ODU Digital Commons is Growing in Size and Scope
June 14, 2017
ODU's Perry Library
The University Libraries launched an institutional repository in July 2015. Since then, nearly 3,500 papers and other materials written by ODU faculty and students have been added to ODU Digital Commons. These materials have been downloaded more than 65,000 times by users across the globe.
ODU Digital Commons serves to preserve, promote and showcase the scholarly, creative and institutional work of Old Dominion University in a centralized platform. In keeping with the University's strategic plan to build its academic and research reputation, the Libraries are making ODU's scholarly output accessible and search-engine-optimized for online discovery.
Faculty materials can include journal articles, book chapters, research projects, technical reports, conference papers, data sets and multimedia (such as PowerPoint and videos).
Starting in 2016 with the University's requirement for electronic submission, all ODU theses and dissertations are in ODU Digital Commons. The goal is to include all back-file theses and dissertations as well.
Beginning with the 2016 Undergraduate Research Symposium, faculty-sponsored undergraduate research has also found a home in ODU Digital Commons. More undergraduate research will be showcased in the future. Student and faculty music performances are also being added.
ODU Digital Commons is also a journal-publishing platform, offering a toolkit to manage submissions and the peer review process. Academic Perspectives in Higher Education is a peer-reviewed, open access journal with editorial staff from ODU's Department of Educational Foundations & Leadership. Chris Osgood from the Department of Biological Sciences brought the Virginia Journal of Science into ODU Digital Commons. This journal is now produced and available electronically, with plans to include the back issues to 1950.
Another useful tool in ODU Digital Commons is the event and conference-hosting service, where invitations, registrations, schedules and archived papers can be managed.
ODU Digital Commons is a powerful service that is still in its infancy. To learn more about it or to submit a thesis or dissertation, contact Karen Vaughan, (757) 683-4184 or kvaughan@odu.edu.
