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Location
Cook Library 206Z & Room A
Presentation Type
Full Concurrent Session
Start Date
28-4-2023 1:00 PM
Description
Much time and effort goes into the creation and curation of institutional repositories, and for many academic librarians, these platforms serve as one of the most tangible demonstrations of our libraries' commitments to the values associated with open access. We do not take issue with those values as such. However, we will demonstrate the problems that often arise when libraries do not ground their repositories in more concrete, people-centered values, particularly in teaching-centered institutions that lack adequate funding for technical infrastructure. Academic libraries associated with such institutions may profess a commitment to open source repository solutions as a principled stance against proprietary alternatives, but if there is no room in the budget to customize that open source solution to local needs, how meaningful is that commitment? Moreover, when teaching-centered institutions cannot afford to pay developers to contribute to the shared codebase, how inclusive and community-driven is open source repository software?
For the individuals tasked with operationalizing institutional repositories in such environments, we argue that it can be very difficult to appreciate the philosophical commitment to open source through the haze of burnout wrought by the necessity of cost-cutting measures. This is especially true for those librarians whose roles involve direct engagement with and outreach to front-end repository users, while also having to advocate for repository development needs to invariably under-resourced library technology units. Librarians in these roles see the adverse effects of an absent people-centered framework from all sides, and in this presentation, we will speak candidly to the toll of that work. Drawing from our experiences working with institutional repositories for a single campus and across a large system, we will focus mainly on surfacing questions and demonstrating the problems to be solved.
Presentation Slides
Values and Institutional Repositories: A Critical Analysis
Cook Library 206Z & Room A
Much time and effort goes into the creation and curation of institutional repositories, and for many academic librarians, these platforms serve as one of the most tangible demonstrations of our libraries' commitments to the values associated with open access. We do not take issue with those values as such. However, we will demonstrate the problems that often arise when libraries do not ground their repositories in more concrete, people-centered values, particularly in teaching-centered institutions that lack adequate funding for technical infrastructure. Academic libraries associated with such institutions may profess a commitment to open source repository solutions as a principled stance against proprietary alternatives, but if there is no room in the budget to customize that open source solution to local needs, how meaningful is that commitment? Moreover, when teaching-centered institutions cannot afford to pay developers to contribute to the shared codebase, how inclusive and community-driven is open source repository software?
For the individuals tasked with operationalizing institutional repositories in such environments, we argue that it can be very difficult to appreciate the philosophical commitment to open source through the haze of burnout wrought by the necessity of cost-cutting measures. This is especially true for those librarians whose roles involve direct engagement with and outreach to front-end repository users, while also having to advocate for repository development needs to invariably under-resourced library technology units. Librarians in these roles see the adverse effects of an absent people-centered framework from all sides, and in this presentation, we will speak candidly to the toll of that work. Drawing from our experiences working with institutional repositories for a single campus and across a large system, we will focus mainly on surfacing questions and demonstrating the problems to be solved.