Hesburgh Libraries > Research Tools

ND Institutional Digital Repository

The purpose of our site is to inform, educate, and market our institutional repository services. The site should provide convenient access not only to our content but also to the individuals who support the provision of the content we supply. We intend this site to serve the faculty and students of the University of Notre Dame as well as the librarians who faciliate access to the content that the University owns.

Executive summary - Institutional Digital Repository Phase I, Final Report

Here is the briefest of summaries regarding what we did, what we learned, and where we think future directions should go:

  1. What we did - In a nutshell we established relationships with a number of content groups across campus: the Kellogg Institute, the Institute for Latino Studies, Art History, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Life Science, the Nanovic Insitute, the Kaneb Center, the School of Architecture, FTT (Film, Television, and Theater), the Gigot Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, the Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts, the Graduate School, the University Intellectual Property Committee, the Provost's Office, and General Councel. Next, we collected content from many of these groups, "cataloged" it, and saved it into three different computer systems: DigiTool, ETD-db, and DSpace. Finally, we aggregated this content into a centralized cache to provide enhanced browsing, searching, and syndication services against the content.
  2. What we learned - We essentially learned four things: 1) metadata matters, 2) preservation now, not later, 3) the IDR requires dedicated people with specific skills, 4) copyright raises the largest number of questions regarding the fulfillment of the goals of the IDR.
  3. Where we are leaning in regards to recommendations - The recommendations take the form of a "Chinese menu" of options, and the options are be grouped into "meals". We recommend the IDR continue and include: 1) continuing to do the Electronic Theses & Dissertations, 2) writing and implementing metadata and preservation policies and procedures, 3) taking the Excellent Undergraduate Research to the next level, and 4) continuing to implement DigiTool. There are quite a number of other options, but they may be deemed too expensive to implement.

The full text of the Institutional Digital Repository Phase I, Final Report is available in HTML format.

A copy of the Final Report is also available in print-ready, PDF format.

Archive of Institutional Digitial Repository Phase I

The following links and texts are materials that we developed as we progressed through phase one of the IDR project. We found these resources to be helpful in understanding the technology, issues and policies that revolve around the development, creation and implementation of an institutional repository.

What is an institutional digital repository?
Collection scope
Contacts
Tools and sample applications
Policies, Procedures and Standards
Our IDR plan
Copyright issues
Other IDR and scholarly publishing websites
Learn more about IDR and open access
ND IDR partners and participants
Field trip findings

What is an institutional digital repository?

An institutional digital repository (IDR) is defined as the combined collection of digital objects for an institution and the services applied against them. It is a digital library where we collect, organize, preserve, and disseminate electronic information owned by the University. The purpose of the ND IDR is three-fold:

  1. to help instructors teach
  2. to help students learn
  3. to help scholars embellish/supplement their scholarly communications processes

The purpose, scope, and outline of the Institutional Digital Repository Project is available in this one-page PDF handout and accompanying set of Powerpoint slides.

Collection scope

  • Art Image Library - A collection of images from the art image library.
  • Kellogg/Kroc Institute Working Papers - This collection contains working papers created by faculty and visiting faculty affiliated with the Kellogg / Kroc Institute for International Studies.
  • Institute for Latino Studies - A collection of publications corresponding to the Latino Studies program at the University of Notre Dame. This collection includes digital objects associated with Latin America and is the primary collection of this type of content. Access to the test base of this data is available.
  • Excellent undergraduate research - This collection will showcase excellent undergraduate research produced by students at Notre Dame. Key stakeholders of excellent undergraduate research have been identified and we are in the process of developing stronger relationships with them.
  • IEEE Pre-prints - A collection of preprints submitted to the IEEE society
  • Notre Dame Electronic Thesis & Dissertation Repository - As of April 2006, the collection of Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD) consists of about 250 Masters and Ph.D. level works submitted in the past two and one-half years. The ETD's provide students with the ability to easily share their scholarly works, and they make it easy for departments to demonstrate the sort scholarship they support. Students are strongly encouraged but not required by the Graduate School to submit their theses and dissertations electronically.
  • Latin American Studies Primary Collection - A collection of digital objects associated with Latin America. This is the primary collection of this type of content.
  • Latin American Studies Sub Collection 1 - This is a secondary selection of content for Latin American studies.
  • Computer Science Technical Reports - This is a collection of technical reports from the Computer Science Department at the University of Notre Dame.

Contacts

Tools and sample applications

Policies, Procedures and Standards

Our IDR Plan

Copyright issues

Other IDR and scholarly publishing websites

  • Center for Innovative Publishing, Cornell University
    • "A field station for the design, deployment and effective management of on-line publishing projects"
  • Project Euclid
    • Project Euclid is a complex, collaborative, non-profit on-line journal publishing initiative for mathematics and statistics.
  • Wellcome Foundation Archive
    • The archive contains documents from the Wellcome Foundation that date between 1860 and 1995. Although the collection deals with the pharmaceutical and business records of the Burroughs Wellcome and Company, the records are likely to be of interest to researchers in branding and trademarks, local history, and geneaology among other things.
  • IUPUI IDeA
    • Indiana University Purdue University - Indianapolis
    • An open access digital archive project includes preprints, working papers, theses and dissertations, conference papers and more

Learn more about IDR and open access

ND IDR partners and participants

Field trip findings