Presentation Abstracts
2025 Presentation Abstracts
Panel – April 24, 2025
Institutional Repositories: Lessons Learned from the Past Decade
Eleni Castro, Boston University
Sue Gardner, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Andii Johnson, University of West Florida
Colleen Lyon, University of Texas at Austin
Kaleena Rivera, Florida Gulf Coast University
Emily Stenberg, Washington University in St. Louis
9:00 a.m., Cook 206Z/Day 1 Room
To celebrate the tenth anniversary of SMIRC, we are convening a panel discussion featuring a group of IR managers with at least a decade of experience in the field. What are some of the major changes they have observed with IRs over the last decade? What have been some of their greatest successes and challenges? What have been some of the most important lessons they have learned along the way, and what wisdom would they pass along to anyone just getting started in IRs? And finally, where do they see IRs heading in the years to come? Join us as we discuss the answers to these questions and more.
Lightning Talks – April 24, 2025
Taking Control: Acquiring, Migrating, and Assessing the University's Institutional Repository
Challen Wright, University of Nevada, Reno
4:00 p.m., Cook 206Z/Day 1 Room
In 2024, the University of Nevada, Reno Libraries assumed ownership of the University's Institutional Repository, previously managed by a separate campus entity. This transition involved not only acquiring the repository but also migrating the CMS and executing a full-scale rebrand. This lightning talk will share the Libraries' experience navigating the acquisition, migration, and assessment of a repository previously managed outside of academic librarianship.
Using Configurable Entities in DSpace 7.2
Anne Shelley, Iowa State University
4:10 p.m., Cook 206Z/Day 1 Room
With the release of DSpace version 7 in 2021 came a new, optional feature: configurable entities. Entities are particular types of DSpace items that can have relationships with each other. Their purpose is to better support digital objects in DSpace that are relevant to research publications but not the publications themselves, such as author profile pages and data sets. In this presentation, I will share a case study of the ISU Digital Repository team's experiences with configurable entities. I will provide examples of the different entity types we use, explore the relationships we assign between them, and discuss the benefits and challenges of using configurable entities. This presentation will be of interest to repository managers who would like to learn more about options for using entities in DSpace 7, and of particular interest to DSpace repository managers who have not yet implemented entities but are considering it.
Balancing Open Access and Ethical Responsibility: The Sensitivity of Sharing Endangered Species Data
Shavon Stewart, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
4:20 p.m., Cook 206Z/Day 1 Room
Institutional repositories (IRs) play a critical role in facilitating the open sharing and long-term preservation of scientific data, including biodiversity and conservation research. However, when it comes to archiving and disseminating data on endangered species, there are unique ethical challenges that must be addressed, particularly regarding the sensitivity of location data. This presentation will explore the ethical considerations surrounding the sharing of endangered species data, focusing on the potential risks posed by publicly accessible location information.
The geographic coordinates of species sightings, habitat data, and breeding sites are often vital to conservation efforts, but they can also be misused-especially in the context of poaching and illegal wildlife trade. Researchers and conservationists face a delicate balance between making data openly available for the advancement of science and protecting the species they aim to conserve. This presentation will examine strategies for mitigating the risks of data misuse, such as anonymizing or aggregating location data, using access controls, and collaborating with stakeholders to ensure ethical data sharing practices.
Drawing on real-world examples from ongoing research in endangered species conservation, this session will provide attendees with practical guidelines for managing sensitive data within IRs. It will also consider the role of IRs in supporting ethical stewardship of environmental and biodiversity data while ensuring that scientific research is not hindered by overly restrictive data access policies. Finally, the session will prompt a broader conversation about how IRs can navigate the complexities of data sensitivity in the context of open science and contribute to responsible, transparent, and secure data sharing in the conservation community.
Full Concurrent Sessions – April 25, 2025
Learning to Let Go: Weeding for Sustainability in a Mature Repository
Jeffrey M. Mortimore, Georgia Southern University
Nathan Banks, Georgia Southern University
9:00 a.m., Cook 209A/Room A
Weeding isn't just for print collections. As repositories mature, organizational complexity can creep in and collections become orphaned, irrelevant, or embarrassing to stakeholders or the host institution. Eleven years after launching our Digital Commons-based repository, Georgia Southern Commons, the University Libraries at Georgia Southern University have embarked on a wide-ranging audit of over 1,900 collection and community structures and over 150,000 items. This project has been complicated by the fact that Digital Commons provides no direct means of visualizing collection and community hierarchies or how records are collected across structures. During this session, presenters will share how we've overcome these limitations to understand the structure and content of these collections so that we can weed content we no longer wish to support as well as simplify the organizational structure of the repository overall. While letting go can be hard to do, the long-term sustainability of repositories may depend on learning how.
