Director of Library Services Huston-Tillotson University
Purpose: To describe an Institutional Repository and how it can promote the scholarly works of an HBCU academic institutional library through: Collection; Visibility; and Preservation. This poster session will also cover some of the challenges of an academic library operating an Institutional Repository. It is essential to explore the benefits as well as the challenges of institutional repositories to make sure it is worthwhile to the academic library as well as the institution. It is important that the benefits outweigh the costs of implementing an Institutional Repository at an HBCU institution within its academic library. It is also important to note that an open access Institutional Repository, a collection of full-text documents available in online databases on the Internet that can be accessed freely and instantly, can enable academic institutions to be more independent. Open access will mean unrestricted access for the HBCU community to peer-reviewed and scholarly research resources.