Institutional repository
An institutional repository (IR) is an archive for collecting, preserving, and disseminating digital copies of the intellectual output of an institution, particularly a research institution.[1] Academics also utilize their IRs for archiving published works to increase their visibility and collaboration with other academics[2] However, most of these outputs produced by universities are not effectively accessed and shared by researchers and other stakeholders[3] As a result academics should be involved in the implementation and development of an IR project so that they can learn the benefits and purpose of building an IR.[citation needed]
An institutional repository has been defined as "a set of services that a university offers to members of its community for the management and dissemination of digital materials created by the institution and its community members."
Some of the main objectives for having an institutional repository are to provide
Functions
Institutional repositories can be classified as a type of digital library. Institutional repositories perform the main functions of digital libraries by collecting, classifying, cataloging, curating, preserving, and providing access to digital content.
Institutional repositories enable researchers to
In 2003, the functions of an institutional repository were described by Clifford Lynch in relation to universities. He stated that:
"... a university-based institutional repository is a set of services that a university offers to the members of its community for the management and dissemination of digital materials created by the institution and its community members. It is most essentially an organizational commitment to the stewardship of these digital materials, including long-term preservation where appropriate, as well as organization and access or distribution."[6]
The content of an institutional repository depends on the focus of the institution. Higher education institutions conduct research across multiple disciplines, thus research from a variety of
Open-access repositories
Institutional repositories that provide access to research to users outside the institutional community are one of the recommended ways to achieve the open access vision described in the Budapest Open Access Initiative definition of open access. This is sometimes referred to as the self-archiving or "green" route to open access.
Developing an institutional repository
Steps in the development of an institutional repository include choosing a platform[9] and defining metadata practices.[10] Designing an IR requires working with faculty to identify the type of content the library needs to support[11] Marketing and promoting the Institutional repository is important to enhance access and increase the visibility of the researchers. Libraries will also need to target their marketing efforts to different groups of stakeholders. They may generate faculty interest by describing how an IR can support research or improve future findability of articles[12]
Software
Most institutional repository software platforms can use OAI-PMH to harvest metadata.[13] For example, DSpace supports OAI-PMH.[14]
A 2014 survey commissioned by Duraspace found that 72% of respondents indicated that their institutional repository is hosted by a third party.[15]
Aggregators
The Confederation of Open Access Repositories (COAR) states in its manifesto that "Each individual repository is of limited value for research: the real power of Open Access lies in the possibility of connecting and tying together repositories, which is why we need interoperability. In order to create a seamless layer of content through connected repositories from around the world, open access relies on interoperability, the ability for systems to communicate with each other and pass information back and forth in a usable format. Interoperability allows us to exploit today's computational power so that we can aggregate, data mine, create new tools and services, and generate new knowledge from repository content."[16]
Interoperability is achieved in the world of institutional repositories by using protocols such as OAI-PMH. This allows search engines and
The Digital Commons Network aggregates by discipline some 500 institutional repositories running on the
See also
- Digital Assets Repository – at Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Egypt
- Current research information system (CRIS)
- Category:Open-access archives
- Library publishing
- Registry of Open Access Repositories
- Scholarly commons
- CORE (research service)
References
- ^ Crow, Raym (2002). "The Case for Institutional Repositories: A SPARC Position Paper". ARL (223): 1–4.
- S2CID 64042164.
- ^ Safdar, Muhammad (2021-01-01). "Students' Perception about Institutional Repository and Impact of Electronic Contents on their Research: A Pakistani Perspective". Library Philosophy and Practice (E-journal).
- ^ Lynch, Clifford (2003). "Institutional Repositories: Essential Infrastructure for Scholarship in the Digital Age" (PDF). ARL Bimonthly Report (226). Association of Research Libraries. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ISSN 1550-8366.
- ^ ISBN 978-92-3-100075-1.
- ^ ISBN 978-92-3-100075-1.
- ISBN 978-92-3-100075-1.
- ISBN 978-1-61249-422-7.
- ISSN 0361-526X.
- S2CID 63263227.
- S2CID 63263227.
- ^ "OAI-PMH Metadata Delivery for Catalogs and Institutional Repositories". EBSCO Connect. 2018. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
- ^ "OAI - DSpace 6.x Documentation - LYRASIS Wiki". wiki.lyrasis.org. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
- ^ "Managing Digital Collections Survey Results". www.dlib.org. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
- ^ "The Case for Interoperability for Open Access Repositories" (PDF). COAR. July 2011. p. 2. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
- PMC 6466485.
- .
Further reading
- Finlay, Stephen Craig, ed. (2021). The complete guide to institutional repositories. Chicago: ALA Editions. ISBN 9780838948101.
- Callicott, Burton B.; Scherer, David; Wesolek, Andrew, eds. (2015). Making institutional repositories work. West Layfayett: Purdue University Press. ISBN 9781557537263.
- Bluh, Pamela; Hepfer, Cindy, eds. (2013). The institutional repository: benefits and challenges. Chicago: Association for Library Collections & Technical Services, American Library Association. ISBN 978-0838986615.
- Buehler, Marianne (2013). Demystifying the institutional repository for success. Oxford: Chandos Publishing. ISBN 9781843346739.
External links
- Ranking Web of World Repositories
- List of repository software on Libopedia
- Practical guidelines for starting an institutional repository
- OCLC 1040261573.
News and comment from the worldwide movement for open access to research