Refocusing Open Access Marketing and Education Efforts In Response to Local Perceptions
Julie Shedd, Mississippi State University
Megan Bean, Mississippi State University
9:00 a.m., Cook 206Z/Room B
Open access to authoritative research is vital to the development of an informed society and integral to the mission of many academic libraries. But high article publishing charges, unscrupulous publishers, and misunderstandings about what exactly "open access" means can poison the well, turning a library's users against the entire philosophy. In this presentation, we seek to start a conversation with our colleagues about the term "open access" and possible alternatives. The presenters will delve into the definitions of each term, explain why "open access" might be problematic, weigh the pros and cons of rebranding their team's services, discuss how a rebrand would affect efforts to serve their university's mission; and solicit suggestions on how best to educate researchers on what "open access" really means.
Breaking News: Adding Campus Newspapers to Your IR
Michelle Emanuel, University of Mississippi
10:00 a.m., Cook 209A/Room A
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Mississippi decided to add nearly 100 years of its campus newspaper, The Daily Mississippian, to its institutional repository. In 2025, the project will be close to completion.
The Long and Short of It: IR Considerations for Today and Tomorrow
Christopher Stewart, University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Bonnie Bennet, University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Donna Rose, University of Arkansas at Little Rock
10:00 a.m., Cook 206Z/Room B
In fulfilling a charge to evaluate IR options for University of Arkansas - Little Rock, the library's IR Task Force had to plan for both short-term considerations (platform selection and implementation) and long-term considerations (sustainable inclusions to meet researcher and institutional needs). One necessary tool developed for implementation was a decision rubric, which identified crucial elements for a successful platform selection and basic functionality. Long-term sustainable practices suggested supported researcher needs, such as data set hosting, citation metrics, and DOI minting. Attendees will learn how to create a decision rubric and the importance of data set hosting and DOI minting in reference to IR selection, rule compliance, and citation tracking.
Using IRs for CUREs: Collaborating with Educators to Preserve Undergraduate Projects on an Institutional Repository
Zachary Stein, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Roxanne Bourquet, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
11:00 a.m., Cook 209A/Room A
At the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, the library's former head of special collections and a professor from the Department of Curriculum and Instruction collaborated on a project to build a collection of original children's stories and make them available for future teachers on the University's institutional repository (IR). Elementary and Early Childhood Education majors utilized resources from the Special Collection to craft original folklore, in which exemplars of undergraduate projects were selected submission to the IR. There is a need to present an opportunity to showcase undergraduate research, to not only use archives but to allow exceptional undergraduate projects to be reviewed; the IR allows this process to make clear connections for exemplary student work.
In this session, presenters will show how the project posed a platform for award-winning undergraduate research and the importance of future impact on course-embedded research experiences (CURE). A collection of original folklore is one way that exposure to IR platforms helps to prepare undergraduates to use qualitative research methodology as a tool for future research and instructional materials.
I Know What You Did Last Summer: A Look at New Administrative Features and Updates in the Figshare Platform
Andrew McKenna-Foster, Figshare
11:00 a.m., Cook 206Z/Room B
2024 saw many new features and enhancements to the Figshare repository platform. Many of these were guided by feedback from institutions using Figshare. In this presentation, we will use real world examples to demonstrate what's new and discuss what's next. Some of the major updates include: Brand new interfaces for both repository configurations and the review/curation workflow, an access confirmation feature, more editing options for researcher profiles, and the ability to upload entire folder structures with file previews. Attendees will learn how to access more information on Figshare's capabilities and get a global perspective on repository practices.
A Decade of SMIRC: What Now and What Next? (Special Tenth Anniversary Session)
Josh Cromwell, University of Southern Mississippi
1:00 p.m., Cook 206Z/Room B
In this session, we will briefly reflect on the past ten years of the Southern Miss Institutional Repository Conference and how it has evolved over time. We will consider some of the major topics and themes that the conference has addressed, as well as the lessons learned over the past decade. More specifically, we will consider what the conference has taught us about the role of the modern institutional repository. In an era where some have questioned the ongoing relevance of the IR, what has SMIRC taught us about the way that different universities are continuing to use their IR as a significant part of their digital scholarship efforts? We will also consider what the current landscape may mean for the future of IRs in general as well as the future of SMIRC.
