Abstract:
It is widely acknowledged that building an institutional repository (IR) for a university is very challenging,
involving as it does attempts to convince generators of research material - scholars - that such a
repository is vital in advancing their scholarly practices through effective and efficient collection,
preservation and provision of access to the research output of the university concerned. In particular,
the technical infrastructure and types of materials collected into an IR present new challenges and
extended responsibilities for the traditional library. Yet, one of the critical roles facing the university
library today is that of developing and managing an IR in order to provide an opportunity for knowledge
exchange and scholarly communication. Moi University Library (MUL) is at the nascent stage of
developing an IR. This article explores the strategies critical to implementing and managing the
successful long-term growth of the IR and the challenges that MUL has encountered and is likely to
encounter in this endeavour, and how those challenges can be addressed. The impact of such an IR
among the academic and research community is also discussed. The article adapts Johnson and
Copeland (2008)'s methodology of principles that should underpin the development of an IR (visibility,
sustainability, quality, and findability) and some technical and financial implications that should be
considered. The results reveal that professional librarians have taken the initiative of establishing an IR
for Moi University, and have defined some policy issues especially regarding collecting the intellectual
output of the University, and the limited use of DSpace, a MIT/Hewlett-Packard-created repository
software. Major shortcomings of the initiative include: lack of specific strategies, and a university-wide
committee to spearhead the process. The article provides insight into the development of IR in
universities, showing the possibilities and challenges to full implementation of such projects.
