About Virtual Commons

Virtual Commons is Bridgewater State University’s open-access institutional repository for the scholarly works, research, publications, creative activity, and reports produced by the faculty, students, and staff of Bridgewater State University and its collaborative partners. Virtual Commons also serves as a platform for publishing open access online journals such as the Journal of International Women’s Studies. Coordinated by the Maxwell Library, the Commons promotes the discovery, dissemination and preservation of this intellectual capital.

The Maxwell Library is committed to ensuring that all users of our Virtual Commons can access and use our digital collections in accordance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Our goal is to provide an equitable, barrier-free, and robust experience for every user.

We are actively improving the accessibility of existing collections to meet current standards. This includes ongoing assessment, remediation, and the adoption of inclusive design practices.

We recognize the importance of providing timely access to all formats, including audio and video materials. If you need access to a recording, we will make every reasonable effort to provide a transcript or alternative format promptly, consistent with ADA requirements. We welcome user feedback and are committed to addressing barriers, providing accommodation, and supporting individuals who encounter accessibility challenges with our resources.

If you wish to make a request for remediating or annotating an item in our Virtual Commons, please email us at href="mailto:[email protected]

Search or browse Virtual Commons by collection, discipline, or author name. Users can also explore Virtual Commons using the interactive Discipline Wheel.

Discipline Wheel

 

Institutional Repositories (IRs) bring together all of a University's research under one umbrella, with the aim to preserve and provide access to that research. IRs can be an integral part of the scholarly communications process – the creation, transformation, dissemination, retrieval and preservation of academic research and publication. The repository makes the institution’s intellectual capital available in a variety of formats and content types, such as pre-prints and/or final copies of working papers, journal articles, dissertations, master’s theses, speeches, image and archival collections, and conference proceedings.

Faculty and student research and scholarship represent an invaluable intellectual asset, but the true value of that asset is dependent upon its effective dissemination. A repository not only furthers research and scholarship but also furthers the teaching and service missions of the institution, by making the scholarship and research assets readily accessible.

To learn more about Institutional Repositories and Scholarly Communications, visit:

Consult Frequently Asked Questions for more information about Virtual Commons and submitting to the repository.

For other questions about Virtual Commons or for assistance with the submission process, please contact the Virtual Commons administrator, Orson Kingsley.