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1. Introduction
The advent of the internet and other digital reproduction and communication technologies indicates that people are now able to access information far more easily than ever before ([19] Pappalardo, 2007). The internet has removed many of the restrictions traditionally associated with access to knowledge, including geographical barriers, time restrictions and delays in dissemination, and availability barriers that limited the range of sources that could be accessed by a single person. Improved access has the benefits of enabling researchers to study their context more broadly, reducing the amount of duplicative research, and helping researchers to produce better informed and therefore quality research ([11] Houghton et al. , 2007). Bangladesh is one of the fastest growing countries. For the last two decades, it has experienced much advancement in the field of information and communication technology. Interested parties in Bangladesh are envisioning public document digitization efforts and making them accessible to all to ensure timely access. For further development more and more research needs to be conducted in various fields. Appropriate access to a national Institutional Repository (IR) can help researchers to conduct much-needed research which may promote the prosperity of the country. This paper focuses on the potential of institutional repositories in Bangladesh, and provides a review of the current status and guidelines for establishing IRs.
2. Institutional repository (IR)
The term institutional repository (IR) refers to research output digitally such as journal articles or research data, e-thesis, e-learning objects, and teaching materials, or any other scholarly work such as theses and dissertations created by the faculty, research staff, and students of an institution, and accessible for end users both within and outside of the institution with few, if any, barriers to access ([6] Crow, 2002). A university-based institutional repository is a set of services that a university offers to the members of its community for the management and dissemination of digital materials created by the institution and its community members ([15] Lynch, 2003). A digital repository is a mechanism for managing and storing reliable digital contents according to their demand and purpose. The repository of an institution can support research, learning, and administrative process as well as purposes. An institution's digital repository manages the institution's digital collections, as well as ensures maximum access to...