University of Oregon: Expanding the Focus of the IR: Scholars' Bank at the University of Oregon

Abstract

DSpace installations that have targeted scholarly, academic materials have been having a difficult time acquiring content. A variety of strategies for marketing institutional repositories to faculty have been discussed in the literature and at conferences. There are many DSpace sites at campuses around the world that have only one or two hundred items, even after two or more years of work. The same was true of the University of Oregon's site, Scholars' Bank, until recently. In the past six months, however, the University of Oregon's contributions to Scholars' Bank have increased 255% over what had been submitted in the previous 18 months. Hits against the archive have increased 224% in the same time period, with searchers coming in from all over the world. The presentation will discuss problems with the assumptions inherent in the original model and focus on how the University of Oregon turned the corner.