Ball State University Libraries Release New Cardinal Scholar Institutional Repository

University Libraries Release New Version of Cardinal Scholar Institutional Repository

by Michael G. Szajewski, Archivist for Digital Development and University Records

A new version of Cardinal Scholar Institutional Repository, a project of the University Libraries, is now available for searching and community contributions. It utilizes DSpace digital asset management software to enhance access to resources uploaded to the repository, and it is designed to encourage further contributions to the repository through its streamlined and simplified uploading process.

Designed as a user-deposit system, Cardinal Scholar allows university community members to contribute to its collection of digital assets. In order to organize its assets better, the new Cardinal Scholar has been divided into two communities: Ball State Theses and Dissertations, and Ball State University Records and Publications. In addition to the repository’s new organizational structure, Cardinal Scholar includes many additional improvements to facilitate access and encourage user contributions. For example, the new repository allows a user to login using his or her Ball State username and password, no longer requiring a separate set of credentials. Once a user is logged-in, the new repository’s streamlined, simplified upload procedure allows the person to upload and provide information about a document in two simple steps.

When describing an item, users may now choose from a broader range of fixed terms, allowing categorization of uploaded documents to be completed more easily and with greater specificity to enhance search precision. Cardinal Scholar’s search interface has been improved, too, as the repository home page now includes an advanced search option to allow users to construct search queries of increased complexity. Furthermore, Cardinal Scholar 2.0 provides improved searching ability at the community and collection levels.

Visit the new Cardinal Scholar page at http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/. For more information, visit Cardinal Scholar Frequently Asked Questions, http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/bsu/faq.jsp, or contact Michael G. Szajewski, Archivist for Digital Development and University Records, in the Archives and Special Collections at 765-285-5078.

(The map shown above, Storybook England, features popular children’s literature from England. The map is available in Cardinal Scholar from the GIS Research and Map Collection).