Library special collections contain subject-specific subsets of materials that are often buried in library catalogs and databases. ARC offers libraries the opportunity to promote their unique, themed collections by creating an instance of its Collex interface for them and then including the collection in the ARC catalog, porting metadata to various scholarly research communities as well as to the library’s own themed collection interface. In addition to presenting that themed collection, the Collex interface aggregates related materials from multiple proprietary and open-source catalogs such as JSTOR and ProjectMuse. A Library’s themed Collex interface will become a complete research environment dedicated to that particular theme.
Michigan State University Library used Collex and the ARC Catalog to create its “Studies in Radicalism Online” interface, which highlights materials in its collection and gathers those materials together with other websites, resources, and documents relevant to the history of radicalism.
Benefits of Collex and of joining the ARC community
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Featured Objects
Highlight objects from your collection
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Personalized Content
Users can collect and tag items from your library's catalog
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Metadata Consulting
Free consultation to generate metadata describing your collection that conforms to linked data standards
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Powerful Search
Utilize faceted, full-text searching and browsing of your library's collection
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Digital Classrooms
Allow students to collaborate on research and discuss items from your library's collection in digital classrooms
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OCR Services
Generate full-text from your library's collection with 70-90% accuracy on early modern typefaces
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Focused Aggregation
List your library's collection among relevant items from other libraries, proprietary and open-access digital collections, and academic journals
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Data Visualization
Utilize BigDIVA to visualize your library's collection
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Full-text Searching
Enhanced by our OCR services, your collection will be fully searchable alongside other high-quality digital objects
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Inclusion in ARC
Your library's collection will be aggregated with high-quality, peer-reviewed digital resources
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Collection Newsfeed
Share the latest news relating to the collection and theme
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Exhibit Curation
Allow users to curate digital exhibitions of items from your library's collection in addition to other high-quality objects from the ARC catalog
ARC aggregates content from a variety of institutions, collections, and journals, including:
For further information about adding your themed collection to ARC, including services and pricing, contact the ARC offices at idhmc[at]tamu[dot]edu.