Session 3A | If you want something done right, do it yourself: Do Graduate Assistants (GAs) help or hinder in Institutional Repository (IR) projects?

In this show and fail, Alexa Hight will discuss the various projects for the Institutional Repository (IR) at TAMU-CC where either one or multiple Graduate Assistants (GAs) were enlisted. In the almost two years since the pandemic began, GAs have been tasked to help with IR projects during library closures, downtimes (such as summer), and a GA specific to help on Scholarly Communication projects was hired. In this time, I have somewhat learned how to manage a GA, I’m learning how to be a manager, I’m learning how to teach not only how to use DSpace, but also teaching the complexities and nuances of open access and what versions of works can be added to the IR, as well as what copyright or Creative Commons license we can apply. My experiences can help others new to managing an IR, as well as managing people (or trying to). I’ve also learned how to come up with metadata and other projects with short notice. I’m still learning how to balance supervision and quality control with my other responsibilities, as well as how to mentor and empower the GAs to be better employees and humans.