UTSA Libraries to collect and promote campus research in new digital library

OCTOBER 25, 2021 — Research produced at UTSA can now be housed on the Runner Research Press, a digital library of scholarly and creative work that will archive among other things journal articles, conference posters, technical reports and faculty-sponsored papers.

The online library will preserve and disseminate the scholarly output of the university and will showcase discoveries made and knowledge generated at UTSA.

“Launching the Runner Research Press allows us to share the impactful scholarly work that directly benefits our community,” said Vice Provost and University Librarian Dean Hendrix. “We are able to store and distribute the creativity and innovation of our campus researchers and make their work available to anyone with an internet connection, while also preserving it for future generations of scholars.”

A photo illustration depicts Rowdy the Roadrunner wearing spectacles.As an open-access repository, work stored in the Runner Research Press is freely available to a global audience without paywalls or copyright restrictions. Members of the community and scholars worldwide—some from resource-scarce institutions—will be able to view and cite research produced at UTSA.

“More people will be able to lay eyes on work deposited in the press than through subscription-based journals and other publishing methods,” said Posie Aagaard, Assistant Vice Provost for Collections and Curriculum Support at UTSA Libraries. “Research shows that publishing in open access environments can lead to higher citation counts and increased downloads.”

A 2018 study in the Journal of Academic Librarianship showed that institutional repositories, like the Runner Research Press, can enhance the visibility of academic institutions, increase their ranking locally and globally, increase their prestige and public value and improve teaching and learning.

Scholarly Communication Librarian Emily Johnson said added benefits include compliance with research funding mandates and permanent archiving.

“Many major grant funders require results be publicly available, and now we have the opportunity to provide a space for that,” Johnson said. “Works will receive a stable URL that will never change, and multiple cloud storage servers will be utilized so authors will never lose access to their work.”

UTSA librarians have initiated a process to encourage campus researchers to deposit work in the press and are committed to recruiting content that reflects the diversity of the UTSA community, Hendrix said. 

“Our goal is to showcase transformative work of faculty, staff and students and to boost the scholarly reputation of our research community,” he said. “We encourage all to consider sharing their discoveries on the Runner Research Press.”   

Examples of types of materials that can be submitted to the repository include:

  • Pre- and post-published scholarly research and articles
  • Presentations
  • Images
  • Video and audio recordings
  • Working papers or technical reports
  • E-Journals and newsletters
  • Podcasts
  • Conference papers and posters
  • Student scholarly works sponsored by a faculty member

Even if work has already been published in an academic journal, researchers may still be able to place a copy in Runner Research Press, Johnson said. 

“We can walk researchers through copyright policies and restrictions and are happy to help them navigate the process,” she said. “In many cases, publishers allow self-archiving of works in a repository like the Runner Research Press, so feel free to reach out to us with any questions.”

To view full policies and read additional author information, visit the Runner Research Press landing page.

View & submit works on the Runner Research Press

The UTSA Libraries are at the forefront of reimagining the 21st-century academic library. With four locations across three campuses, the libraries are fueling UTSA’s ascent to a premier public research university by providing students and faculty with seamless, comprehensive access to information and learning resources as well as innovative spaces for active learning and interdisciplinary scholarship.