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Stanford University Libraries provides campus researchers access to our digital preserva:on system called the Stanford Digital Repository, or SDR. Over the last year we have been focusing our efforts on geBng researchers to deposit data into the SDR for preserva:on and sharing, and we have developed this online tool that allows them to deposit data themselves.
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Our subject librarians are the front-‐line of communica:on with our researchers and are the people best posi:oned to increase awareness and promote the use of our services. Some of them have even been known to help with data collec:on, like librarian Joe Wible, shown on the right, helping out on a diving expedi:on at the Palmyra atoll to collect data about coral. Most of our subject librarians had liLle first-‐hand experience with how data deposit actually works, which made it hard for them to answer ques:ons about it. We felt that the more they understood about the data deposit process, the more easily they would be able to see where or when deposi:ng data in the SDR would be a good solu:on for people. We wanted to provide this experience to our staff, but it is difficult to play around with the deposit tool unless you have real materials to deposit.
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In July 2013, I was talking with the Director of the John A. Blume Center for Earthquake Engineering (JABCEE) and when I told him about the SDR, he expressed interest in deposi:ng their collec:on of 167 technical reports. He was concerned about what would happen to them when he was no longer the director. However, this would be a significant amount of work and he wasn’t sure when or if they would have the :me to take on this project.
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The solu:on for both of these situa:ons turned out to be a Deposit-‐a-‐Thon. 15 library staff and a JABCEE representa:ve worked together for about two hours to deposit the technical reports. In that :me we generated dra` deposits for 137 of the reports. 162 reports are now live and discoverable in the library catalog.
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Key factors for the success of this event were: • exis:ng online availability of report files and metadata • prepara:on of a metadata crea:on guide that helped streamline the deposit process
• par:cipa:on of a representa:ve from the Blume Center, which meant real-‐:me answers to ques:ons regarding field-‐specific language and keyword selec:on
• presence of everyone together in the same room helped to minimize par:cipant frustra:on and confusion, allowed them to get ques:ons answered immediately and to consult with each other for help – and helped to make sure individuals completed their assignments
• online tool’s review workflow, which allowed staff without field exper:se to generate dra` deposits for later review by JABCEE staff
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The end results from this event were that: • staff received hands-‐on experience with the workflow and tool for deposi:ng data, making them beLer posi:oned to answer ques:ons from their cons:tuencies and to advocate for use of the service
• provided a direct service to JABCEE in geBng their technical reports deposited, which might not have happened otherwise
• we have happy customers who have been eager promoters of the SDR and our other services to their students and colleagues
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