Abstract
One of the primary functions of universities is the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge. Yet, most institutions only focus on supporting faculty in the initial discovery process, requiring researchers to fend for themselves when sharing their work. Institutional repositories (IRs) have a unique opportunity to expand traditional library services by supporting the dissemination of university research. Thinking beyond archiving graduate theses and faculty publications, librarians are developing new IR services which can assist faculty in a variety of ways. Managing researcher pages, consulting on copyright transfer agreements, exchanging publication information with other university stakeholders, even launching library-based publishing services are all ways repositories have begun reaching out to faculty. The effect of these new services is beginning to transform the scholarly communications cycle and the library's role in those processes.
We're All In This Together: Supporting the Dissemination of University Research Through Library Services
One of the primary functions of universities is the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge. Yet, most institutions only focus on supporting faculty in the initial discovery process, requiring researchers to fend for themselves when sharing their work. Institutional repositories (IRs) have a unique opportunity to expand traditional library services by supporting the dissemination of university research. Thinking beyond archiving graduate theses and faculty publications, librarians are developing new IR services which can assist faculty in a variety of ways. Managing researcher pages, consulting on copyright transfer agreements, exchanging publication information with other university stakeholders, even launching library-based publishing services are all ways repositories have begun reaching out to faculty. The effect of these new services is beginning to transform the scholarly communications cycle and the library's role in those processes.