Scholarly communication through institutional repositories: proposing a practical model
| Published date | 02 January 2018 |
| Date | 02 January 2018 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/CC-01-2018-002 |
| Pages | 9-17 |
| Author | Leila Nemati-Anaraki,Mina Tavassoli-Farahi |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Collection building & management |
Scholarly communication through institutional
repositories: proposing a practical model
Leila Nemati-Anaraki
School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Department of Medical Library and Information Science,
Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, and
Mina Tavassoli-Farahi
Health Information Management Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar-Abbas, Iran
Abstract
Purpose –Recognizing that the nature of research and scholarly communication is changing rapidly, an institutional repository (IR) is a tool
for collecting, storing, accessing and disseminating scholarly communication within and without the institutions. The primary reason for
establishing an IR is to increase the visibility of the institution’s research output by making it an openaccesswithregardtocopyright
issues. This paper aims to propose a conceptualmodel for scholarly communication through IRs to provide an opportunity to integrate and
facilitate knowledge sharing so as to enrich knowledge content and enhance global access.
Design/methodology/approach –This paper proceeds in three phases. In the first phase, the published literature on IRs and scholarly
communication has been reviewed critically considering their empirical applications. Next, based on the under standing gained from the previous
stage, a conceptual model for scholarly communication through IRs has been proposed. In the third phase, the proposed model has been developed
and finalized toward its maturity.
Findings –Based on the literature, the authors have developed a conceptual model for understanding the factors that characterize not only
the design but also the development of IRs practically. An IR appears theoretically sound, but it is a difficult task in practice because of
some complexities. This paper attempts to set a theoretical model for IRs as a foundation to address the gap in the current literature for
researchers, experts and librarians who create, maintain and use IRs, though it does not claim to be comprehensive.
Originality/value –A few attempts have been made to investigate scholarly communication through IRs, but this is the one of its first kind
that provides a theoretical model for it. It serves as a useful starting point for those interested in knowledge management and IRs.
Keywords Knowledge sharing, Knowledge management, Organizations, Open access, Scholarly communication,
Organizational repositories
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
The main idea of an institutional repository (IR) is to organize
the output and digital content as well as educational and
archival materials in universities and academic institutions.
Institutional repositories are becoming a new method of
academic scholarly communication and dissemination, and are
considered as an ideal vehicle for making the work of an
institution more visible (Kamraninia and Abrizah, 2010). IRs
have emerged since 2002 when major research-intensive
universities in the USA and the UK launched their own IR
systems. An IR is the set of services offered by an organization
to manage, disseminate and facilitate access to the electronic
documents created by that organization. With the
popularization of personal computers, all organizations,
including archives, libraries, documentation centers, and also
universities began a process of change characterized mainly by
the transition from paper to electronic format. The scientific
data deluge requires us to think of new science collaborations,
multidisciplinary approaches and communication models, as
the growth of data has been far beyond the capacity of current
preservation models and strategies and will have profound
effects on scientific infrastructure (Hey and Trefethen, 2003).
Unsurprisingly therefore, the evolution of IRs in recent years
has shown a rise in the number and type of digital objects
deposited. To identify the intellectual capital and facilitate
knowledge sharing and management among the faculty and
research staff at institutions, the creation of digital IRs is
becoming a necessity. IRs are essential technologies for
capturing the structural intellectual capital and knowledge
sharing in academic and research institutions, especially in
developing countries.
Repositories are produced to support digital scholarly
communication and thus the production of new
knowledge. Which type of repository and what kind of
service best support these goals are the main concerns
(Armbruster and Romary, 2010). Repositories are
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on
Emerald Insight at: www.emeraldinsight.com/2514-9326.htm
Collection and Curation
37/1 (2018) 9–17
© Emerald Publishing Limited [ISSN 2514-9326]
[DOI 10.1108/CC-01-2018-002]
Received 30 November 2016
Revised 31 July 2017
Accepted 22 August 2017
9
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