Digital Collections - Academics

Content

We are accepting submissions that will be recurring such as: 

• Theses 
• Capstones
• Senior Showcase documents 
• Award winning student publications 

Format

• Accessible PDFs  
  • Creating Accessible PDFs with Adobe Acrobat Pro
  • DTS Contact to get Adobe Acrobat Pro set up on your computer.
• MP3s for audio with an associated transcript 
• MP4s for video with captions and/or associated transcript 

Spreads 

• Our digital preservation software has an even – odd spread option. If you have visuals that are meant to be viewed as a spread (2 pages together), you may want to consider this option.  
• Even-odd spreads means that it starts on even numbered page as the left-hand side and an odd number page on the right side, starting with page number two.  
• Page number one will always be a single page, acting as a cover. 
• If a document has a spread, but it starts on an odd numbered page, then a blank page will need to be inserted to ensure the spread starts on an even numbered page.
• Each batch of uploads has to be either a spread or not a spread.
• Example: If the majority of Masters of Architecture theses from 2022 have spreads, all of them will be uploaded as spreads. 
• Note: Even if you decide not to upload as a spread, the documents can be viewed as spreads by going into a document on our Digital Collections page, clicking on the two >> arrows on the upper right-hand corner of the PDF, selecting a spread type (odd or even), and then zooming out the page. 

Metadata 

• Titles: We will take the titles from the document title that the author put on the PDF. Any stylistic capitalization choices made will be reflected in the title field. Please name each file with the full title of document, including any stylistic capitalization choices. 
• Keywords: Keywords can be submitted in the document by adding a page to a thesis, a written publication, a section to a poster, etc. Keywords can also be submitted as an excel spreadsheet separate from the batch of uploads to be easily added to the metadata. Keywords are what the document is about and are typically one word or two-to-three-word phrases. They are not sentences.
  • Keywords example: Designs and plans; Open spaces, Social aspects; Pedestrian areas; Urban landscape architecture
• Description: The description is pulled from a document's abstract. If there is not an abstract, one will need to be provided. Ideally it will be less than 500 words. Please submit in a spreadsheet if there is no abstract in the document. 
• Authors: We will pull from the title page or author section and will be recorded exactly as spelled: first name then last name. 
• Language: If any other language besides English is used, it needs to be listed in the document or submitted in a spreadsheet. 

• The files formatting meets our format criteria. 
• A decision has been made regarding spreads. 
• All metadata requirements have been met. 
  • Either in the documents themselves or in a shared spreadsheet. 
• All files to be uploaded must be shared via a Sharepoint link to a folder. Please authorize the sharing settings to be anyone inside of Wentworth Institute of Technology with edit permissions. 
• If this is a new collection: 
  • Please describe the name of the collection. 
  • Provide us with a high-resolution square image for the collection image on the Digital Collections page (.png preferred) 
• Please note: We will only upload collections that meet the school’s Digital Accessibility Policy and those that have met the listed submission requirements.  

Accepting Submissions 

• We have three submission periods a year. We will open submissions at the end of each semester, for approximately three weeks: the final week of the semester through intersession.  
• The only exception is a backlog of submissions for the non-current school year. These will be considered on an ad hoc basis. For more information, reach out to your School-Library Liaison. If you do not know who that is, visit our Research Help page. 

Uploads Complete 

• Collections will be uploaded by the end of the semester following the submission timeframe. 
• Example: If you submit during April-May intersession, it will be uploaded by the end of summer semester.  

Submissions for Fall 2024 will be from December 11, 2024 to January 3, 2025.