Institutional repositories and increased usability in times of a pandemic: true image or mirage?

Abstract

In 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on in-person access to libraries, the number of downloads, consultations, and access to digital collections increased. The University of Lisbon was no exception to this rule. In the present work we seek to find out if, after a decrease felt in previous years, there will be a gradual trend towards growth in access to digital information. Some authors refer that a more developed digital literacy allows more critical access to information sources. Is our institutional Repository already gaining the trust of the academic community, in order to constitute itself as a fundamental resource, or is this pandemic period nothing more than a momentary opportunity that, when it ends, will not consolidate the evolution of access to digital information? What actions and strategies have libraries been developing for their dissemination? How is the importance of the Repository communicated to researchers and students? This is the context for an exploratory study that leaves the future of institutional repositories open. To this end, given the data obtained from the platform usage statistics, a questionnaire survey is carried out to those responsible for the libraries of the 18 schools that make up the University of Lisbon, with a double objective: to understand the dissemination strategies that have been used with the academic community and to evaluate its integration in the routines of study and research. Based on the results, we seek to observe what clues are left for us to improve the visibility of the institutional repository, to consolidate its use.