Promotion of the local library repository becomes part of the job duties of all library employees. Promotion again is primarily done via the web site and through instructional sessions with various departments and institutes within the academic setting.
A number of projects have provided some very valuable tools to aid with promotion of the local repository
- Repositories Support Project
- UK Open Access Group
- The UK Council of Research Repositories (UKCoRR)provide a number of training materials and workshops and a closed list for Repository Manager’s only
- The Coalition of Open Access Repositories
- SHERPA Advocacy bibliography
Also, check out the 60 second topic video on the University of California’s E Scholarship portal about their open access policy.
Top 10 tips for advocacy
- Plan ahead!
- Keep it simple – have a core message
- Tailor the message to the audience
- Target advocacy through group sessions and one-to-ones
- Use real life examples, either from your own repository, or from others
- Get top level support (whether a mandate is in place of not)
- Involve stakeholders in a steering group
- Identify champions in the school
- Involve school administration staff
- …and repeat!
Many librarians are beginning to embrace social media outlets as yet another way to highlight and promote faculty publications and access via the repository. For example, many Repositories have set up Twitter accounts, which automatically tweet new items as they are added – University of Huddersfield and Leeds Metropolitan University twitter feeds here. Other institutions maintain research blogs, e.g. University of Lincoln.
Identifying a few champions amongst faculty is a great way to promote. Having a few key and well recognized faculty members on campus, who embrace and champion the repository, goes a long way to developing it and achieving buy-in from other faculty on campus. In addition, having subject liaison buy-in on the use and success of the institutional repository is critical to its success. Subject liaisons often have one-on-one conversations with faculty members, are invited to departmental meetings, and given various instructional settings throughout the academic year. The subject liaison can champion the institutional repository and provide further context on how the library can help collection and disseminate the scholarship of the campus.
1.1 Internal Library Message on Open Access
1.2 Communication of OA Opportunities to Your Academic Community
1.3 Mandates/Policies
1.4 Promotion of Your Repository
1.5 Budgeting for Open Access Publication
1.6 Integration of Open Access Process Management
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