Institutional Repositories: An Analysis of Trends and a Proposed Collaborative Future

Abstract

This study seeks to give libraries a plan for inter-institutional cooperation for institutional repositories that will benefit all involved: researchers, institutions, and, ultimately, global scholarship. This research uses repository studies, interviews with existing repository managers, and the input of libraries considering a repository to inform the exploration of the opportunities for collaboration in IR development and maintenance. This paper proposes opportunities for collaboration between institutions in order to convince libraries that it is possible and effective to work together toward a common goal: highlighting existing working groups or alliances, sharing technology and hardware, building separate inter-institutional bodies to house repositories, and sharing the work of specialists.