BRAC University Institutional Repository DSpace Ayesha Abed Library

History and Founding

The BRAC University Institutional Repository (BracU IR) is the open-access digital repository of BRAC University, a private research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh, founded in 2001 by Sir Fazle Hasan Abed under the Private University Act. The repository was established and first registered in August–September 2009, making BRAC University the first institution in Bangladesh to implement an open institutional repository based on DSpace open-source software. It is managed by the Ayesha Abed Library, located on the 8th and 9th floors of Block A of BRAC University's Merul Badda campus in Dhaka.

Collections and Holdings

The repository collects, preserves, and disseminates the scholarly and research outputs of BRAC University's faculty, students, and researchers. Holdings include journal articles, conference and workshop papers, theses and dissertations, reports and working papers, and books and book chapters across disciplines including arts, engineering, health and medicine, humanities, mathematics, science, social sciences, and technology. The repository also holds BRAC organizational publications and architectural and design materials relating to the university's campus development. Holdings span subjects including business administration, machine learning, architecture, public health, development economics, and Bangladesh studies.

Access and Usage

The repository is freely accessible online at dspace.bracu.ac.bd. Materials can be browsed by community, collection, issue date, author, title, and subject. The Ayesha Abed Library also provides interlibrary services and has established technical support partnerships with other universities in Bangladesh and the region, including an MoU with the Asian University for Women.