An institutional repository can be more than just a place to store theses or host faculty articles. An I.R. can also allow the library to collaborate with campus units to solve problems. By using a holistic approach to the I.R., libraries can go beyond the basics to support the communication needs of the university and local community. This presentation will illustrate how Western Libraries, at Western Washington University, used the implementation of Western CEDAR, Western’s institutional repository, to provide needed help in a variety of areas.

We will demonstrate how:

• Conference pages can be used to solicited information and volunteers
• Old failing websites can be given new homes
• Editors of an undergraduate journal found a better management tool
• Local campus & community collaborations can be hosted
• An RSS feed can make life easier for a web page programmer
• A professor can get her materials into the hands of her students
• Libraries can demonstrate their commitment to outreach

Attendees of the presentation will gain information about going beyond the face value of a repository, they will learn to see the repository as a holistic tool, and they will return to their campuses with new ideas for possibly solving some of their local problems.