The Performing Arts in Institutional Repositories: An Analysis of Policies and Holdings

Institutional repositories aim to capture the intellectual output of a specific institution. Previous scholars explored the content and disciplinary breakdowns of IR holdings; however, these studies often exclude the creative output of the arts, especially performing arts. This study uses a systematic content analysis of collection development statements or similar policies to understand whether IRs accept creative works. A review of IR collections shows the presence of performance output in a sample of 30 repositories at doctoral universities with very high research activity. Many IRs name creative work as acceptable content, and many of the sample IRs include content from performance-based disciplines. While many institutions collect performance materials in some way, text-based documents continue to be the primary method of performing arts representation in IRs. Shared examples of the successful inclusion of performance in IRs would further promote IRs as a platform for hosting all types of performance content, while also assisting others in outreach to artist-scholars in performing arts disciplines.