{"id":902,"date":"2026-05-05T15:51:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T15:51:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ricspecialcollections.org\/specialcollections\/?page_id=902"},"modified":"2026-05-05T16:11:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T16:11:10","slug":"institutional-repository-policies-of-special-collections-james-p-adams-library","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ricspecialcollections.org\/specialcollections\/digital-collections\/institutional-repository-policies-of-special-collections-james-p-adams-library\/","title":{"rendered":"Institutional Repository Policies of Special Collections,  James P. Adams Library"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Jump to: <a href=\"#Institutional-Repository-Collections\">Institutional Repository Collections, Content Management, and Use Policy<\/a> | <a href=\"#Institutional_Repository_RICFaculty\/Staff\">Institutional Repository Submission Policy for RIC Faculty and Staff<\/a> | <a href=\"#Institutional_Repository_Student-Au\">Institutional Repository Student-Authored Work Policy<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The Institutional Repository Policies outline guidelines for selecting, submitting, managing, and providing access to physical materials in Special Collections and digital assets in the <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalcollections.ric.edu\/?ln=en\">RIC Digital Collections<\/a> (managed by Special Collections), including the <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalcollections.ric.edu\/search?c=Faculty%2FStaff+Scholarship&amp;cc=Faculty%2FStaff+Scholarship&amp;ln=en\">Faculty\/Staff<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalcollections.ric.edu\/collection\/Student%20Projects%20and%20Scholarship?ln=en\">Student Scholarship<\/a> collections, for inclusion in the Institutional Repository. These policies apply to Rhode Island College faculty, staff, students, and all content contributors to the Institutional Repository (both physical materials and electronic items in RIC Digital Collections).<\/p>\n<p>Special Collections collects, manages, and provides access to scholarship, research, and other materials that represent the intellectual and creative output of the College. The Rhode Island College Institutional Repository, which includes RIC Digital Collections, managed by the Rhode Island College James P. Adams Library Special Collections, aims to advance the Library\u2019s mission to facilitate student success through instruction, access, and preservation. It is dedicated to the long-term acquisition, management, and broad accessibility of the scholarly output of Rhode Island College faculty, staff, and students.<\/p>\n<p>The Institutional Repository seeks to provide open access to our collections, both online and in digital and physical formats, as much as possible. Rhode Island College faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to make their scholarly and creative works freely available online and to retain the right to include a version of their publication in an institutional or other open-access repository where it can be viewed at no cost by anyone with Internet access.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"Institutional-Repository-Collections\">Institutional Repository Collections, Content Management, and Use Policy<\/h2>\n<p>Special Collections includes both born-digital materials, physical items, and digitized versions of analog originals from faculty, staff, and student publications within the scope of the Institutional Repository. Content may consist of, but is not limited to, copyright-compliant scholarly and artistic works created by RIC faculty, staff, and students.<\/p>\n<h3>Content Criteria<\/h3>\n<p>All objects included in the Institutional Repository must:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Be wholly or in part produced or sponsored by a Rhode Island College student, faculty, researcher, staff, or authorized college affiliate. This can include selection by a librarian or other authorized RIC Adams Library staff members;<\/li>\n<li>Be in physical form if included in the physical book collections, or be in digital form to be part of RIC Digital Collections;<\/li>\n<li>Meet applicable technical requirements;<\/li>\n<li>Meet applicable accessibility requirements;<\/li>\n<li>Be intended for RIC or public viewing and use according to the Rights and Permissions outlined below; and<\/li>\n<li>Be intended for permanent dissemination and storage in the Institutional Repository.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Objects included in the Institutional Repository cannot be:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Materials for which no creator\/author has any affiliation or official collaborative status with the college;<\/li>\n<li>Externally linked content if the Special Collections or Adams Library has no control over the management of the objects;<\/li>\n<li>Objects that are freely available via other online platforms (e.g., digitized books that are not unique to the Adams Library collections and Special Collections and can be found on Google Books or as a PDF elsewhere), unless that objects creator is a Rhode Island College affiliate or with Adams Library; or<\/li>\n<li>Personal work unrelated to the collection scope of the Institutional Repository.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Faculty and Staff-Authored Work<\/h3>\n<p>The Institutional Repository provides access to the College\u2019s intellectual and creative work, as long as submissions meet requirements for formatting, metadata, and clearance of copyright and licensing. It accepts a wide range of scholarly and artistic materials, including journal articles, book chapters, theses and dissertations, working papers, technical reports, conference materials, open\u2011access journals, lectures, seminars, certain campus publications, open educational resources, datasets (with limitations), and select podcasts. For more information, please see the <a href=\"#Institutional_Repository_RICFaculty\/Staff\">Institutional Repository Submission Policy for RIC Faculty and Staff.