Success through Collaboration: LSU Libraries and Graduate School Theses and Dissertations Migration Project

Thad Cochran Center 216

LSU recently migrated legacy electronic theses and dissertations (ETD) and historical dissertations to LSU Digital Commons. The Libraries led the project and worked closely with the Graduate School and bepress support. The end result is a great success with a large amount of data now available on a new platform, improved search functionality for existing ETDs, open access for historic materials, and a stronger partnership between the Libraries and the Graduate School. However the journey was less than smooth. This presentation will detail how LSU resolved a variety of issues including interpreting legacy systems, cleaning and reconciling metadata, defining staff roles and responsibilities, and managing student author expectations. Difficulties, solutions, and achievements will be discussed from both the Libraries’ and Graduate School’s perspective.