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On Tue, Sep 25, 2012 at 11:26 AM, Barbara Ann Opar <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Heather- I am writing from Syracuse University and the School of Architecture here. So while I am not working with MFA theses I am working with similar materials. SU now has an institutional repository so our administrator for SUrface as it is called and I have been working to build up material in my area of responsibility- Architecture.  Students assistants here have taken the lead in scanning and helping to make this all work. We have scanned faculty articles, SOA newsletters and so forth. But our newest and largest initiative is to make thesis and thesis prep. books online.  For years Syracuse has been collecting undergraduate thesis and thesis prep. books. At one point, we collected all of them in paper –as many as were provided that is by the students and SOA. Then we changed the policy and decided to collect only B+ and above work as the students consult these heavily as models. So with the support of the now interim dean we went about scanning these works for SUrface. SOA and the Library agreed that this work is owned by the school so we have the right to make it available. The project has been a lot of work, especially as the files are often big and the old theses sometimes in disrepair. Last year, SOA decided to require digital copies of the work. The School uses Media Beacon but while students can post files to select classes they cannot  routinely access files. That meant that SUrface would be an asset for storing this type of material—both as an archive as well as providing 24/7 access to information. So I was provided desktop access to those files by SOA. SUrface uses Bpress so we filled out the template and attached the files. Files are very large so at times we have needed to go in and reduce the size of the file or break the material down into parts. But students are finding the material—including from other institutions. So in terms permission, the sign off came from the department and not the actual students. We had to digitize older theses, but new ones are being made available to us. Next year, I hope to require that students submit smaller files easy for posting. As well, we will ask them to provide keywords. I hope I have answered some of your questions. But please do contact me if this is information you can use. The categories you see were ones created for this project. Here is the link to the material on SUrface:

 

http://surface.syr.edu/architecture_etds/ 

 

 

Barbara Opar

 

 

From: ARLIS/NA List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Gendron, Heather Hope
Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2012 10:24 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [ARLIS-L] MFA digital theses

 

Hi everyone, at UNC we are planning for the retrospective digitization of our MFA visual art theses (going back to 1973) and are making plans for a digital submission process for current and future MFA art theses.  If you have worked on these issues and have developed policies for access at your own institution, would you get in touch with me sometime soon?  We’ll be working with our Scholarly Communications Officer on this, but I’m interested in hearing what other institutions have done with their digital MFA art theses.

 

Thanks!

 

Heather Gendron

Art Librarian, Sloane Art Library

Coordinator of Assessment, University Library
UNC Chapel Hill

Phone: 919.962.1061

 

 

 

 

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Mail submissions to [log in to unmask] For information about joining ARLIS/NA see: http://www.arlisna.org/join.html Send administrative matters (file requests, subscription requests, etc) to [log in to unmask] ARLIS-L Archives and subscription maintenance: http://lsv.arlisna.org Questions may be addressed to list owner (Judy Dyki) at: [log in to unmask]
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