A Primer on How to Launch an Institutional Repository Successfully (original) (raw)

2015, The Charleston Advisor

This is a case study about the implementation of an institutional repository (IR) at Marshall University. Libraries have always collected information from a worldwide marketplace and have disseminated these resources locally. The IR has created a new function for the library by making it practical to acquire locally developed resources and to disseminate them freely worldwide. This has altered the traditional role of librarians and suggests a broader set of implications for the future usefulness and relevancy of the IR as doors open to new partnerships that will strengthen the university and the library's place within it. introduction This article focuses on the procedures developed to implement a successful institutional repository (IR), rather than on the evaluation of various IR software products or hosting services. The best platform to adopt will be based upon an institution's requirements and the mission that has been established for the IR. At Marshall University (MU), the process to implement an Open Access institutional repository began with the development of a clear vision about how the IR would benefit the mission of the university through the collection, preservation and dissemination of its intellectual output. A detailed plan was drawn up for the resources needed, including funding, equipment, software and staff. This plan was promoted to the administration for its approval as well as to secure funding. Committee Formation After discussing the idea of an IR and receiving the support of her supervisor, the University Librarian/Director of Libraries Operations formed and chaired an ad-hoc Committee for the MU IR Pilot Project in March, 2011. The committee did extensive research to identify how other institutions were using IRs to publish, promote, and provide access to their intellectual property. It also identified a wide range of materials that were being produced by Marshall University that could quickly and relatively easily be used to populate an IR. The result of this research and committee work was a white paper <http:// mds.marshall.edu/lib_faculty/2/> (Zhang, et al., 2011) and a presentation http://mds.marshall.edu/lib\_faculty/1/ (Zhang, et al., 2011), which were delivered to the Asstistant VP for IT/Online Learning & Libraries and to the Senior VP for IT/CIO, and other IT Executive team members. Although a two-year grant was originally sought, the IT Department generously provided $85,000 for a three-year (July 2011-June 2014) pilot of MU IR. The white paper identified and expanded upon the following items. Justification ■ n An institutional repository will establish the university's research distribution strategy.