The Knowledge Bank: Growth of a Concept

The Ohio State University’s Institutional Repository: The Knowledge Bank

The Knowledge Bank:Growth of a Concept


The idea

“Knowledge Bank” or “Research Bank”

A knowledge management system for the university to support the creation, organization, storage, dissemination and preservation of the institution’s digital information assets.

Proposed by Distance Learning/Continuing Education Committee, 2001.


Early vision (2002)A conceptual model for better managing and using the

intellectual digital assets of the institution

An interdisciplinary, multi-media storehouse of knowledge capital

An enterprise-wide knowledge management system

A “referatory” providing links to digital objects, and

An institutional “repository” that captures the intellectual output of the university produced in a digital format.

2002 Vision: Broad in Scope


Multiple Options for Coordinated Implementation as Envisioned in 2002• Faculty Expertise Directory (now OSU:pro)

• Web Media Collective (now Media Manager in the College of Arts and Sciences)

• Digital Union

• Institutional repository (instance of DSpace software managed by the Libraries)


Perceived benefits (2002)• Improved access to scholarly communication

throughout its life cycle• Integration of content to drive knowledge (e.g.,

decision support)• Synergies and economies of scale realized through

cooperative effort• Archiving and preservation of digital output• Leveraging of institutional knowledge capital• Revenue potential for selected items• Increased visibility for OSU


Three Knowledge Bank initiatives: Libraries (OSUL) Update (2010)

• Institutional repository – DSpace software– Campus instance (aka the Knowledge Bank)– OhioLINK instance

• E-journal publishing – Open Journal Systems software

• OSU:pro (OSUL has participated in data mapping, training, and input of faculty dossiers)


OSUL Knowledge Bank (KB) focus

“…a university based repository is a set of services that a university offers to the members of its community for the management and dissemination of digital materials created by the institution and its community members. It is most essentially an organizational commitment to the stewardship of these digital materials, including long-term preservation where appropriate, as well as organization and access or distribution. …” (2003)

-- Clifford A. Lynch, Executive Director, Coalition for Networked Information (CNI)


OSUL KB Services

• Project planning• Digitization consultation• Technical consultation• Data mapping• Rights management• Collection organization

& presentation

• Metadata• Submission training• Content submission• Quality control• Preservation• Technical support

DSpace – campus instance


Quick Facts

Knowledge Bank institutional repository registered 2004

• Approximately 60 top level communities of content

• 42215 records (35th in size of all registered open access institutional repositories)

• Ranked 26th of top 400 world-wide based on combination of size, visibility, rich files, and scholarly content (2010)

Knowledge Bank: e-Journal publishing

using DSpace & Open Journal Systems Software (OJS)

Open source software. Includes editorial

management module.


Journals Published

Using OJS:• Disability Studies Quarterly• Cornfield Review• Journal of Undergraduate Research at OSU (JUROS)• International Journal of Rural Crime

Using DSpace:• Empirical Musicology Review• Journal of Early Modern Japan


Content & Services Support OSU Goals

Goals from: Gee, E. Gordon. 2007. “Six strategic goals for Making the ComingYears Ohio State’s Time.” http://hdl.handle.net/1811/36252


One Ohio State University• University-wide service• Refer content owners to other shops if out of scope for KB• Supplements the University Archives (for “born digital

content”)


Students First: student scholarship• At least six communities in the Knowledge Bank

include student scholarship


Students First: student publishing

The Journal of Undergraduate Research at Ohio State is a multidisciplinary journal that publishes research conducted by OSU undergraduate students


Students First: student learning• The Open Journal Systems

software is being used to teach students about publishing (Cornfield Review, OSU Marion)

• Students participate in all facets of journal publishing, including reviewing and editing


Faculty success: making published content more accessible

Open access archiving improves visibility of published work, increases citations, and helps researchers in developing countries• Citations:

– Davis, P. M. 2009. Author-choice open-access publishing in the biological and medical literature: a citation analysis. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 60(1), 3-8.

– Evans, J. A., & Reimer, J. 2009. Open access and global participation in science. Science, 323(5917), 1025-1025.


Faculty success: dataArchive supplementary materials for published research and data sets

Data videoto

accompanypublished

paper


Faculty success: research reports


Faculty success: journal publishing


Faculty success: teaching

KB staff digitized, sought permissions for, and archived out-of-print books for courses in East Asian Studies


Outreach: hosting local history

The Ukrainian Immigration community hosts narratives, photographs and other materials documenting Ukrainian Immigration to Columbus


Outreach: hosting local history

The Digital Storytelling community in the KB hosts stories from Columbus’ historic Hilltop neighborhood


Aspirations• Development of the means to search and retrieve

OSU knowledge objects (and/or metadata) from multiple repositories, databases, and content delivery systems across campus

• A better public presence for multi-media delivery

• Better coordination with other OSU knowledge systems


Stated Purpose of selected OSU systems

Carmen DSpace Arts & Sciences

Media Manager

Media Services

OJS OSU:pro

Course management

Open access delivery & archiving

Organi-zation & sharing digital media files*

Hosting & serving digital media

Open access publishing

Faculty & staff expertise system

* “Non-Arts & Sciences units are welcome to host their collections with Media Manager for Groups and are charged at cost recovery rates for storage and

consulting.”


Some DistinctionsCarmen DSpace Media

ManagerMedia

ServicesOJS OSU:pro

Content course related

Content community defined

Digital media content for teaching & learning

Content community defined

Content e-Journals

Content Faculty & staff dossiers

Time sensitive

Preservationrepository

Emphasis on current delivery

Long term storage

Long term storage & preservation

Long term storage

Continuous versioning supported

‘Document’ content fixed

Continuous versioning supported



Continuous updates

Can restrict content to OSU/groups

By policy, open access




Can limit public view of content

OAI compliant OAI compliant


Questions for Discussion:• How much of the early vision is viable today?

• What is missing from our current vision?

• With whom should we be collaborating on this vision?

• OCIO was early partner but less involved today. Is there an enhanced role for the OCIO?


More specific questions …• What role should the “Knowledge Bank” have in data

management and reuse? (e.g., federally funded data)

• What is the relationship of OSUL KB services to other knowledge services on campus for example, Media Manager?

• How do we provide a sandbox for innovation that supports individual’s research and teaching?


Next step: OSUL strategic plan initiative

Develop a strategic plan, for the creation, discovery, display, and preservation of scholarly digital content, including data curation, publishing, and other forms of research support.


OSULStrategic Plan to address:

• Assessment of current needs• Identification of short and long term goals• Timeline to complete the goals• Identification of funding sources for any expanded

services• Link between OSUL KB and OCIO initiatives


Thank you!Tschera Harkness Connell, Ph.D.Associate Professor,Head of Scholarly Resources Integration DepartmentOhio State University [email protected]

Documents

The Knowledge Bank: Growth of a Concept