Assessing the Role of Librarians in Managing and Promoting Institutional Repositories

Abstract

Institutional repositories (IRs) have emerged as pivotal infrastructure for the preservation, management, and global dissemination of academic scholarship. Librarians, as principal custodians of information in higher education institutions, occupy a central and strategic position in the development, administration, and promotion of these repositories. This theoretical study aims to: examine the conceptual foundations of institutional repositories within the scholarly communication ecosystem; identify and analyse key roles played by librarians in managing these repositories; assess promotional strategies employed by IR librarians; interrogate theoretical frameworks governing librarian engagement with IRs; and identify challenges confronting librarians and propose strategies to address them. The study is grounded in the Change Agent Theory (Katayoon & Abrizah, 2017), the Diffusion of Innovations Theory (Rogers, 1962), and Social Capital Theory as complementary lenses for understanding librarian agency in IR ecosystems. The study adopts a theoretical research design, relying on documentary analysis and critical review of existing literature published between 2020 and 2026. Findings reveal that while librarians are well positioned to serve as change agents for institutional repositories, they face significant challenges including inadequate training, insufficient institutional support, low faculty awareness and participation, copyright complexities, and resource constraints. The paper concludes with recommendations for strengthening the capacity of librarians to fulfil their IR management and promotion roles, with implications for library policy, professional development, and institutional governance.