Digital Collections and Data Sets

ITS supports multiple platforms for archiving, storing, and serving out digital collections, some of which are provided directly by ITS using on-site resources and others that are provided via a hosted solution by an off-campus provider. Each platform has its own strengths and weaknesses and therefore it is important to consider the current and future use of your digital resources so that you can house them on the most appropriate platform.  ITS provides faculty training on digitization practices and standard workflows for different media types through divisional Academic Computing Managers.  

Digital storage options and features.

In order to plan for the ever-burgeoning need for storage, ITS has put in place policies and processes regarding the use of space and requests for increased use.  Faculty needing assistance with their digital collections should begin by contacting their ACM for an initial consultation. This meeting will establish what the faculty member’s needs are and match those needs to one of the services or platforms provided by ITS. While ITS maintains several platforms that are appropriate for average use, we recognize that there are cases where the standard support model is not sufficient. Currently, the threshold for special consideration for storage space is 100 GB and/or when average file sizes exceed 2 GB.  

In cases where needs transcend the capabilities of the standard platforms and quotas we support, the faculty member’s ACM will schedule a larger meeting with other ITS staff to discuss the details and explore possible options, for example, to establish whether ITS needs to purchase more space for campus-provided resources.

For a fuller understanding of ITS' Digitial Collections strategy, refer to the ITS section of the Digital Collections Strategic Plan.