Digitizing Dissertations for an Institutional Repository: A Process and Cost Analysis

Objective:

This paper describes the Lamar Soutter Library''s process and costs associated with digitizing 300 doctoral dissertations for a newly implemented institutional repository at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Methodology:

Project tasks included identifying metadata elements, obtaining and tracking permissions, converting the dissertations to an electronic format, and coordinating workflow between library departments. Each dissertation was scanned, reviewed for quality control, enhanced with a table of contents, processed through an optical character recognition function, and added to the institutional repository.

Results:

Three hundred and twenty dissertations were digitized and added to the repository for a cost of $23,562, or $0.28 per page. Seventy-four percent of the authors who were contacted (n = 282) granted permission to digitize their dissertations. Processing time per title was 170 minutes, for a total processing time of 906 hours. In the first 17 months, full-text dissertations in the collection were downloaded 17,555 times.

Conclusion:

Locally digitizing dissertations or other scholarly works for inclusion in institutional repositories can be cost effective, especially if small, defined projects are chosen. A successful project serves as an excellent recruitment strategy for the institutional repository and helps libraries build new relationships. Challenges include workflow, cost, policy development, and copyright permissions.

Highlights

• The Lamar Soutter Library partnered with the University of Massachusetts Medical School Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences to digitize doctoral dissertations for inclusion in a newly created institutional repository.
• Seventy-four percent of dissertation authors (209/282) gave permission for the digitization. The cost to process the entire dissertation collection in-house was $23,562, only $1,062 more than the estimate to outsource.
• Digitizing the dissertation collection increased access: the print collection was used 723 times in the past 5 years, while the electronic collection was used 17,555 times in 17 months.

Implications

• Digitizing student works is an effective way to begin populating an institutional repository.
• In-house digitization projects can be cost-competitive with outsourced alternatives.
• A repository can be a catalyst for developing relationships in the institution by providing the library with a new avenue for outreach.
• Skills and experience gained from a small project can be applied to larger-scale projects.

     

Book reviews

SPECTACULAR NATURE: CORPORATE CULTURE AND THE SEA WORLD EXPERIENCE. By Susan G. Davis. Berkeley: University of California Press. 1997; pp. xii + 313. paper $18.95.

FEMINISM AND DOCUMENTARY. By Diane Waldman and Janet Walker. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1999; pp. xvi + 365. $49.95 cloth; $19.95 paper.

FASHIONABLE NONSENSE: POSTMODERN INTELLECTUAL'S ABUSE OF SCIENCE. By Alan Sokal and Jean Bricmont. New York: Picador USA, 1998; pp. xiv + 300. $16.10 cloth; $11.20 paper.     

Notes on writing subjects of action research

In this article, the author playfully represents his role as reader and interpreter of an article sent to him for review by editors of the journal Educational Action Research. By representing the specificity of his reader responses, the author shows how literacy practices function to create the identities of readers and writers. It is argued that a post-structural view of reading and interpretation helps those engaged in action research projects to understand that knowledge and identities are co–specified. Reports of action research, then, are not merely reports of what is learned through shared inquiry; they also reveal traces of how the subjects involved in action research are affected by their work.     

Folklore as an instrument of education among the Chewa people of Zambia

This article considers the folklore of the Chewa people of Zambia as an instrument of education. It suggests that there is only a fine distinction between Chewa culture [mwambo wa a Chewa] and Chewa education [maphunziro ya Uchewa]. The former comprises tribal “truths” to be imposed on the minds of the younger generation. The latter comprises stages in the development of the young through training and some formalised learning. However, by and large, the former dominates the latter. The strongest features of an African Indigenous Knowledge System (AIKS) such as that of the Chewa people are best expressed in terms of Jakayo Peter Ocitti’s five philosophical principles of African indigenous education, namely preparationism, functionalism, communalism, perennialism and holisticism. They build on one another and are, therefore, related. The authors of this article demonstrate how Chewa culture and education use folklore to influence the minds of the young. They give examples of how various components of Chewa folklore are used to criticise, commend, dislike, admire, discard and adapt various traits in people. This paper does not present folklore as an educational panacea; there are weaknesses in Chewa traditional education which are also discussed. Rather, folklore is considered here as a valuable supplementary element in education. What the authors propose is to integrate folklore and informal learning as practised by the community in the formal curriculum to enhance the quality of the education provided for all and to maintain cultural identity.     

OVERCOMING LEARNED HELPLESSNESS IN ELDERLY CLIENTS: SKILLS TRAINING FOR SERVICE PROVIDERS

The concept of learned helplessness has been used to explain many of the depression‐like symptoms found in elderly clients. Persons experiencing learned helplessness perceive events to be beyond their personal control, and learn that it is useless to respond. This syndrome adversely affects cognitive functioning, affect, motivation, and self‐esteem, and these persons present particularly difficult problems for the helping professional. This article relates the theory of learned helplessness to the losses of aging, and describes a brief experiential training program for service providers. The training teaches interpersonal skills useful in working with the depressed elderly. By allowing older persons to have impact within the counseling interaction itself, the process of restoring perceived control and reducing helplessness is initiated.     

Cognitive-Training Programs for Older Adults: What Are they and Can they Enhance Mental Fitness?

ABSTRACT

People are living longer, and in better physical health, than at any other time in history. But what of their mental health? Does it decline with age, offsetting the gains made in physical health and longevity? Can it be maintained? Can it improve? A review of the literature suggests that cognitive decline is not universal, pervasive, or irreversible. It also demonstrates that older adults can benefit from cognitive training. The challenge, however, is to provide such training in ways that are acceptable to older adults. The answer is to be found, firstly, in research that identifies best practices for cognitive skill development in ecologically valid activities involving older adults, psychologists, and adult educators. These best practices can then serve to assist educators to design continuing education programs and other activities that are readily accessible, affordable, and enjoyable.     

Conceptualizing Stress and Coping Strategies of Korean Social Work Students in the United States: A Concept Mapping Application

The number of Asian international students pursuing graduate degrees in social work in the U.S. has increased dramatically in recent years, especially among Koreans. Despite the growth and the need for culturally competent practices in higher education, no research has been devoted to the adjustment problems of this population. This study is the first of its kind in exploring stress and coping strategies of Korean international students in graduate social work education. Concept mapping revealed five major clusters of stressors: academic problems, financial difficulties, cultural barriers, psychological problems, and family concerns. Five major coping strategies emerged as well: psychological coping, physical coping, problem solving, social support, and entertainment. Social work schools and departments should demonstrate cultural competence with this population by providing support services to help these students cope successfully with their new environment.