Just as an oasis offers refreshment in the desert, UNLV’s institutional repository has been refreshed with a new look and name, OAsis. The repository, UNLV’s home for research, scholarship, and creative activity, now makes it easier than ever for scholars to find and share knowledge from UNLV faculty, alumni, and students.
“The OAsis name emphasizes our commitment to open access (OA) initiatives and discovery while also giving a nod to UNLV's unique location in a desert climate,” said Michelle Shannon, Institutional Repository Manager and lead on the rebranding effort. “The subtitle is descriptive of our institutional research mission, and the redesign better reflects UNLV’s status as an R1 research institution.”
The reimagined OAsis offers more than just a refreshed look. With a streamlined design, modernized icons, and improved functionality, the repository makes it easier than ever for users to find, explore, and share UNLV research. A new URL, oasis.library.unlv.edu, provides a clean entry point into the collection, reflecting its role as both a local and global hub for open knowledge.
With more than 30,000 works and 15 million downloads worldwide, the repository is an essential resource for preserving and sharing UNLV research, ranging from faculty publications and graduate theses to open access journals and educational presentations.
The first major redesign since its launch in 2009 brings a host of improvements designed with researchers, students, and global users in mind. Highlights of the redesign include:
- A bold new header banner showcasing the University Libraries.
- Expanded menu options for easier navigation.
- A home page spotlighting the 12 most popular collections.
- A streamlined submission form to make adding new research faster and easier.
- Larger, more readable fonts for web accessibility.
- Brand new FAQ pages to guide contributors and users.
- Interactive readership maps and usage metrics that highlight where and how UNLV research is making an impact worldwide.
OAsis also continues to feature popular tools such as the discipline wheel, which breaks down more than 1,100 fields of study, and the real-time map of downloads, which illustrates the global reach of UNLV scholarship.
Behind the scenes, OAsis is powered by Elsevier Digital Commons and managed by the Scholarly Communication and Data Services department in the University Libraries. OAsis remains free and open to all, ensuring that knowledge generated at UNLV is accessible without barriers.
The Libraries will celebrate the official launch of OAsis on Tuesday, September 9, at 10 a.m. in the Rhyolite Room at Lied Library. Faculty, students, and staff are invited to stop by for the launch party and see the repository’s new features firsthand. Register to let us know you're coming.
For questions or to learn how to add your work to OAsis, email Michelle Shannon at oasis@unlv.edu.
