Behind the Scenes in Digitization

COPLEY LIBRARY | IN PERSON AND VIRTUALLY

Behind the Scenes in Digitization: Role of the Student Scholarship Liaison

In the Archives, Special Collections and Digital Initiatives Department, Angela Perine’s role as the student scholarship liaison is to interface with student-authored work (such as theses and dissertations) that contributes to student success.

When students submit their undergraduate thesis, master’s thesis, or dissertation to the institutional repository, Digital USD, the metadata is checked for any errors. Sometimes students want to make changes to their record in Digital USD, and Angela works with them to ensure that it presents as best as possible to show to professors or future employers. Another aspect of Angela’s job is assigning a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) to the work. A DOI is a unique and permanent string of numbers, letters, and symbols so that anyone can easily locate a particular document. Each DOI is entered on a spreadsheet to ensure DOI numbers do not repeat, then the DOI and its accompanying metadata is submitted to Crossref, an official, not-forprofit DOI registration agency. Each month the Crossref reports are reviewed to ensure the DOIs are working properly. While Angela may work “behind the scenes,” the responsibilities to check metadata and register DOIs for theses and dissertations are vitally important to maximize the accessibility and discoverability of USD students’ work in the repository.