Open access publishing and institutional repositories: an overview

This paper introduces the concepts of open access publishing and institutional repositories. Examples of such repositories are given. An overview is provided of projects being funded by the Joint Information Systems Committee within the UK in higher education institutions and information on how some of the outcomes of this work can be useful to those in other countries is provided. The progress of the Wales Repository Network in developing an integrated network of institutional repositories in Wales is described. Finally, the author’s experiences in the use of an institutional repository at Aberystwyth University, Wales are given.