One Search or One System? Weighing Cross-Platform Discovery Against All-in-One Repositories
Elizabeth La Beaud, University of Southern Mississippi
2:00 p.m., Cook 209A/Room A
The challenge of content discoverability across multiple platforms is not new to libraries – nor is the challenge of constantly diminishing budgets. This session explores two contrasting approaches: using a discovery service to aggregate search results from separate repositories or consolidating diverse content types—such as Institutional Repositories and Special Collections—into a single system for an all-in-one approach. We will examine the technical and strategic implications of each model, including metadata normalization, interoperability challenges, and user experience. Attendees will gain practical insights into the pros and cons of each approach, helping them make informed decisions for their own institutions.
Showcasing Excellence with Digital Commons
Christa Johnson-Perkins, Elsevier Digital Commons
2:00 p.m., Cook 206Z/Room B
Join us for a fresh look at the evolution of Digital Commons as we reflect on the key milestones and innovations from the past year. We’ll dive into our 2025 roadmap, highlighting upcoming enhancements, new capabilities, and strategic initiatives designed to elevate your institutional repository experience. Get a first look at what’s ahead, learn how your feedback has shaped our direction, and engage in an open discussion on the future of Digital Commons. Whether you're a long-time user or just getting started, this session will help you stay ahead of what’s coming next.
Short Concurrent Sessions – April 25, 2025
Empowering Student Voices: Expanding Inclusion and Faculty Engagement with Student Collections
Cindy Gruwell, University of West Florida
Andii Johnson, University of West Florida
3:00 p.m., Cook 209A/Room A
Our presentation discusses initiatives we've launched that are aimed at expanding student inclusion in the Argo Scholar Commons, our institutional repository. We started by working with our Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) to develop curated collections of grad and undergrad research our students present in OUR's Spring and Summer Research Symposia. Currently, we are actively adding discipline-specific collections that feature capstone work by both grad and undergrad students. This initiative has had some surprising effects on faculty engagement in the ASC and has heightened our own understanding of the impact of the research work that our students do. By making students a priority, we can help foster interdisciplinary collaboration and encourage student and faculty engagement with institutional research initiatives. And while the end result of all these labors is the growth of the ASC, along the way we are helping our students gain professional exposure, build their academic portfolios, and actively contribute to the university's research community.
Down With the Tyranny of Bean Counting: Setting Goals and Measuring Outcomes with USU's IR
Erica Finch, Northern Ontario School of Medicine
Connor Murphy, Utah State University
3:00 p.m., Cook 206Z/Room B
Traditional IR reporting often focuses on quantitative metrics like the number of items added to the repository. While this approach offers a snapshot of activity, it fails to capture the impact of IR efforts on research, teaching, and scholarly communication. This presentation will discuss our journey to shift from a bean-counting approach to a goal-oriented framework. We will explore our process of identifying meaningful goals, selecting relevant metrics, and making necessary data adjustments to track progress. By sharing our experiences and lessons learned, we aim to inspire other IR professionals to adopt a more strategic and outcome-focused approach to measuring success.
Building a Research Data Catalog
Amy Reese, University of Alabama at Birmingham
3:30 p.m., Cook 209A/Room A
Academic institutions are finding that they need to do a better job of managing the data generated by campus researchers. While having a data repository is the aspirational solution, our campus is not yet at a place where we can justify it. In the interim, we have created a research dataset catalog to assist with making research created on our campus more visible. A dataset catalog is a tangible first step towards better management of research datasets through metadata only records that link out to datasets hosted externally. For this project, we chose to leverage our existing Digital Commons repository. Topics for discussion include the situation on our campus, groundwork we conducted, harvesting of records in 3rd party repositories via APIs, metadata evaluation and normalization, and raising awareness to make the catalog a sustainable resource.
"I Don't Tend That Part of My Garden": The Self-Archiving Practices of Arts and Humanities Scholars
Lindsey Skaggs, Illinois State University
Rachel Scott, Illinois State University
Colby Cilento, Illinois State University
3:30 p.m., Cook 206Z/Room B
In this session, we will report on interviews conducted with scholars in the arts and humanities that explored participants' approaches to open access publishing, self-archiving, and dissemination of research and creative work, focusing on their engagement with institutional repositories (IRs). While depositing activities ranged considerably among participants, most expressed confusion about copyright and had little motivation for navigating "clunky" IR systems. We will share scholars' considerations, frustrations, and misconceptions about self-archiving their work in IRs, how it compares to their dissemination practices in disciplinary repositories and academic social networks (ASN), and what librarians can take away from their experiences to better support these scholars.