<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Student-Authored Work<\/h3>\n<p>Currently accepted student work includes graduate theses and dissertations, majors projects and papers, and scholarship completed by doctoral candidates. It also includes undergraduate honors projects and undergraduate projects sponsored by a Rhode Island College committee or organization, such as Open Books Open Minds or the Friends of the Adams Library Research Prize. Under U.S. Copyright Law and <a href=\"https:\/\/our.ric.edu\/documents\/intellectual-property-policy\">RIC\u2019s Intellectual Property Policy<\/a>, students retain ownership of all copyright in papers written to earn credit in a college course or that otherwise fulfill degree requirements. Student work is also subject to additional Library and Special Collections policies and procedures. For more information, please see the <a href=\"#Institutional_Repository_Student-Au\">Institutional Repository Student-Authored Work Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Embargoes<\/h3>\n<p>At the request of depositors, content can be \u201cembargoed,\u201d or restricted, for a limited period of up to 3 years. Reasons for requesting an embargo might include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The author is pursuing a patent for the work<\/li>\n<li>The research sponsor requests a specific embargo period<\/li>\n<li>The submission includes sensitive or proprietary content, such as work conducted with a corporate partner or a risk of exposing research participants\u2019 identities<\/li>\n<li>The journal or book in which the scholarship was published requires an embargo<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Special Collections requires an end date for the embargo, after which the content automatically becomes available for viewing in the Institutional Repository. However, the depositor may submit one renewal request to extend the embargo for up to 3 additional years, for a total maximum of 6 years. Embargoed content can be viewed only by the Institutional Repository administrators. Special Collections staff will mediate embargo requests. For student theses and dissertations, academic departmental policy may govern the use and duration of embargoes, and students should consult their department for details.<\/p>\n<h3>Rights and Permissions<\/h3>\n<p>Rhode Island College\u2019s Intellectual Property Policy allocates ownership of works created by College constituents. Contributors to the Institutional Repository retain all copyright and related rights to submitted materials. Jointly-owned works may be deposited by any of their joint owners. In all cases, contributors must have the legal right or authorization to grant Rhode Island College a non-exclusive license to the materials, as set forth in the deposit agreement. Additionally, all rights holders of the item must sign the <a href=\"chrome-extension:\/\/efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj\/https:\/ricspecialcollections.org\/forms\/RIC_IR_DAA.pdf\">deposit agreement<\/a>; otherwise, the work will not be deposited in the Institutional Repository.<\/p>\n<p>Contributors to the Institutional Repository are encouraged\u2014consistent with the College\u2019s mission to disseminate knowledge\u2014to make their work available for open access under terms of a Creative Commons license, which allows others to copy, distribute, and make some use of their material without the need for permission (e.g.,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/\"><strong>CC BY NC 4.0<\/strong><\/a>). Providing access to materials via the Institutional Repository does not otherwise constitute permission to publish or authorize use.<\/p>\n<h3>Deaccessioning, Retention, and Digital Preservation<\/h3>\n<p>Content will not be removed after it is deposited in the Institutional Repository except in accordance with the Library and Special Collections Acquisitions and Collection Development Policies or under extraordinary circumstances, such as violations of US Copyright Law, academic fraud, or harm to our community. If an item is removed, its metadata will be retained with a note indicating its removal from the archive. All withdrawal requests will be reviewed by the Digital Archivist and Special Collections Librarian, as well as the Digital Initiatives Coordinator\/Technical Administrator, in Special Collections. Depositors may submit new, updated versions of their work instead of replacing existing ones.<\/p>\n<p>Special Collections agrees to maintain the content deposited in the Institutional Repository for the long term. Each deposited digital object will receive a persistent identifier that remains valid over time. The Institutional Repository accepts deposits of research products in all formats but strongly encourages depositing materials in standard open formats (such as PDF, JPG, TIFF, MPG) and\/or analog to improve long-term viability.<\/p>\n<p>Institutional Repository content is stored and managed as part of the Adams Library and Special Collections infrastructure. Electronic records and their data are regularly backed up, and regular backup copies are stored in multiple locations.<\/p>\n<p>Adams Library and Special Collections reserve the right to migrate content to future digital storage methods and to update file formats to compatible ones for display. Due to the emerging field of digital preservation and the fleeting nature of file formats, no guarantee of perpetual access can be provided at this time; however, the Special Collections commits to using \u201cbest practice\u201d models and emerging standards to improve the chances that digital materials deposited in the Institutional Repository will remain accessible for future generations of scholars.<\/p>\n<p>If a file format becomes obsolete without a viable replacement, Special Collections will attempt to notify the depositor before removing access or deaccessioning the object.