As of January, The University of Alabama Libraries’ Institutional Repository achieved a major milestone in receiving its 1 millionth visit since its 2017 inception.
The Institutional Repository is a locally managed online database that provides free and open access to UA faculty and students’ scholarly work, such as manuscripts, technical reports, conference proceedings, theses, dissertations, data sets and software.
Specifically, the repository platform contains about 6,000 unique files, including 3,400 theses and dissertations and 2,500 faculty publications, and it is adding more content daily.
“The benefits of our Institutional Repository include making University of Alabama scholarship discoverable online, outside of paywalls, increasing the research profile of University of Alabama scholars,” said Dr. Donald L. Gilstrap, dean of University Libraries.
He indicated that the Institutional Repository model also promotes fiscal responsibility and, over time, could help institutions of higher education lower costs.
Michael Pearce, director of strategic engagement with University Libraries, said UA’s Institutional Repository hitting the 1 million mark is a big deal for the University because it demonstrates that the database is having an impact in making the University’s scholarship discoverable, which means that the scholarly work of faculty and students is likely being used and quoted.
“Faculty are often judged by their research impact,” Pearce said. “This is calculated by how often faculty are cited and in which publications they are cited. Making faculty work available freely online increases their chances of being discovered and cited.”
The repository is averaging about 47,000 visits per month, or 1,500 a day, he said. About 600,000 of those visits have been from the U.S., which indicates the program is successfully making UA’s cutting-edge research discoverable and available at the national level.
Globally, the Institutional Repository has had more than 900,000 downloads.
The database is free for all UA faculty, staff and students, as well as the state’s citizens.
To access and search the site, visit https://ir.ua.edu/. To schedule a consultation, contact Institutional Repository staff at ir@ua.edu. To learn more about the repository, visit http://guides.lib.ua.edu/ir.