Isomorphic Pressures on Institutional Repositories in Japan

Abstract

A variety of IRs have appeared in the past two decades, some as responses to the pressures on the economic model of scholarly publishing, and others as a result of the natural evolution of scholarly communication in some disciplines. In 2003, Japanese Universities started their first system of IR. Since then, over the past decade, more than 300 Japanese universities and research institutions have set up repositories and the number of full-text items on repositories has exceeded one million. The purpose of my research is to examine how Japanese institutions have developed and maintained successful IR’s. This qualitative research will use the lens of Institutional Isomorphism (II) as expressed by DiMaggio and Powell (1983). II is the similarity of processes or structures between organizations, and how they are a result of imitation or independent development under similar environments and pressures (Greenwood, 2008, p.15 - 17). Collecting data via interviews at five institutions (the IR Managers) involved with IR development at Japanese institutions, may reveal noticeable patterns or regularities of IR development. A comparative case study approach will be used to provide a detailed account and cross-case analysis of IRs