How the Resource Map Is Maintained
The Resource Map uses a method we call Institutional Knowledge as Code (IKaC). The name is technical, but the idea is straightforward: information about the university should be maintained with the same care that scholarship gives to citations and that software projects give to revision history.
The problem it addresses
Institutional knowledge is often scattered across websites, spreadsheets, reports, and the memories of individual staff members. It can become outdated without anyone noticing. When a faculty member or Office of Research Services colleague needs an accurate resource statement for a proposal, that information may have to be assembled again from the beginning.
The Resource Map creates a shared, reviewable record instead.
The method
Claims should be traceable
A resource's location, equipment, leadership, access conditions, course connections, and other key facts should point to a specific public source, such as an official DePaul page, the university catalog, a grant record, or a partner announcement.
Sources should remain checkable
Non-DOI web evidence is preserved in an internal archive before it supports a new or changed record. This allows a maintainer to check what the source said after a webpage changes or disappears—much like citing a particular edition and page in academic work. Reader-facing references say when an archived copy is retained and continue to link to the current public source.
Changes should be reviewed
New entries and corrections go through an intake and review process before publication. The public site is generated from the reviewed records rather than edited independently, helping the pages remain consistent with the underlying documentation.
History should be retained
The project keeps a revision history of its records. This makes it possible to understand what changed, when it changed, and which source supported the change.
Uncertainty should be visible
The map distinguishes well-documented information from likely or still-unresolved information. Verification and access labels help readers judge whether a listing is ready to cite or needs follow-up. Where a resource has been assessed, an operational status label records whether it is actually usable as a staffed service—separate from who would be eligible if it were.
What this provides
- Traceability: readers can check a statement against its source.
- Currency: verification dates and labels make possible staleness visible.
- Continuity: the record is less dependent on any one office, website, or staff member.
- Reuse: faculty and ORS staff can begin proposal planning—and Data Management Plan language—from a shared institutional reference instead of reconstructing the same information repeatedly.
IKaC is the maintenance framework behind the site; readers do not need to understand its internal data formats to use the Resource Map.