After the Academic Works Kick-off this March, the Office of Library Services hit the road to get the word out about CUNY’s new open access institutional repository. This whirlwind campus tour includes the official CUNY Academic Works Roadshow, as well as smaller strategy sessions and larger public outreach events. Overall, we’ve visited sixteen campuses in March and April — sometimes two or three times!

The Academic Works Roadshow has come to eight campuses with at least two more scheduled in May. These visits include a presentation that briefly covers the history behind a CUNY institutional repository and details the collaborative support model that will lead to its success, but, more importantly, the Roadshow is an opportunity to start a conversation about what Academic Works will look like at an individual campus. If you’ll forgive the buzzword, each library has its own challenges and opportunities when it comes to the repository, and OLS is committed to learning more about what these are in order to provide support.

CUNY librarians know their campus community better than anyone, and we want to listen to what they have to say. So in addition to the Roadshow, OLS is meeting with librarians one-on-one to work through particular aspects of the repository initiative (i.e. What would it look like to include instructional materials in the repository?). We’re also participating in CUNY-wide conversations, including those at the LACUNY Archives and Special Collections Roundtable and the newly formed Library Technology Subcommittee of the CUNY Committee on Academic Technology.

In addition to getting the word out to CUNY Libraries, OLS is working with those libraries to get the word out to their campuses. The Scholarly Communications Librarian has given multiple presentations about Academic Works and led workshops that address issues ranging from author’s rights to creative commons for open educational resources. OLS has led over ten events so far, but for those librarians who want to lead workshops of their own, we also share presentation slides and handouts that can be reworked and made their own.

We’ve had a lot of conversations and a lot of fun over the last few months. If you would like to bring the Roadshow to your campus or schedule an event or training, all you have to do is ask. E-mail the Scholarly Communications Librarian, Megan Wacha, and we’ll be right there.