Daniel G Kipnis

Feeding the Fledgling Repository: Starting an Institutional Repository at an Academic Health Sciences Library

In 2005, the Scott Memorial Library at Thomas Jefferson University started an institutional repository (IR), the Jefferson Digital Commons (JDC) . Originally intended as a showcase for faculty scholarship, it has evolved to serve also as a university press for original journals and newsletters, and as an institutional archive. Many lessons have been learned about marketing techniques, common IR issues, and advantages of an IR for a library. IR recruitment has come to be viewed as yet another form of collection development and has been integrated into all forms of the Librarys outreach. Jeffersons academic health sciences environment has proven similar to other academic environments on issues of acceptance and participation.

Analysis and Lessons Learned Instituting an Instant Messaging Reference Service at an Academic Health Sciences Library: The First Year

Abstract In February 2006, Thomas Jefferson University went live with a new instant messaging (IM) service. This paper reviews the first 102 transcripts to examine question types and usage patterns. In addition, the paper highlights lessons learned in instituting the service. IM reference represents a small proportion of reference questions, but based on user feedback and technological improvements, the library has decided to continue the service.

Librarians in the Woods Hole Biomedical Informatics Course

Abstract What has come to be known as the “Woods Hole course,” Biomedical Informatics, is a week-long course sponsored by the National Library of Medicine which has been offered since 1992. Its participants include librarians, clinicians, educators, and administrators. This article discusses the content of the course and its applicability to medical librarians.

Transcribing and Digitizing Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Letters for a Historical Digital Repository

In fall 2011, the Scott Memorial Library purchased 53 letters belonging to an 1841 graduate of Jefferson Medical College, John Plimpton Green. The library staff transcribed and digitized the letters, creating an online collection in the universitys institutional repository, Jefferson Digital Commons. This article will detail the process of transcribing and digitizing the collection along with sharing statistics and the benefits of this project to global researchers.