An electronic window has opened for those who want to read scholarly journal articles, conference papers, technical reports and dissertations written by Penn faculty and students.
ScholarlyCommons@Penn -- an online database which debuted on February 3 -- is a collaborative project of the Penn Library and the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
"This project is a way for Penn to feature the intellectual output of the faculty -- a virtual library where we post everything to the world," Engineering Dean Eduardo Glandt said.
Glandt said that the system was an "unusual convergence of staff and faculty interest." The School of Engineering provided the initial funding of over $12,000 for the nine-month long project, according to Vice Provost and Director of Libraries Carton Rogers.
Currently, only Engineering-related papers are posted on ScholarlyCommons@Penn, but library staff said they hope the program will expand to include other schools within the University.
All Penn students have full access to all the information on the web-based service, while those unaffiliated with the University will only receive a summary and preview of dissertations and theses.
Professor Kwabena Boahen has 19 Bioengineering papers posted on ScholarlyCommons@Penn, and said that some papers have already been downloaded more than 20 times. He said that the online database "broadens the audience" of research.
"Students do research online," Boahen said. "I think scholarlycommons is more for people who do not [usually do research]. If they find it online, they read it."
While some students have not heard about the system at all, they said ScholarlyCommons@Penn is valuable.
"It can get to be a pain to go to several search engines. I'd say information made readily available is a good thing," Engineering senior James Aslaksen said.
However, he also added that the school "has to do a better job of publicizing it -- it's something they should have e-mailed us about."
Though the system has only been up and running for about a week, Library officials are already looking to expand the project.
Penn Library's Director for Public Services Sandra Kerbel said there has already been some discussion with the Dental School and the School of Arts and Sciences about incorporating their works into the project -- specifically with the Earth and Environmental Science department.
"We're starting to talk to individual schools and we're planning to go more systematically in the next couple weeks to see if this particular system will help showcase [research, student work and lecture series] better ... to explore the general interest for specific needs," Kerbel said.
Both Glandt and officials from the library staff said that they encourage other schools to follow the Engineering School in participating in the system.
"Since everybody's so Google-oriented these days ... it seems to me that the library is a perfect kind of place for this to be happening," Rogers said.
"So much work happens online anyway, to not participate clearly would not be in the interest of the University," Winkler added.
