A library is a repository.
Repository is a term that has its etymological root in repositorĭum , a Latin word. A repository is a space that is used to store different things .
For example: “The food distributor's repository is two kilometers away” , “The authorities must protect this important repository of fresh water” , “This new library will be established as a repository of knowledge available to the entire population” .
The repository as a file or repository
The idea of repository can be associated with the concept of archive or deposit . In a repository, something is stored, which can be material (physical) or symbolic. In this sense, digital databases and various computer systems are currently referred to as repositories.
Today it is common to store all information digitally with the relevant software : it is necessary that the computer program, among other things, offer customization and interoperability.
A repository allows knowledge to be stored and disseminated.
Some examples
A university can create a repository of scientific research on the Internet . To do this, start publishing documents on a portal so that anyone can access the information. After a few months, the portal in question houses more than 200 documents and becomes a great repository of knowledge.
The newspaper archive can also be considered a repository. In a newspaper library that stores copies published between 1965 and the present, those interested can consult thousands of newspapers and carry out different kinds of research and studies.
World famous repositories
There are many significant repositories that exist in the world and that give the possibility of having numerous information of interest stored, protected and public. Thus, for example, we could highlight the following at a scientific level:
- Social Science Research Network ( SSRN ). Este es el nombre de un repositorio internacional que se encuentra en línea y gira en torno al mundo de las investigaciones académicas que se llevan a cabo dentro del ámbito de las ciencias sociales.
- Dspace@Cambridge . As its own already indicates, it belongs to the University of Cambridge and its objective is to protect, disseminate and give value to all theses, reports and materials that are created by its members or that it possesses. Hence, they are properly managed by the Library and can be consulted in different formats.
- Digital.CSIS . Spain is where this other repository is located, which has become a reference within the international scientific field since it houses documents related to some important research that has been carried out within the scope of the CSIS , which is the Higher Council for Scientific Research . .
- Hispanic , ESPE , ONEMI y FAUBA DIGITAL son otros de los repositorios internacionales que existen actualmente y que se convierten en una herramienta estupenda de estudio, divulgación, promoción y protección de datos e investigaciones a nivel científico.
Preservation and dissemination of knowledge
What a repository allows, in short, is to preserve and share knowledge . All information is gathered in one centralized place, making it easy to access.
If we return to the example mentioned above about the newspaper library, let's imagine how difficult it would be for a person to find all newspapers published for more than four decades if these newspapers were not stored in a single place.