Open access repositories
Benefits
More Exposure and Visibility
Repositories make your work available to everyone who may be interested. A growing body of evidence shows that, as a result of being openly accessible, publications are cited more frequently.
Universal Access
While an article published in a journal may be available to only a few hundred subscribers, the same article when also posted in a repository is available to all, greatly enhancing the public value of research.
Easier Information Discovery
By opening their content to service providers such as Google, Google Scholar, and OCLC, repositories allow Web users to search every item they hold.
New Computational Research Techniques
Digital repositories open the door to new computational research techniques and pathways, such as text mining, creation of text-data linkages, and identifying and visualizing relationships that are not otherwise observed.
Persistent Access
By depositing your works in a repository, they will have persistent URLs (a reference URL) that will never change — no more dead links. Unlike items on ever-changing personal Web sites, works in repositories are available to whoever needs them, whenever needed.
Long-Term Preservation
Digital repositories are managed by your library, which is committed to long-term access to and preservation of the collection. The library will ensure ongoing maintenance and back-ups.
Wide Range of Content
Digital repositories collect more than just journal publications; they also collect other types of materials, such as conference proceedings, images, and sometimes research data — enabling you to integrate and provide access to a wide range of materials.
From (2008) Canadian Association of Research Libraries. Greater Reach for your Research brochure.