Approaches to Marketing an IR to Campus Marisa

Approaches to Marketing an IR to Campus Marisa Ramírez Digital Repository Librarian Robert E. Kennedy Library California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo mramir 14@calpoly. edu

Cal Poly Profile • Member, California State University system • Located on the Central Coast • Master's institution • 19, 000+ students, primarily undergraduate • Polytechnic curriculum - o Engineering, Architecture, Science o Agriculture, Business, Liberal Arts o “Learn By Doing”

Cal Poly IR Snapshot • Digital. Commons@Cal. Poly • http: //digitalcommons. calpoly. edu • As of May 2011 • 10, 000 + items • 800, 000+ downloads • Visits from over 160 countries including China, India, Brazil and Germany • Broad assortment of content from faculty, students & campus units • IR Report to the Provost • http: //digitalcommons. calpoly. edu/lib_dean/34/

Developing the Service Model Considerations • Real results, real fast • “Keen interest” to populate quickly • Varying levels of interest for profile pages • Faculty workload and time demands • System functionalities • Scalability • Digital. Commons@Cal. Poly launched September 2008 • Full suite of services including scanning, requesting copyright and depositing content in a profile page created on the faculty member’s behalf

Outreach Challenges • Dispelling myths & misperceptions • Overcoming the perception of redundancy • Defining the IR in a crowded marketplace of digital solutions • Ensuring uniform communication of IR services by library admin, liaisons and staff

Generate Buy-in Through Marketing • Marketing not a traditional library strength • Have a plan, target all levels within the institution o Informal hallway discussions to formal presentations o Divide responsibility o Tell the same story o Share what works • ABOVE ALL… o Be adaptable, take advantage of opportunities o Learn from your successes

Marketing the IR to Thought Leaders o President § Accountability § Story to go with the numbers § Branding o Provost § Promoting faculty scholarship & student success § Progressive improvement § Increased visibility § Sharing research globally o Dean's Council § Value to the college § Preparation for accreditation § Bragging rights Used with permission. ©CC BY-NC-SA Alesa Dam

Marketing the IR to Faculty • Position not as a technology but a set of services • Profile creation, digitization, copyright clearance, description & upload on behalf of the faculty • Consider the faculty POV • • • What can the IR do for me? What is the cost (time, expertise) to contribute to the IR? What are the advantages to contributing to the IR? Why is this important to me? Why is this important to my students? • Use layman’s terms instead of library jargon • Employ assertive, persistent & diverse outreach methods

IR as Institutional Archive • Public Affairs • Press releases • College communications • Annual reports • Facilities Planning • Campus building plans • Office of the Registrar • Course catalogs • Advancement • Promotional campus info Used with permission. ©CC BY-NC-SA License by Dolescum.

Maintenance 5 # of items in the IR Maturity • Relationship building pays off • Endorsement-gathering 4 Growth 3 Development 1 • Content recruitment stabilizes • Assessment & integration • Areas identified for future growth • Increased awareness & content recruitment Introduction 2 • Identify & approach “friendlies” for pilot • Populate IR with “exemplary” content Time Launch • Campus marketing blitz to stakeholders

Key Points • Don't focus on the technology, focus on the value to the institution o Increase visibility for faculty & student work o Increase visibility for the institution • Focus marketing efforts early & up in the university • Reach out to advocates and supporters for “early wins” • Target Chairs & individual faculty • Look for opportunities to be visible on campus • Value what is valued by the campus o Reach out to non-traditional library partners

IR Creates New Opportunities • Puts a “face” on the library • Further exploration of student & faculty work • Broaden marketing message “upstream” for copyright, open access and scholarly communication issues • Inspires new partnerships and repositions the library to campus

Marisa Ramírez Digital Repository Librarian Robert E. Kennedy Library California Polytechnic State University mramir 14@calpoly. edu