Abstract
Libraries often develop and implement new services for the public. Sometimes they succeed; other times they fail. Expecting community members to understand the benefits of a great new idea on their own may not always work. But, taking a concierge approach to the implementation and maintenance of an innovative service may make all the difference to its success. Using a case study from the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) library as a backdrop, this presentation will highlight the effectiveness of taking a concierge approach to implementing a new service in any type of library. In 2013, ERAU launched Scholarly Commons to gather and provide open access to faculty and student research. Library administration was concerned that initial response from the university community might be slow based on the experience of other institutional repositories. Faculty who might be willing to submit their work to an open access repository often did not engage due to concerns about copyright violation, plagiarism, perceived quality of “free” online resources, or simply lack of time and inclination to learn something new. After researching different approaches other academic libraries took to support similar repositories, ERAU decided to offer a concierge approach to developing Scholarly Commons. Librarians would be available to help members of the community through every step of the process from locating copyright permission to submission. In the seven years of its existence, Scholarly Commons has grown to include journals and magazines, conferences, open educational resources, and datasets, all of which are supported by library staff. Members of the library concierge team will highlight their part in implementing and maintaining this very successful innovative service.
Original language | American English |
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State | Published - Jul 24 2020 |
Disciplines
- Communication Technology and New Media
- Higher Education
- Publishing
- Scholarly Communication