Services
TDL services
Texas Digital Library Services
TDL Repository | TDL Member Repositories | Peer-Reviewed Journals | Scholarly Blogs | Research Project Wikis | Authentication (Shibboleth Federation)
The Texas Digital Library (TDL) provides services to TDL member institutions, faculty at these institutions, and the general public. Each of the services supports the TDL’s goal of broadening access to the scholarly output of Texas colleges and universities.
For access to presentations and publications further describing TDL services, please visit the TDL Publications and Presentations page.
TDL Repository
The TDL repository provides a central access point for scholarly information created across the state of Texas. By aggregating resources from the many TDL member institutions, the TDL repository presents a broad cross-section of academic publications, course materials, and research data, available for browsing and download. Materials in the TDL repository are accessible not only to affiliates of TDL member schools but also to the world. Many collections include items which are not traditionally easy to access, such as the TDL collection of electronic theses and dissertations from member universities.
TDL Member Repositories
http://www.tdl.org/services/member-repositories
The TDL provides repository hosting for member institutions. This service includes provision of hardware and storage, basic management of the repository software DSpace, and the creation of a customized look and feel using Manakin. With this service, all member institutions have the means to offer a repository service for their affiliates, improving the dissemination of institutional work.
Peer-Reviewed Journals
Support for publishing fully online, peer-reviewed journals is offered by the TDL. This service includes a complete workflow system for article submission, peer review, and editing that is fully web-based and designed to facilitate the de-centralized collaboration of the peer review process. This less expensive alternative to traditional publishing provides additional opportunities for information-sharing, particularly within specialized disciplines and emerging fields of study. TDL journals are open access, viewable by the public at no cost. Faculty members at TDL member institutions who are interested in exploring an online journal may contact the TDL team for further information.
Scholarly Blogs
TDL institution faculty may share their work, latest news in their fields, excerpts from writing in progress, and other information through a scholarly blog. The TDL blog service focuses on disseminating information about research and scholarship produced by and impacting institutions of higher education in Texas. For information about requesting a blog, TDL member faculty may visit the TDL Services Request System.
Research Project Wikis
For those needing a tool to share information among groups such as project teams or discipline specialists, the TDL offers a wiki service. With shared editing capability and an easy-to-use interface, wikis provide a quick way to publish information to the group or to the world. Faculty members at TDL institutions may visit the TDL Services Request System for details about requesting a wiki.
Authentication (Shibboleth Federation)
Authentication to TDL services is provided via a shared framework which allows TDL members to log on using their institutional identity and password. This same framework provides information such as institutional affiliation (faculty, staff, student), so that access to services may be granted appropriately. Membership in the TDL Shibboleth authentication federation is available to all TDL member institutions, and technical consulting regarding local set-up and management is included. In addition, the TDL maintains its own identity provider and authentication service to allow access as appropriate to non-TDL members, such as a content reviewer for a TDL journal.
