Publicizing Your Institutional Repository with Leave-Behinds

The University of South Florida Libraries had a lot of success when they officially launched ScholarCommons to the USF campus last fall. There was an announcement in the campus newsletter and a presentation to the Dean’s Council. They used clear, straightforward language, and tailored the message about the benefits of the repository to each audience.

In addition to their savvy messaging, USF created an attractive brochure to distribute to faculty. The brochure outlines participation benefits and services that the library provides. Meetings, announcements, and presentations certainly go a long way in getting the word out, but it’s also important to leave something behind with your audiences to keep it in their minds long after your initial launch.  A brochure, bookmark, postcard, or other piece of collateral that includes a list of services, benefits, and contact information will help faculty remember the IR when they need it.

Below are some other examples of leave-behinds. These resources are restricted to Digital Commons subscribers; please contact your Client Services advisor if you have any trouble accessing them.

USF's Scholar Commons brochure

USF’s Scholar Commons brochure