1) Institutional repositories centralize, preserve, and make accessible the intellectual output of academic institutions like scholarly articles, theses, and books. They are often established and managed by academic libraries.
2) There are four primary mechanisms for enabling open access: open access publishing, digital repositories, author rights policies, and open access policies at institutions. Libraries play an important role in supporting open access through repositories and expertise.
3) Issues for establishing institutional repositories include intellectual property, existing collections, administration, long-term preservation, funding, and software options. Benefits include wider dissemination, access for students and faculty, and showcasing the institution.