The Embedded Repository: Introducing an Institutional Repository to a New Audience Via Location-Aware Social Networking

The authors report the outcome of a partnership between a university marketing and communications department and a university library.  The research aimed to determine whether providing links to institutional digital repository content on location-based social media is a viable marketing approach .   Foursquare Tips were added to locations on the Texas A&M University campus with links to repository content. The authors subsequently monitored repository traffic using Google analytics to determine how many users were being referred by the Foursquare service. Research indicates that users will click through links on Foursquare to visit the institutional repository, and that they will explore further once they are there.  This was an initial exploration.  More data will be needed to determine precisely the best way to market services through location-based or location-aware services.