<\/p>\n<h3>Users<\/h3>\n<p>Site visitors are solely responsible for obtaining any necessary permissions and ensuring their use complies with applicable law. If the copyright author is not stated in the metadata and if the item is not in the public domain, it should be assumed that the item is under copyright and that the author or publisher is the copyright owner. In most cases, Rhode Island College does not hold copyright to works in the Institutional Repository, and users may need to contact the author or contributor for permissions to use materials within RIC Digital Collections. Materials may be subject to privacy, confidentiality, restrictions, or other rights protected under federal and\/or state law. Special Collections may share relevant rights information about the copyright status of specific objects or collections in the Institutional Repository.<\/p>\n<p>Adams Library encourages the use of materials in the Institutional Repository for teaching, scholarship, and research, as permitted by the fair use provisions of U.S. Copyright Law (17 U.S.C. \u00a7107) and other exceptions. Adams Library does not assert copyright in copies of public domain materials made openly available on its websites.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"Institutional_Repository_RICFaculty\/Staff\">Institutional Repository Submission Policy for RIC Faculty and Staff<\/h2>\n<h3>Scope and Applicability<\/h3>\n<p>This policy concerns submissions to the Institutional Repository by Rhode Island College faculty and staff and should be applied with the <a href=\"#Institutional-Repository-Collections\">Institutional Repository Collections, Content Management, and Use Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Submissions<\/h3>\n<p>Works submitted to the repository must comply with and are subject to College policies. By submitting, authors or proxy depositors agree to the Institutional Repository&#8217;s terms and conditions, including granting a non-exclusive license to Rhode Island College to store and share their work. Full terms are detailed in the deposit agreement. Contributors retain all rights to their work. Every submission must include the <a href=\"https:\/\/ricspecialcollections.org\/forms\/RIC_IR_DAA.pdf\">Rhode Island College Institutional Repository Deposit and Access Agreement Form<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Campus Collaboration<\/h3>\n<p>Storing scholarly work for the long term at the highest digital preservation standards requires significant human resources and digital infrastructure. While we are happy to accept individual deposits, departments interested in depositing a multi-item collection of material should contact digitalcollections@ric.edu to initiate a request and determine its feasibility.<\/p>\n<h3>Selection and Submission Type<\/h3>\n<p>The Institutional Repository seeks to offer access to content that represents the College\u2019s intellectual and creative output. Acceptance and access are contingent upon appropriate formatting, metadata, and clearance of copyright, licensing, and intellectual property issues. Examples of typical scholarly writings, research, and artistic content include, but are not limited to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Publications, such as journal articles and book chapters. These may include previously published articles\/chapters, pre-prints, and post-prints.<\/li>\n<li>Theses and Dissertations: The Library and Special Collections seeks to preserve and provide access to all College theses and dissertations.<\/li>\n<li>Working papers, technical reports, and white papers.<\/li>\n<li>Conference papers, posters, and presentations\u2014digital versions of conference papers and posters, as well as audio\/video of conference presentations and supporting materials, such as PowerPoints and handouts.<\/li>\n<li>Open access journals produced by RIC faculty, staff, or students.<\/li>\n<li>Lectures and seminars.<\/li>\n<li>Campus-based publications, such as newsletters, institutional reports, and magazines, will be considered on a case-by-case basis.<\/li>\n<li>Open educational resources written by RIC faculty, staff, or students.<\/li>\n<li>Data sets (size and format limitations may be placed on data sets, and they must be complete, appropriately formatted for use, and cleared for access.<\/li>\n<li>Podcasts that fall within the collection scope and are accepted on a case-by-case basis.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Embargoes and Deaccessioning<\/h3>\n<p>At the request of depositors, content can be \u201cembargoed,\u201d or restricted, from view for a limited amount of time of up to three years. Additionally, content will not be removed after being deposited in the Institutional Repository, except under extraordinary circumstances, including violations of U.S. Copyright Law, academic fraud, or harm to our community. Please refer to the <a href=\"#Institutional-Repository-Collections\">Institutional Repository Collections, Content Management, and Use Policy<\/a> for full details.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"Institutional_Repository_Student-Au\">Institutional Repository Student-Authored Work Policy<\/h2>\n<h3>Scope and Applicability<\/h3>\n<p>This policy applies to Rhode Island College full and part-time graduate and undergraduate students, faculty sponsors of student work, and Special Collections staff. This policy should be applied with the <a href=\"#Institutional-Repository-Collections\">Institutional Repository Collections, Content Management, and Use Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Purpose<\/h3>\n<p>This policy governs the deposit of student work into the Institutional Repository and provides guidance on the rights and responsibilities associated with its inclusion.<\/p>\n<h3>Policy Details<\/h3>\n<p>The following categories of student work are within the scope of content that may be deposited in the Institutional Repository.