What is an institutional repository?

• A centralized Web portal and storage system for collecting, organizing, indexing, accessing, and preserving--in digital format--the intellectual output of an institution.  Institutional repositories provide open and free access to a wide range of digital items, both published and unpublished.

What is iDEA? 

• Drexel’s own E-repository and Archives.  A central web portal for digital items produced by Drexel's research community.

How does iDEA support Drexel Colleges, Schools, and faculty?

• iDEA provides a searchable archive of Drexel scholarly output. Discovery by author, keyword, college/school, or department will be easy and fast. 
• iDEA links to Google.  Google and other search engines will index and retrieve publications in iDEA resulting in greater dissemination of Drexel research and increased citations to Drexel publications.
• iDEA guarantees future access to Drexel research.  All items in iDEA are considered permanent and will be converted to preservation formats and migrated as needed to ensure future access. 
• iDEA’s URLs are permanent.  Unlike typical URLs that cease connecting when servers are replaced or faculty move on, iDEA’s Web addresses are created for long term access.  They are “persistent.”

How can the Drexel community assist in building iDEA?

• Contact the University Archivist (archives@drexel.edu, 215-895-1757) about making your work available through iDEA. 
• Invite the Archivist to do a brief presentation for you and your colleagues.

Direct questions or comments to the University Archivist, archives@drexel.edu, 215-895-1757