Institutional Repository on a Shoestring

Humboldt State University (HSU), with 7,800 students (fall 2008), is one of the smaller campuses in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system. Our institutional repository, Humboldt Digital Scholar (HDS), originated as a pilot project during the Library’s August 2004 planning meeting and became a permanent Library service in April 2006. The repository functions “on a shoestring,” unfunded and reliant on contributions of time from librarians and library staff for its ongoing maintenance and development. In this article, the authors, three members of the HDS Steering Committee, describe the process of setting up and managing a digital repository: hardware and software selection; customizations; gaining campus support; developing collections; accepting submissions; and planning for the future, including participation in a system-wide effort to create a shared repository for the CSU.