Towards establishing an open access repository of Indian publications in astronomy - a case study of Indian Institute of Astrophysics Repository

Abstract

The continued escalation of journal prices, and inadequate access to scholarly journals along with a consistent reduction in library resources and the advent of new technologies have all contributed to a change in the present scholarly communication. The initiative towards establishing Open Access communication has been advocated among scholars and researchers. An Institutional Archive for holding pre- and post-prints of articles written by academic and research staff increases the accessibility, visibility and impact of research output. The Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) is one of the astronomical research institutes in India pioneering the Open Access movement. The institute has set up a pilot project to store the institute's publications in an institutional repository (IR). The library at IIA plays an important role in setting up this archive. While the authors and publishers are the key players in this endeavor, the role of librarians needs to be redefined in the present paradigm shift of publishing. When the Institutes decide to develop their own repositories, the skills and expertise of librarians are needed to design, develop, manage and maintain a successful repository. These and the knowledge of copyright issues relevant to the digital content of IRs are highlighted in this paper. This paper also discusses the various opportunities and tools available for librarians to learn the procedures and involve themselves in establishing their institutional repositories.