Digital Commons @Brockport’s new report “The Journey from 1,000 to 1,000,000: Digital Commons @Brockport 2012-2015” shows the value of the IR to the entire campus community, showcasing highlights of the last three years through statistics and stories told by the stakeholders themselves. In fact, the report is so full of sparkling testimonials from faculty, students, deans, provosts, and library colleagues that it’s as much of a joint project as the IR itself.
Just a few examples include the Dean of the Graduate School speaking to the popularity of Master’s Theses in the IR; a faculty editor who offers glowing reviews of the IR’s publishing capabilities; and another faculty member who cites a “dramatic increase in readership.” The report also highlights benefits to students, such as one alumnus who posted his Senior Honors Thesis on LinkedIn and found that his thesis “set [him] apart from other candidates in the Business School.” The Library Director, Mary Jo Orzech, writes that the IR “has enabled the library to strengthen its relationship with our faculty, staff and students, enrich our community of scholars and increase visibility for the College at Brockport” which continues to “energize the campus.”
Kim Myers, Digital Repository Specialist, bolsters anecdotal evidence of the IR’s success with download counts and other important benchmarks. She also opens the report with a striking visual aid: the Readership Map (below) shows the global reach and popularity of Digital Commons @Brockport.
Finally, Kim zooms out to include community outreach projects and ways the IR serves the larger SUNY academic community. The report is a fantastic example of how to demonstrate the reach of an IR on campus and beyond—congratulations to Kim Myers and the Digital Commons @Brockport team!
