Rao, P Venkata2010-05-212010-05-212007-02-08978-81-902079-4-2http://hdl.handle.net/1944/1443The institutional repository is a digital archive, owned and maintained at either departmental or institutional level. It is a tool for collecting, storing and disseminating information to advance scholarly communication. The paper mentions essential elements that an institutional repository should have and benefits to different stakeholders. Dealt with the issues and challenges for creating the institutional repositories. Briefly discussed about the initiatives taken at international and national level in implementing the institutional repositories. The key role of the libraries in successfully implementing the institutional repositories is also discussed.enInstitutional RepositoryDigital ArchivesArticle