind migrating collections from CONTENTdm to institutional repositories (all using bepress’s Digital Commons platform). Reasons range from subscription costs to file format concerns to increased search optimization. The migratory act will be covered in terms of method …

Sustainable And High-Impact Special Collections In Digital Commons, Michele Gibney, Benjamin Gaunt

Michele Gibney

Looking to grow your IR? When identifying new projects, don’t overlook Special Collections!

Increasing the discoverability of and access to rare collections can help researchers, enhance your institution’s visibility, and drive valuable traffic to your repository.

In this webinar, Benjamin Gaunt and Michele Gibney of the bepress Digital Commons Consulting Services team explain the transformative impact of digitized special collections, sharing download statistics, LIS scholarship, and examples from the Digital Commons community. Ben and Michele also explore how Digital Commons can effectively showcase a variety of multimedia materials and share strategies for outreach and uploading workflows.

Presented by Michele Gibney, …

Special Collections At The United States International University Library In Kenya: Strategies For Development And Implementation, Michele Gibney

Michele Gibney

Due to the completion of a brand-new library building at the United States International University (USIU) in Nairobi, Kenya, opportunities for collection development at the library have appeared. This paper outlines three strategies for taking advantage of the special collections holdings and developing them over time. The authors provide research on creating an Africana collection, a United Nations (U.N.) Depository, and a UNESCO Memory of the World Program digital archive. These efforts are aimed at increasing indigenous knowledge and raising the profile of the university internationally. The global implications of this project dovetail with the university’s stated mission of expanding …