There is an increasing demand for access to design-based thesis work. The diverse and often atypical file formats of art, design, and architecture theses present problematic issues when depositing them in institutional and commercial repositories. As new and complex media are integrated into art and design work, librarians will need to provide better access to media in order to showcase student work in a way that is authentic, accessible, and discoverable. While institutional repositories collect text-based thesis work, often they do not accept or even address the issue of preserving and providing access to design work. What is more, visual representations of student work are often referred to as annexes or supplemental files, when in fact they represent the essence of a thesis project. Following a traditional Electronic Theses and Dissertation workflow, the students' creative work remains hidden from view and only a textual explanation of the designs is made accessible. This Discussion Group will focus on the issues of preservation of and access to design work, broadly defined. This design work is produced by art and design students, architecture students, and students creating work that includes non-text components; perhaps digital files, perhaps physical representations. Through collaborative work, and the inclusion of user perspectives, we can develop frameworks that are replicable at any institution wanting to provide greater access to digital design assets.
Learning Objective Learn about current practices and discuss possible strategies to address design assets in Institutional Repositories.
