Dan Kipnis, Senior Education Librarian and Editor of the Jefferson Digital Commons at Thomas Jefferson University, is an all-star for his outstanding outreach and marketing, among his many other talents managing the IR. Dan would also like us to fête his colleagues in our recognition of the great work they are all doing at Jefferson, which includes Special Collections and Digitization Librarian Kelsey Duinkerken, University Archivist F. Michael Angelo and Access Services Technician, James Copeland—congratulations all!
Dan is a master at sharing key information with campus stakeholders. He decided early on to get the word out about the IR as often as possible, yielding great results. He writes quarterly reports including feedback about the IR and new content, library articles, newsletters, and is often asked to present at faculty meetings. Understanding the importance of faculty buy-in, he was able to get key champions on board early. After partnering with the College of Population Health, Dan now captures their monthly forums in the IR as podcasts along with their conferences, presentations, and newsletters.
In a recent quarterly report we see a glimpse into the lives touched by the important content Dan curates in Jefferson Digital Commons with a popular recurring feature: What people are saying about the JDC. A Jefferson Professor said, “I am so grateful for this chapter on the history of the Division of Rheumatology at Jefferson! I found it browsing on the web for some additional information I needed to complete the content of the Division’s new website. Thank you for posting it!” Outside of Jefferson, a staff member at Notre Dame reported, “I recently was provided with a picture and information that my great-grandfather was a professor at Thomas Jefferson University….‘Catalog of Professors, Trustees, and Students of Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia: Session of 1882-83’ listed his name….This document provided me a foundation to learn more about my ancestors.”
In his tireless outreach efforts he has publicized milestones and reports detailing the IR’s progress as well as presenting on “Promoting your Institutional Repository on and off campus.” “Take Advantage of the Jefferson Digital Commons for Shameless Self-Promotion,” written with Ann Koopman, exhorts faculty to promote their “Jefferson research and publishing efforts to the world by participating in the Jefferson Digital Commons (JDC).” The authors note key advantages such as increased visibility and download reports, specifically encouraging faculty to “use the JDC as a university press and publish your department newsletters or create a new journal.” Similarly, “Leading the Horses to Water That They Will Want to Drink: Strategies for Promoting your Institutional Repository on and off Campus” is a dynamic presentation that outlines strategies designed to promote institutional repositories to a university community and beyond.
Dan shows his creative approach in publishing the recordings of “Grand Rounds” medical lectures of several departments. Dan tips his hat to his colleagues regarding the exciting new women’s oral history initiative, which is beautifully presented with thumbnail pics. After reaching out to the Alumni Office, Kelsey at Archives and Special Collections is now recording oral history interviews with some of the first women to attend Jefferson, including audio and transcripts in the IR collection. Michael’s presentation “‘Lady, You are Causing Pandemonium Here!’ The 137-Year Struggle for a Co-Educational Jefferson Medical College” beautifully complements this historically important collection. Congratulations to Dan and the whole team at Jefferson!
