At what point is a migration complete?: What happens after you redirect that URL

When we think of repository migrations, it’s easy to imagine redirecting the URL and going live on the new platform as the finish line. In many ways that’s when the real work begins. The migration team at the UMass Amherst Libraries drafted their metadata mappings, wrote emails to collection administrators, updated the repository LibGuide, worked closely with the Graduate School for ETD submissions, and thought through content freeze contingency plans. And yet, all that careful and thoughtful work did not prepare them for what came after they redirected the URL from Digital Commons to DSpace. From blocking Google requests, identifying items that shouldn’t have migrated, lifting preemptively placed embargoes, to cleaning up bad date formats, discovering that previously suppressed metadata had been exposed, and managing expectations of eager submitters and users, we’ll present to you some lessons learned from the migration of ScholarWorks@UMassAmherst from Digital Commons to DSpace.