Guidelines for the creation of institutional repositories at universities and higher education institutions = Directrices para la creación de repositorios institucionales en universidades y organizaciones de educación superior = Diretrizes para criação dos repositórios institucionais nas universidades e organizações de educação superior

Abstract

The ALFA programme of the European Commission (Latin America Academic Training) promotes and supports cooperation activities between universities of both continents1. The universities who are members of the ALFA Network Babel Library2 assume, as part of their mission, the search for excellence and educational quality. In the initial work proposal, it was determined, as one of the expected results, to write a document, as Guidelines, about the development of services based on the use of new information and communication technology. The Institutional Repository (IR) is understood as an information system that collects, preserves, disseminates and provides access to the intellectual and academic output of the university community. Nowadays,the IR is a key tool of the scientific and academic policy of the university. On the other hand, access to the full text of the digital learning objects makes the repository become a fundamental support tool for teaching and research, whilst at the same time multiplying the institution’s visibility in the international community. Within this scenario, it is the university libraries that must lead the implementation of the IRs to enhance the university’s educational competitiveness, because of their experience in information management in all its forms and contact with knowledge.