Rethinking Institutional Repositories: Innovations in Management, Collections, and Inclusion

"In this volume, IR managers are encouraged to reimagine their repositories by considering several innovative approaches to broaden both the types of content and the level of participation in the repository. As of this writing, much of the existing literature still tends to focus either on the technical aspects of establishing or organizing a repository or on prioritizing programs and efforts to increase the number of faculty articles in the repository.2 This book aims to expand on this scholarship by highlighting a variety of approaches to administering IRs, increasing the variety of repository content, and broadening participation in the IR.

The first section addresses strategies for managing IRs. This includes implementing new IRs, migrating or evaluating existing IRs, or finding new, creative approaches and partnerships to promote or improve IR services. These discussions and case studies will be particularly beneficial for new IR managers but will also be useful for anyone looking to revitalize or reinvigorate an existing IR either through a new platform or a new organizational structure. The middle section will emphasize unique repository collections. It consists of a variety of case studies highlighting collections that include gray literature, podcasts, digitized archival materials, and similar innovative use cases. The final section details strategies for making repositories more inclusive spaces where all people and communities on campus are welcome to participate. It highlights accessibility reviews, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) audits of IR content, and using the IR as a platform and showcase for underrepresented voices, for instance. Hopefully, the ideas, scholarship, and examples in this volume will serve as inspiration for many readers as they consider how to engage with the repositories at their own universities."