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Purpose - The purpose of the paper is to show how an institutional repository can be successfully created by university libraries with limited financial and technological resources. Design/methodology/approach - In this paper the library's experience creating an institutional repository despite financial and technological limitations is recounted. Findings - The paper finds that a serviceable repository may be created by focusing on its critical elements, and adapting existing resources, including a proprietary system currently used for other digital resources. Practical implications - The paper shows that librarians should not assume that open-source systems are the only vehicles for providing institutional repositories, or that such a service is necessarily beyond their capabilities. Originality/value - Academic libraries do not have to follow an involved, idealized process to create an institutional repository based upon open-source software. Systems already at hand, even if proprietary, may be adapted and real-world limitations surmounted to create such a resource. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of the paper is to report on the impact and cost/benefit of implementing three - EPrints digital repositories at the University of Otago, and to encourage others to follow suit. Design/methodology/approach - Three repositories were successfully implemented at the University of Otago using existing commodity hardware and free open source software. The first pilot repository was implemented within ten days, and is now a fully functional system that is being championed for institutional-wide use by the University Library. The other two repositories emerged from different community needs. One is academic, concerned with collecting and researching indigenous content; the other is designed to preserve and manage collective memory and heritage content for a small rural community. Findings - The paper shows that digital repositories can be established quickly and effectively with surprisingly few resources; readily incorporate any kind of extant digital content, or non-digital material that is converted to electronic form; meet multifarious needs, from academic institutions seeking to enhance research visibility and impact, to individuals and small communities collecting and preserving their unique memory and heritage records; and establish connectivity with the global community from the moment they go live. Practical implications - The technology and global support community have matured to a state where a fully-featured repository can be quickly and easily implemented. Originality/value - This paper describes the short history, development and impact of the first live repositories of their kind in New Zealand. Their utility and implications for the unique communities that have given rise to them are also explored, by way of encouraging others to take up the digital challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to synthesize different research projects and approaches to managing the "hidden collections" problem. Design/methodology/approach - The paper describes current research and practices. Findings - Hidden collections are a problem for both libraries and archives. "Hidden collections" are materials that cannot be found in the online catalog or may be found there only under a collective title or un- or under-processed primary sources. These materials transcend all formats of library and archival materials (print, microform, video, etc.) and can be found throughout the library in a variety of collections from government documents to area studies to music to the reference department. It is in the area of archival and special collections, however, that this problem has received the most attention and where the greatest challenges and opportunities for exposing these collections exist. Practical implications - Many archives have backlogs and "hidden collections". This article discusses some recent efforts to identify and expose these collections to enable better archival control and researcher access that may be applied in other settings. Originality/value - This article identifies and highlights different approaches and potential solutions to the problem of hidden collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to chronicle the Lamar Soutter Library's effort to build an educational image database, and how the project developed into an institutional repository. Design/methodology/approach - The paper is divided into three phases and highlights the organizational, political, technological and resource issues that are unique to a specialized library with a medium-sized staff, lacking the resources of a traditional university campus. The case concludes with a list of barriers and facilitators to success and a summary of lessons learned. Findings - The paper finds that a library with limited staff, funding, and systems development resources can initiate and support an institutional repository. Facilitators of success include clear lines of authority, a strong champion, and the appropriate technology for the project. Originality/value - This paper serves as an example to libraries that are in the beginning phases of developing an institutional repository by discussing the barriers to and facilitators of success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the benefits and challenges of creating a shared institutional repository and to, describe the process by which a consortium was able to establish such a service. Design/methodology/approach - A case study is presented outlining the process through which the Washington Research Library Consortium selected and implemented the DSpace institutional repository software in a shared information technology environment. The issues confronted in dealing with a multi-institutional implementation are examined through both a detailed description of the implementation and a generalized description of the challenges the consortium faced. Findings - The paper finds that while a shared implementation of an institutional repository does present significant challenges that would not be present for a single institution, the collaborative approach also presents significant benefits in drawing on the breadth of expertise available among the Consortium and utilizing a shared information technology infrastructure. Originality/value - Institutional repositories have generally been implemented within the context of a single institution. An alternative model is described that draws on the experience and expertise of multiple institutions to achieve a common goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - Discusses the goals of RDA: resource description and access. Design/methodology/approach - Describes some potential uses of the new code. Findings - Contends that RDA will be a powerful tool adopted by a large array of information providers. Originality/value - Provokes thought on an internationally-important topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]