Institutional repositories have become one of the key elements in building a university’s academic reputation in the era of open access and digital transparency. To strengthen this role, the Library and Archives of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), in collaboration with the Library of Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU), held an online forum titled “Bincang Repositori: The Role of Institutional Repositories in Enhancing University Academic Reputation” on Tuesday (October 14, 2025).
The event was opened by Arif Surachman, S.I.P., M.B.A., Head of the UGM Library and Archives, and Laila Hadri Nasution, S.Sos., M.P., Head of the USU Library. Both emphasized the strategic role of repositories in increasing the visibility of academic works and supporting institutional accountability.
The forum featured two speakers, Dewi Nurhastuti, S.Sos. from UGM and Akhmad Danil Ritonga, S.Sos. from USU, who shared best practices in digital repository management. They discussed strategies for uploading academic works, managing metadata, and optimizing research visibility on a global scale.
In her presentation, Dewi explained the self-upload system for academic works that UGM has implemented since 2012. The system allows students to submit their final projects digitally while supporting the university’s open access policy, which expands the dissemination of research results. “Through the self-upload system, the submission process becomes more efficient, transparent, and fully integrated with the university’s academic system,” she said.
She also highlighted UGM’s policy outlined in Rector’s Decree No. 2/UN1.P/KPT/Hukor/2022 on the mandatory self-upload of student theses and dissertations. Each submitted file is verified by librarians before entering the main repository to ensure data quality and accuracy.
From USU’s perspective, Akhmad Danil Ritonga emphasized the importance of developing metadata and platform interoperability to enhance the discoverability of scholarly works. He also noted that effective repository management requires cross-divisional collaboration involving IT, research, and library services. “A strong repository cannot be built solely by technology—it requires librarians who understand digital systems and uphold academic ethics,” he explained.
The discussion was highly interactive, with participants actively engaging in topics related to technical and policy challenges in digital repositories. Key issues raised included copyright protection, data security, and strategies to increase academic community participation in submitting research works.
This event also represented a tangible form of UGM Library and Archives’ commitment to supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Expanding access to academic knowledge aligns with SDG 4 (Quality Education), strengthening digital infrastructure supports SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), and collaboration with USU embodies SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
The Bincang Repositori forum reaffirmed the role of the UGM Library and Archives as a national leader in digital knowledge management. Through open, integrated, and sustainable repositories, UGM continues to foster an inclusive and collaborative academic ecosystem that drives the advancement of science and scholarship.
Contributor: Wasilatul Baroroh