Institutional Repositories

An Institutional Repository (IR) is a system for collecting and giving access to digital materials created by university faculty, departments, etc. IRs typically contain pre-prints and post-prints of faculty journal articles, research data, working papers, departmental publications, and similar materials. Some universities open their IRs to student work as well.

An IR system typically has 3 parts:

1. The depositors' interface is designed to allow members of the academic community who are not librarians to upload materials and describe them briefly.
2. The library staff interface allows trained personnel to review, edit, and enhance metadata submitted through the depositors interface. Usually there are one or more approval steps.
3. The end-user interface allows search and retrieval of materials in the repository. Access controls can be enforced.

FCLA-Hosted IRs

FCLA offers two different Institutional Repository Systems, the DigiTool Deposit Module and EPrints. Either system can be fully customized to your institution's own look and feel. Our IR service includes hosting a customized installation, file storage, training and Help Desk support.

DigiTool Deposit
The DigiTool Deposit Module provides a depositors' interface and library staff interface. Deposited materials are then made available through the standard DigiTool user interface. To use it a library must purchase from Ex Libris its own DigiTool Administrative Unit and one staff seat. The one-time cost is roughly $6000 and there is an annual maintenance fee of less than $2000.

EPrints
EPrints is an open source IR application developed by the University of Southampton and used by hundreds of libraries and academic departments worldwide. It offers depositors, library staff, and end-user interfaces. There is no cost for use of this product. For more information about EPrints, see the EPrints home page. For an example of an EPrints repository hosted by FCLA, see the Aquatic Commons.

If you are interested in either of these options, contact Digital Library Services at FCLA.

Readings

Library Trends, v.57 no. 2 (2008), Special Issue on Institutional Repositories. Available to subscribers only.

Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, April/May 2009, Special Section: Institutional Repositories: The Great Debate.