Promoting and Archiving Student Work through an Institutional Repository: Trinity University, LASR, and the Digital Commons

The authors discuss the development of a related set of institutional repositories among several liberal arts college libraries. Contrary to the usual focus on faculty publications, the primary goal of these repositories is the promotion of student work, especially undergraduate theses. Discussion of issues concerning selection of materials and archival policies is included along with practical considerations of workflows and reflections on the advantages and disadvantages of the particular software platform (Digital Commons). Marketing the repository and the subsequent addition of other materials, including e-journals, are discussed in light of ambiguity about its purposes among campus faculty and students.