Functionality Analysis of an Open Source Repository System: Current Practices and Implications

The aim of this research study is to examine the functionality development of the open source repository system: DSpace. The data on DSpace repositories' implementation practices were collected from the DSpace User Registry during September 2013–March 2014. A total of 545 repositories in the registry indicated specific system function customizations, representing 533 unique institutions from 95 countries worldwide. The findings indicate that U.S.A. and India are the top two countries to have adopted DSpace. The majority of the DSpace digital repositories are created by academic institutions, which indicates a strong representation of academic institutions in the use of DSpace. The major adopted system functions are statistics, Dublin Core Meta Toolkit, Manakin Themes, and language packages. Most DSpace members use the repository system as their institutional and learning resource repositories. The top content types are conference papers, research documents, and learning/teaching materials. The implications of the findings are also discussed.