Abstract
INTRODUCTION Institutional repositories provide an opportunity to enhance the undergraduate education experience by developing student-centric collections. This article highlights five IR collections focusing on undergraduate student work at a medium size university. LITERATURE REVIEW Students benefit when they actively participate in undergraduate research activities that are tied to high-impact educational practices. However, there are limited options for undergraduate students to publish and share their work. Academic librarians are well-positioned to develop a student-centric institutional repository supporting undergraduate student research while working at instilling better information literacy standards and practices. DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT Western Oregon University’s Hamersly Library developed an institutional repository with an initial collection development strategy around undergraduate student collections based on the university’s strong identity and emphasis on undergraduate education. While traditional academic publishing opportunities are represented, there is also space and encouragement for publication of other types of student created material including presentations and creative works. There is an emphasis on representing student work from all grade levels. By connecting the student scholarship collections to high-impact educational practices, the library can advocate and demonstrate additional types of value that resonate with faculty and university administrators. NEXT STEPS The library will explore student publishing opportunities that originate in existing classes and new courses taught by librarians. Library faculty will continue to educate university administration and faculty on scholarly communication initiatives and their concerns of plagiarism and quality of work.
Highlights
Institutional repositories provide an opportunity to enhance the undergraduate education experience by developing student-centric collections
Western Oregon University’s Digital Commons @ WOU has prided itself as a student-centric institutional repository (IR) since its inception in 2011
Western Oregon University serves traditional, honors, and underserved students, and the IR is a reflection of all students, not just the best and brightest
Summary
Western Oregon University’s Digital Commons @ WOU has prided itself as a student-centric institutional repository (IR) since its inception in 2011. This article details Western Oregon University’s focus on publishing student work in its institutional repository Digital Commons @ WOU by discussing individual student collections including academic events, capstone papers, student academic clubs, and the university’s undergraduate peer-reviewed research journal, PURE Insights. These student collections have the ability to increase student academic confidence, provide access to student research and scholarship, introduce scholarly communication concepts and practice, offer internal and external promotion of programs, provide inclusive opportunities and documentation of student scholarship, and contribute to student retention
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