Frequently Asked Questions

What is an institutional repository?

An institutional repository is an electronic archive of digital objects – research, teaching and learning objects – stored on a central server. A university-based institutional repository is managed by a content management system (CMS) which will provide access to files and digital objects via the web or an intranet. The Bepress Digital Commons software manages the University of Wollongong's Research Online institutional repository.

What is a digital research object?

Any research object that can be digitally stored, such as a published paper (termed an Eprint, pre-print and post-print), thesis, working paper, report, book, data file, image, sound or video, etc.

What is a digital teaching or learning object?

Any teaching or learning object digitally stored in a format such as PDF, MSWord or MSPowerpoint, or comprising a case study, simulation, multimedia, art slide, ereading, quiz or video, etc.

How do institutional repositories work ?

A content management system software package manages digital objects within an open access institutional repository. It allows staff to easily obtain, upload, and collaborate on files (digital objects) and present and manage content for web publication on an intranet or the internet. Information is registered with external internet search engines such as Google.

Why is the value of institutional repositories?

By capturing, preserving, and disseminating a university’s collective intellectual capital, repositories serve as meaningful indicators of an institution’s academic quality. They increase the impact and reputation of the university’s research and teaching output and encourage collaboration and sharing of research, teaching and learning materials.

What collections of digital objects already exist?

Numerous collections of digital objects exist within the University of Wollongong – e-readings, digital theses, files in the Vista and Equilla learning object repositories, ImageReal records, departmental web sites, etc.

What about copyright?

Institutional repository software includes copyright management capabilities. Published digital objects loaded to the repository will be associated with metadata providing information on authorship and moral rights so that appropriate attribution is maintained.

15 May 2008