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.