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Graduate student work: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Theses and dissertations should be submitted according to the procedures outlined below and following departmental policies and procedures;<\/li>\n<li>Designated awarded works, essays, and other student scholarship competitions with authorized agreements with Special Collections;<\/li>\n<li>Any scholarly output that falls within the scope of the Institutional Repository Collections and Content Management Policy may be deposited with the Institutional Repository;<\/li>\n<li>Coursework and scholarship completed in the students\u2019 class with agreements signed by the student(s) and with permission of the course\u2019s instructor.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Undergraduate student work: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>These or capstone projects reviewed and approved through appropriate departmental policies and procedures;<\/li>\n<li>Designated awarded works, essays, and other student scholarship competitions with authorized agreements with Special Collections;<\/li>\n<li>Coursework and scholarship completed in the students\u2019 class with agreements signed by the student(s) and with permission of the course\u2019s instructor.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>All undergraduate student work meeting these criteria must be approved by a faculty sponsor or other designated authority before it is approved for deposit in the Institutional Repository. Special Collections reserves the right to decline submitted works that do not meet the criteria stated in the <a href=\"#Institutional-Repository-Collections\">Institutional Repository Collections, Content Management, and Use Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Under US Copyright Law and Rhode Island College Intellectual Property Policy, students typically retain ownership of intellectual property rights to works they create. As copyright holder(s), students may decide whether and when their work will be made available beyond the typical course setting. As a general rule, the distribution of student-developed material requires permission from all creators.<\/p>\n<p>Students have the right to restrict the release of personally identifiable information in their education records, including any student-authored work or scholarly output that could personally identify a student. In compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and subject to certain exceptions, Rhode Island College does not disclose a student\u2019s educational records and information to others without the student\u2019s written authorization. Submission terms for the Institutional Repository include waiver of FERPA rights. Individuals depositing works on behalf of student authors are responsible for obtaining any necessary consent and authorization.<\/p>\n<p>Institutional Repository content can be \u201cembargoed,\u201d or restricted, from view for a limited amount of time. Requests to embargo a thesis, dissertation, or capstone project are subject to review and approval by the affiliated department. Additionally, content will not be removed after being deposited in the Institutional Repository except under extraordinary circumstances, including those related to violations of U.S. Copyright Law, academic fraud, or harm to our community. Please refer to the <a href=\"#Institutional-Repository-Collections\">Institutional Repository Collections, Content Management, and Use Policy<\/a> for additional details on the embargo request process.<\/p>\n<h3>Procedure<\/h3>\n<p>After final approval of any theses, dissertations, and projects is made by the academic department (if applicable), work should be submitted to RIC Digital Collections using the <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalcollections.ric.edu\/pages\/?page=submitinfo\">self-submission service<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Students submitting a dissertation, thesis, capstone, or any research-related award should consult their department for applicable policies and procedures.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jump to: Institutional Repository Collections, Content Management, and Use Policy | Institutional Repository Submission Policy for RIC Faculty and Staff | Institutional Repository Student-Authored Work Policy The Institutional Repository Policies outline guidelines for selecting, submitting, managing, and providing access to physical materials in Special Collections and digital assets in the&#8230;<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ricspecialcollections.org\/specialcollections\/digital-collections\/institutional-repository-policies-of-special-collections-james-p-adams-library\/\"><span>Continue reading<\/span><i class=\"crycon-right-dir\"><\/i><\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":29,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-902","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ricspecialcollections.org\/specialcollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/902","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ricspecialcollections.org\/specialcollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ricspecialcollections.org\/specialcollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ricspecialcollections.org\/specialcollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ricspecialcollections.org\/specialcollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=902"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.ricspecialcollections.org\/specialcollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/902\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":917,"href":"https:\/\/www.ricspecialcollections.org\/specialcollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/902\/revisions\/917"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ricspecialcollections.org\/specialcollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ricspecialcollections.org\/specialcollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}