The DRS was developed by Northeastern University Library as a tool for University faculty and staff to protect the valuable information and data that has been created as part of the University’s research and instructional mission. It provides long-term security for the files it stores to help ensure that data is as accessible and usable in the present and the future.
Why the DRS?
- Preservation: The DRS offers secure storage of your scholarship, research, or records
- Easy Access: The DRS enables you to post your work easily, and allows others to quickly find, use, and cite your work by using powerful search tools
- Professional Exposure: The DRS showcases scholarship and other valuable materials to researchers, funding sources, and others
Who is the DRS for?
- NU researchers who want to promote and preserve their research materials
- NU administrators who need to preserve important university records
- Anyone seeking information on the intellectual productivity of the Northeastern community or the history of the University
- And others …
What can be found in the DRS?
- Research and technical papers
- Conference presentations
- Theses and dissertations
- Journals and books
- Oral histories
- Video and audio recordings of speeches, events, and interviews
- Photographs of NU events, buildings, people
- Digitized photographs, documents, and art prints
- Key University documents
- And more…
Anyone is welcome to use the DRS to discover publicly available content, like theses and dissertations or the University Archives and Special Collections Digital Collections. Members of the Northeastern community are encouraged to sign in to access additional content that is not available to the general public, like photographs from the Office of Marketing and Communications or certain research materials.
How can I add my work to the DRS?
Members of the Northeastern community can deposit material in the DRS using a few methods:
- Northeastern faculty and staff can sign in and start depositing right away
- Members of the Northeastern community can contact DRS staff to get permission to start depositing on behalf of their department or research group
- Library staff can process and deposit batches of more than 20 files on behalf of Northeastern faculty, staff, and students
Technology and Workflow
The DRS has powerful workflow management features. You may give all or some members of your community permission to submit, edit file descriptions, and/or publish files. Library staff are available to advise you on workflow arrangements that will work best for your community.
Features
- Self deposit: Faculty and staff may deposit their own material.
- File and collection management: Owners of DRS material can edit metadata and update file access permissions.
- Simple sign in: Members of the Northeastern community can sign in to the DRS using their myNEU username and password.
- Support tools: Support documents include a User Guide and an FAQ. Training sessions are available upon request: Library-Repository-Team[@]northeastern.edu
- Saving: Materials may be saved to Sets or downloaded for future use.
- Secure access: Sensitive or private files can be safely restricted to authorized users only.
- Advanced tools: Advanced features include batch upload, file statistics, and access to the DRS API.
- Open Access: In the spirit of Open Access, sharing research as widely as possible is highly encouraged, and access to most deposited Northeastern research materials is unrestricted.
CERES: The Community Enhanced Repository for Engaged Scholarship
The DRS API can be used to present repository data in other venues, such as departmental portals and digital research projects. To simplify this process, the DSG has built the CERES Exhibit Toolkit, a WordPress plugin that uses the DRS API to publish DRS collections or sets of material in a WordPress site that can be customized based on the specific needs of a project. Project teams can use sliding galleries, maps, timelines, and other tools to embed DRS files into their WordPress website. Using CERES ensures that project materials and data are securely stored in repository storage maintained by the Library, while allowing project teams to customize and control how those materials are published on the web. Examples of project websites created using CERES can be found in the CERES project showcase.
Visit the CERES information page to learn more about CERES or contact the DSG to discuss using CERES for your project.
Technology
The DRS was developed using series of open source technologies that have been widely adopted in the digital repository community. The underlying storage architecture of the repository is Fedora (Flexible Extensible Digital Object Repository Architecture). The interface was built using Samvera, which is a suite of tools and technologies that processes the files and metadata stored in Fedora so users can interact with them in a meaningful way.
Getting Help
The DSG offers a variety of services to help users get started with the DRS, including consultations, trainings, workshops, and general guidance:
- Visit the DRS Subject Guide for walkthroughs, statistics, and updates
- Fill out the DRS contact form or contact Library-Repository-Team[@]northeastern.edu to start a new project, ask questions about files or features, or get help with an issue.
- Consult the DRS User Guide for help uploading and managing files.
- Contact the Digital Repository Manager to set up a training or a general consultation: sj.sweeney[@]northeastern.edu