Best practices and policy in institutional repository development: Kalamazoo College’s experience
eekilcer@gmail.com's bookmark collection 2012-10-07
Summary:
"The NITLE DSpace implementation at Kalamazoo College (http://dspace.nitle.org/handle/10920/6) is proceeding with much deliberation and planning, and can offer some "best practices" to other libraries with institutional repositories. Librarians developed workflow patterns, guidelines for selecting appropriate materials, ideas for publicizing the project, and other plans for implementation. Librarians also worked with faculty and staff to create policies that determine the purpose and management of the repository.
Time management is key, especially for a small college library. Diversifying the workload is essential, but balancing that with appropriate data management can be tricky. Writing policies and putting them in place before starting work is necessary to ensure efficiency, especially for library staff already strapped for time. Thinking about workflow from the beginning alleviates problems created by bad precedents. Getting input from all constituencies on campus creates a sense of community ownership of the project - even if you can't get everyone to "buy in" in the beginning."