An Overview of Institutional Repository Developments in the Arabian Gulf Region

[Use the link above to view the abstract for the article published by Emerald in the journal “OCLC Systems and Services.” According to Emerald’s website, articles with the “icon key” letter “E” are considered “EarlyCite” articles and are not offered on a “pay per view basis.” The article linked above is only available through a subscription.] The abstract for the article reads as follows: “Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of Institutional Repository (IR) developments that are taking place in the Arabian Gulf Region... Design/methodology/approach - The data has been mainly drawn from various sources on the Internet and by contacting through email with author’s acquaintances in several universities and institutions of the Arabian Gulf Region. The approach takes the form of a general review of the open access and IR developments in the Arabian Gulf Region... Findings - The study finds that open access and IR developments are at its early stages in the Arabian Gulf Region. There is an imperative need to spur the developments in these areas in order to derive utmost benefits to both researchers/stake-holders and institutions... Research limitations/implications - The study covers educational institutions of higher learning and research of the Gulf Cooperation Countries only, which include Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sultanate of Oman and UAE... Practical implications - The paper makes a few recommendations, which when implemented, will hopefully further spur the open access and IR developments in the Arabian Gulf Region... Originality/value - The lack of information on open access and IR in the Arabian Gulf Region, plus the current interest of the King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals University (KFUPM) stakeholders in establishing an IR led to the development of this study. Hopefully, this study will contribute to the already scarce literature in the area of open access and IR fields in the Arabian Gulf Region.”