Starting, Strengthening and Managing Institutional Repositories

Abstract

Over the past decade, the U.S. has experienced an explosion in the number of institutional repositories (IRs), from just more than 20 in 2002 to approximately 400 active repositories as of August, 2011. For any institution seeking to implement a repository, Jonathan Nabe has written an informative and practical manual, divided into two parts. Part I provides guidelines for starting and managing an IR, while Part II shares seven cases of actual IR implementations. Nabe starts with the premise that all IRs need to begin with a plan which includes the key ingredients of staff, funding and platform. In addition, he stresses that librarians are the most logical choice for managing an IR because librarians are well-versed in sharing information, seeking input and gathering feedback, and, in academic institutions, have established contacts within the faculty and staff.

Driving forces behind the management of Institutional Repositories: Qualitative evidences

“…Management of IRs is a complex process that requires strategic planning, responsible management, and collaborative administration. A well-managed IRs does not only indicate responsible stewardship of the repository team, rather it promotes scholars and elevates the institutions (Nabe 2012).…”

“…Greene (2010) had observed that very few studies had focussed on investigating activities involved in the management of IRs, or even proposed a standard IR management approach. Although Nabe (2012) had highlighted that well managed institutional repositories could assist the institution in marketing its research and staff creativity, the trend in IR management studies did not see an impactful increase. Asadi et al (2019) revealed from their review of 115 studies on IRs in higher learning institution, that most of the research focused on the "deployment, implementation, and adoption" and "benefits and challenges" of institutional repositories.…”

Collection Development and Management

“…22 Nabe's manual on developing and managing institutional repositories (IRs) provides strategies for identifying and selecting content, including underexposed material such as technical reports, data sets, and student publications. 23 Mullen's Open Access and Its Practical Impact on the Work of Academic Librarians is recommended for its comprehensive overview of open access and a chapter focused specifically on its affect on collection development. 24 Mullen addressed important issues such as assessment tools for open access resources, new roles for collection development librarians and liaisons, preservation, and the effect of self-archiving and IRs on traditional literature.…”