Institutional Repositories (IRs) can be (and are) implemented at Universities and Colleges to capture organization output and non-traditional research objects and artifacts. Repositories can help improve workflow and reporting mechanisms: e.g., it’s a known place to deposit data or papers, and repository managers (typically in the Library) get usage statistics, and we can tell some interesting stories about use. IRs can:

• help improve the attention and impact of university-affiliated published research
• showcase work (e.g, top 10 downloads; spotlight paper; recent additions; and more)
• help with management of work created on a campus – i.e., ensure research generated on campus is managed by the campus
• ensure information is preserved and made available for long term access.

Putting data or images in a repository can also help authors keep control of their work – many repositories offer extremely permissive licenses that allow authors to maintain ownership of their work. e.g., you are not handing over copyright of these materials to publishers (and thus – very often -- giving them exclusive control of that content).