The authors discuss the development of a related set of institutional repositories among several liberal arts college libraries. Contrary to the usual focus on faculty publications, the primary goal of these repositories is the promotion of student work, especially undergraduate theses. Discussion of issues concerning selection of materials and archival policies is included along with practical considerations of workflows and reflections on the advantages and disadvantages of the particular software platform (Digital Commons).Marketing the repository and the subsequent addition of other materials, including ejournals, are discussed in light of ambiguity about its purposes among campus faculty and students.3

ABSTRACT:Institutional repositories are an exciting innovation in scholarly communication and liberal arts institutions have a unique opportunity to create repository collections that reflect their tradition. However, the challenges of cost, staffing, infrastructure, standardized metadata, and content recruitment that are part and parcel of developing institutional repositories may be daunting to individual liberal arts institutions. The idea that multiple, like-minded institutions could join forces to share their efforts, unique challenges, and maximize their efficiencies grew into the Liberal Arts Scholarly Repository (LASR). Initial steps in this collaboration included the development of a group mission and a statement of collection policies. Technical specifications and metadata best practices were developed to facilitate searching and to ensure the interoperability of the repository. This article outlines the history of the project and the process of collaborating on metadata standards.

The authors discuss the development of a related set of institutional repositories among several liberal arts college libraries. Contrary to the usual focus on faculty publications, the primary goal of these repositories is the promotion of student work, especially undergraduate theses. Discussion of issues concerning selection of materials and archival policies is included along with practical considerations of workflows and reflections on the advantages and disadvantages of the particular software platform (Digital Commons).Marketing the repository and the subsequent addition of other materials, including ejournals, are discussed in light of ambiguity about its purposes among campus faculty and students.3