While managing an IR is in some cases a full-time position, we’ve found that a majority of IR managers only have a portion of their time to devote to the repository initiative. How are they creating successful IRs? Here we’ve collected documents, presentations, webinars, and other resources that share how the community is finding creative solutions to staffing their IRs. Here are just a few strategies to start with:
Staffing Secret #1: Getting out and about. The best way to find new collections, build more support, and spread the word in general is to get out and talk to people. Leverage existing relationships on campus and start building new ones. Start by asking, “How can I help?”
Staffing Secret #2: Distributed workloads. Liaison and reference librarians can help you spread the word to faculty about the IR and its services, while your catalogers may be able to help collect and format metadata. Collection development librarians may be interested in helping to identify research collections on campus that need a home or folks that want to start new journals, while your archivist may be interested in digitizing and showcasing special collections. Student workers and graduate students may be able to help with uploading. The best tip we’ve heard on working with other staff and students: find out what their interests are and involve them in projects that fit with those interests.
The Brockport Staffing Model 2 Page Handout, Kim L. Myers
This two page handout accompanies the poster The Brockport Staffing Model and explains in more detail how we run our repository.
The Brockport Staffing Model, Kim L. Myers, Kenneth Wierzbowski
This poster presentation shows how 68% of the Drake Memorial Library staff contribute to the success of Digital Commons @Brockport in small, manageable ways.
How Subject Librarians Make Better IRs and how IRs make Better Subject Librarians, Andrew Wesolek, Kacy Lundstrom
A Subject Librarian and an Institutional Repository (IR) Librarian will discuss new strategies for working collaboratively to build the IR and promote its use. At USU, subject librarians not only market the IR to their departments, but also clear copyright for scholarly works to be included in the IR.
