CDR Collection Development Policy

The Carolina Digital Repository (CDR) is the primary digital preservation and discovery environment for scholarly works created by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) community.  It is managed by the UNC Libraries. Content in the CDR can be made available for discovery and access by the publicrestricted to the UNC community or made private to the depositor and CDR staff only. 
This policy describes who may deposit content in the CDR and what streams of content are appropriate for deposit.  This document does not cover content or subject relevance. Rights and other issues may determine what levels of access can be provided to the material within the repository. Space constraints and technical feasibility may also determine what material can be deposited into the CDR. 

Who can deposit materials in the CDR? 

CDR submissions may be authored, produced or sponsored by UNC faculty, researchers, staff or graduate students. Undergraduate students may submit their work with faculty sponsorship.  Any college, school, department, program, institute, unit, center or sufficient other ties to UNC can request a presence on the CDR.  Works created by users unaffiliated with UNC may be deposited in the CDR if the work is part of a UNC-sponsored publication, grant-funded project or event such as a journal or conference. Alumni and emeritus faculty may have their work deposited in the CDR if the work meets the deposit criteria and they have an Onyen. 

What can be deposited in the CDR? 

Digital objects eligible for inclusion in the Carolina Digital Repository include works of a scholarlycreative and research-oriented nature. These may include, but are not limited to: 

  • Publications, including published journal articles, conference papers, preprints, and postprints 
  • Books and book chapters 
  • Unpublished scholarly works, including white papers, posters, presentations, and technical reports 
  • Datasets 
  • Research materials 
  • Learning materials 
  • Theses, dissertations and capstone work 
  • Multimedia files 
  • Journals, conference proceedings and newsletters sponsored by UNC 

Works deposited in the CDR should be in a form suitable for sharing publicly.  The CDR is not intended to host drafts of work. Works can be deposited in any format.  However, works which are deposited in closed or proprietary formats may not be fully preserved. 

Publications, including journal articles, conference papers, pre- and post-prints 

Pre- and post-prints are forms of publications that are used in various disciplines to share work before the work is formally publishedConference papers are article-length works which have been prepared for presentation at a conference.  The CDR acquires pre- and post-prints for preservationto promote the UNC Open Access Policy, and to redistribute in an institutional repository those works for which the author has retained that specific right.  The CDR may collect and preserve published journal articles and conference papers if the author’s publication agreement allows.  Works by, or co-authored by, UNC-affiliated faculty, staff, and students are in scope for the CDR. Additionally, the CDR may collect works sponsored by UNC affiliates, even if the author of the work is not affiliated with UNC. 

Books and book chapters 

The CDR acquires pre- and post-prints of books and book chapters for preservation, to promote the accessibility of research and scholarly content, and to redistribute in an institutional repository those works for which the author has retained that specific right.  The CDR may collect and preserve formally published books and book chapters if the author’s publication agreement allows.  Works by, or co-authored by, UNC-affiliated faculty, staff, and students are in scope for the CDR.  Additionally, the CDR may collect books and book chapters sponsored by UNC affiliates, even if the author of the work is not affiliated with UNC. 

Unpublished scholarly works, including white papers, posters, presentations, and technical reports 

Unpublished scholarly works, or “grey literature, is material that is not formally published but represents significant scholarship or creative work. These are often unique materials of high research value that will not be preserved or made accessible in another way. Examples include, but are not limited to, technical reports, white papers, research posters, and scholarly presentations. 

Datasets 

Datasets are materials that form the basis of one’s research, whether quantitative (numeric or spatial) or qualitative (images, text, video or audio recordings, digital models, code, or other non-numeric materials). They may be structured or unstructured. They are the materials analyzed to form researchers’ conclusions and may have been born digital or converted to digital formats. Researchers may have gathered these materials by measurement, obtained them as “secondary” data from other repositories, compiled them from contributors or participants, etc. For more information on datasets in the CDR, see the Research Data Services policy. 

Research materials 

Research materials are products of UNC research that do not fall into other categories covered by this policy.  They must be identified, developed and/or collected by UNC researchers and deemed by the researcher to have scholarly value. 

Learning objects 

Learning objects are a grouping of content that are used to meet learning objectives. This category includes instructional materials as well as primary sources placed in context for the purposes of teaching. The CDR collects learning objects that were developed or used at UNC. 

Theses, dissertations, and other capstone works 

Theses, dissertations, and other capstone works are created by students at UNC to support their candidacy for a degree.  These scholarly works form a collection of scholarly output by students at the university, and as such are within the CDR’s collection scope. 

Multimedia 

Multimedia files may include but are not limited to: images, sound and/or video recordings, digitized art, 3D objects, and podcasts.  All files must be in a digital format suitable for deposit.  They must be identified, developed, and collected by UNC researchers as part of their research or as the product of a UNC-sponsored event. 

Journals, conference proceedings and newsletters 

The CDR collects full issues of UNC-sponsored journals and newslettersAdditionally, the CDR will collect conference proceedings which comprise a record of the scholarship presented at a UNC-sponsored conferenceIt is strongly preferred that the complete issue, proceeding or newsletter be deposited in the CDR.  Works authored by non-UNC affiliates may be deposited as part of an UNC-sponsored parent work. 
 

What content is not eligible for deposit in the CDR? 

Born-digital special collections, cultural objects and university records 

Born-digital special collections, cultural objects and university records are preserved in the UNC Libraries’ Digital Collections Repository. If you are unsure which repository is best for your content, email cdr(at)unc.edu with a description. 

Content containing personally identifiable or sensitive information 

Content in the CDR must be compliant with UNC’s sensitive data policy.  Any content which violates FERPAHIPPA or contains personally identifiable or sensitive information will be removed.  This includes content containing signatures.  For more information about sensitive data at UNC, see UNC Information and Technology Services. 

Internet Archive Scribe scanned books 

Bound monographs and serials digitized through the Internet Archive Scribe workflow are digitally preserved through the Internet Archive and the TRLN’s membership in the HathiTrust. Currently, UNC does not seek to also manage preservation copies of these digital files through the CDR. 

Licensed electronic resources 

UNC will not deposit licensed electronic resources into the CDR. We are relying on other efforts to preserve these materials such as Hathi Trust, Portico and LOCKSS. 

Non-digital formats 

All CDR content must be in a digital format to be ingested.  The CDR does not provide digitization services for institutional repository content. 

Web harvesting 

Web harvesting can be done to preserve websites of enduring value over time. A web crawler like the Internet Archive’s Archive-It service or the California Digital Library’s Web Archiving Service usually does harvesting. UNC will likely rely on external services such as these for preservation of the products of the web harvesting process.