DRS User Documentation

Quick Guide: User account

A screenshot of the DRS homepage

Sign in to the DRS by clicking the "Login" button on the top right corner of any page.

A screenshot of the Northeastern sign in page

Follow the prompts to sign in with your myNortheastern username and password.

A screenshot of the DRS dropdown menu

Once signed in the batch loaders you have access to (if applicable) and your Sets page. If you are a Northeastern faculty or staff member, you will also see a link to your My Deposits Page. If you have multiple myNortheastern accounts, an option to manage your identities in the DRS will be available from this menu, as well.

A screenshot of a user's My DRS page

If you are a Northeastern faculty or staff member, you can click your name in the top right corner of the page to navigate to your My DRS page. On your My DRS page you will find links to your system-generated Smart Collections, space to create your own collection, and tabs for viewing all your deposited files, the communities you're attached to, and a link to the My Loaders page, if you have access to a batch loader.

Quick Guide: Uploading a file

Screenshot of a user's My DRS page

Navigate to the collection where you want to deposit a file.

A screenshot of the DRS upload file options

Click the "+Add" button in the breadcrumbs or the lower right portion of the page.

A screenshot of the DRS upload file selection page

Read and agree to the terms, select the file you want to upload, and select the appropriate proxy option, if prompted (not all users can act as a proxy, so this option will not be presented to all users).

A screenshot of a file being processed for upload

Click the "Upload" button to submit your file. The file will be processed.

A screenshot of the DRS metadata submission page

Enter the title of your file, the date it was created, the names of the people or entities responsible for creating the file, a description for the file, and at least one keyword.

A screenshot of the permissions selection page

Select whether you would like the file to be public or private. If needed, select the name of the group who should be able to manage the files (or view, if the file is private).

A screenshot of an uploaded file being processed

Once done, click "Submit". Your file will be processed and ready to view and download within a minute.

A screenshot of a successful file upload

Reload the page to view the fully processed file.

Quick Guide: Creating collections

To create a new collection, navigate to the space where you would like the collection to live. If you want to create a new collection in your My DRS space, scroll to the bottom of the page and select "Create a new collection".

A screenshot of the create new collection button

To create a collection from within another collection, click the "+Add" button in the breadcrumbs or in the lower right portion of the page.

A screenshot of the collection details page.

Enter the collection's title and description on the following page. Select a thumbnail, if desired, and the permissions for the collection. If you want others to be able to upload to the collection, select the appropriate group and choose the "edit" option. When done, click "Submit".

Quick guide: Searching and exploring

A screenshot of the DRS homepage search box.

The main search box is located at the top right of every page in the DRS. Enter a keyword in this search box to search across all files and collections you can access in the DRS (be sure to sign in to search everything you have access to).

A screenshot of a DRS search page with facets.

Search results will appear on the page in a list sorted by the default relevance. Results may be switched to a grid rather than list view. Results can be narrowed by clicking the "Limit your search" button.

A screenshot of the DRS search page with sorting.

You may also alter the sort order and the number of results per page.

A screenshot of the DRS homepage browse options

The homepage has a few useful options for browsing, including options viewing all theses and dissertations, research publications, presentations, and monographs in the system.

A screenshot of a DRS collection search page

You may also focus your search by searching within a collection. Navigate to the collection you would like to search and enter your search terms in the collection search box near the collection title.

Quick guide: Downloading and saving

A screenshot of a file download button

Files may be downloaded locally or saved in a Set to be viewed later. Click the file type button next to the file information to download one file at a time.

A screenshot of the add-to-download-queue button

To download multiple files, check the tick box next to the file information for each file you want to download.

A screenshot of the download options in grid view

These button options are available in Grid View from the "Downloads" button.

A screenshot of the DRS download queue button

Click the number next to your name in the top right corner of the page to see the queue of files you have selected for download.

A screenshot of the DRS download queue

You can edit the list, clear the list, choose to save the files in a Set, or download the all the files at once.

A screenshot of the DRS save for later button

You may also save files in a Set. Click the "Save for later" button next to the download options to select the Set where you would like to save the file.

A screenshot of the DRS set selection menu

Select the Set where you would like to save the file, or remove the file from an existing set (marked in red).

A screenshot of the save results option

You can also choose to save all files from a search page or from a collection browse page to a Set by clicking the "Save for later" button near the search options. Only 100 files may be added to a set at a time.

A screenshot of the Sets menu

Your Sets can be found from the dropdown next to your name in the top right corner of the page.

A screenshot of the option to create a new set

On your Sets page you'll see the Sets you've created and the Sets that have been shared with you. You can also create new Sets from your Sets page.

A screenshot of a DRS set page

When you open a Set you can see its contents, as well as an option to manage it.

A screenshot of the DRS set management page

From the Sets management page you can change the title or description, make the Set public or private, and grant another group "edit" permission, which will allow anyone in that group to add items to the Set.

Quick guide: IPTC photograph loader

A screenshot of a Photoshop information edit page

Step 1: Edit your files

  1. Open your files in your photo editing software of choice (Photoshop is used in this example)
  2. Open the IPTC metadata options (under "File Info" in the "File" menu for Photoshop)
  3. Add the appropriate information in the following fields:
  • Creator: Add the photographer's name in the "Creator" field, enclosed in quotation marks (for example: "Aoun, Joseph")

A screenshot of a Photoshop information edit page

Step 1: Edit your files (continued)

  • Headline: Add the title of the photograph
  • Description: Add a description of the photograph
  • Keywords: Add as many keywords as you think are useful (only 1 keyword is required; 3-5 is recommended)
  1. Apply the new values to the file (click "Okay" and "Save" in Photoshop)

A screenshot of the compress option on a Mac

Step 2: Prepare your files for upload

  1. Select the files you would like to upload to a single collection in the DRS
  2. Right click on the files to compress them into a .zip file or compress them using zipping software of your choice

A screenshot of the DRS My Loaders page

Step 3: Upload your files to the DRS

  1. Go to https://repository.library.northeastern.edu 
  2. Sign in to the DRS
  3. Click the down arrow next to your name and select "My Loaders" from the dropdown menu
  4. Select the blue loader button on the left side of the page that corresponds to your department

A screenshot of the DRS back loader selection page

Step 3: Upload your files to the DRS (continued)

  1. On the following page:
    1. Read and agree to the Terms of Service
    2. Choose the destination collection for the files
    3. Select the .zip file

A screenshot of the loader report page

Step 4: Verify your upload was successful

  1. You will receive an email when the load is complete
  2. You can review the load report by going to https://repository.library.northeastern.edu/my_loaders  and clicking "View Report" for your most recent load
    1. Rows highlighted in green indicate the file was uploaded successfully
      1. Click "View" to view the uploaded file
    2. Rows highlighted in yellow indicate the metadata for the file was modified to replace certain characters
      1. Click "View IPTC" to view metadata values
    3. Rows highlighted in red indicate the system encountered an error and could not process the file.
      1. The error will display in the "File Status" column
      2. Click the "View IPTC" button to the specific value that prevented the file from being uploaded

Getting help with the DRS

Northeastern University Library offers a variety of services to help users get started with the DRS, including documentation, consultations, trainings, workshops, and general guidance.

Use the DRS contact form or contact Library-Repository-Team[@]northeastern.edu to start a new project, ask questions about files or features, get help with an issue, or to set up a training or general consultation.