Shopping for an IR: The Search, Adoption, and Implementation of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Institutional Repository Platform

Abstract

Institutional repositories have become a major influence for institutions wanting to share their scholarship on a wide scale. These repositories are a way for institutions to display and preserve what they have to offer in an open access environment. Consequently, they may attract outside researchers to the institution and encourage these researchers to contribute their own scholarship. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette) has been attempting to adopt an institutional repository (IR) for years and had finally achieved this goal. Many issues impacted the adoption, including funding, deciding on the right platform solutions, and marketing the need for contributions from faculty and university administration. There is much optimism for the IR, as it is also included in the university’s Quality Enhancement Plan for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) accreditation to disseminate undergraduate student research. While there is still much more to accomplish, the university is taking steps to ensure the IRs success. This article will discuss the history of the UL Lafayette’s institutional repository adoption, factors that influenced the platform decision, plans for its usage regarding undergraduate research, and anticipated challenges moving forward.