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By Mary Westbrook

A significant milestone in the integration of EVMS into 51�鱨վ has been reached with the expansion of��to include Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at 51�鱨վ. This development represents an important advancement in the overall integration and enhances a valuable resource for faculty members engaged in health sciences research.

51�鱨վ's Digital Commons, a growing digital repository of faculty research and scholarly work, has long been a powerful tool for increasing the visibility and impact of academic publications. Now, with the inclusion of Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at 51�鱨վ faculty publications, this resource is poised to play an even more central role in supporting research and collaboration around the University.

The integration of Brock Virginia Health Sciences faculty publications into Digital Commons began with additions to the faculty publications web page in January, said Dorothy Lockaby, head of Research & Scholarly Communication for 51�鱨վ Libraries. The next step, completed in early March, was to officially begin adding Brock Virginia Health Sciences faculty publications to the repository.

“We are excited to announce that we’ve now added Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at 51�鱨վ as a����within Digital Commons,” said Lockaby, who credits the success of the expansion to close collaboration with the team at the Edward E. Brickell Medical Sciences Library on 51�鱨վ’s Eastern Virginia Medical School campus and the diligent efforts of the Digital Commons staff members.

“This is a major step forward in consolidating the research efforts of our two institutions and supporting our faculty’s scholarly work,” she explained.

Akos Delneky, Ed.D., M.L.I.S., director of Library Services at Brickell Medical Sciences Library, agreed.

“Seeing this collaboration come to fruition in a meaningful way that benefits our faculty members and the broader community of health sciences researchers is gratifying,” Delneky said. “We are eager to continue to support our researchers and to help this tremendous digital resource grow.”

The updated Digital Commons website now features a section dedicated to Brock Virginia Health Sciences at 51�鱨վ, which includes faculty publications from Eastern Virginia Medical School, the EVMS School of Health Professions and the Joint School of Public Health, as well as the Ellmer College of Health Sciences and Ellmer School of Nursing. Faculty publications dated since the July 1, 2024, integration are identified and added to the publications list through automated database searches and Google Scholar. Publications from the list that meet open access or permission criteria are then added to the repository. Faculty members also can reach out directly to library staff to notify them of new publications.

“Although there are still additional departments and publications to be added, this advancement already offers a valuable resource for faculty members, who will receive automated notifications when their work is added to Digital Commons,” Lockaby said. “These emails not only acknowledge the inclusion of their work but also provide insights into the reach of their publications, including download statistics.”

Digital Commons, Lockaby added, is now “an even more robust resource for faculty across the integrated institutions, and faculty members are encouraged to explore this valuable tool and reach out to the library team for guidance or assistance. This new chapter in the integration is an exciting opportunity to foster collaboration, increase scholarly impact and share important health sciences research with a global audience.”

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