Institutional Repository Access Patterns of Nontraditionally Published Academic Content: What Types of Content Are Accessed the Most?

Abstract

The authors analyze monthly Internet access to traditionally unpublished academic content in one university's institutional repository (IR). Content selected for analysis include materials supplementary to peer-reviewed publications, poster images, graduate course research papers, and presentation slides. The content types represent academic output that would not likely be otherwise collected and made freely available were it not for its availability in an IR. The average first-year access rates per month are similar across content types, and evidence of access persists over time, indicating the value of this content to others and the utility of posting nontraditional academic materials in an institutional repository.

KEYWORDS:

• DSpace
• institutional repositories
• scholarly communication
• usage statistics