How an open archive improved discoverability without weakening access policy

An open archive expanded its public discovery surface while maintaining clear access policies for restricted and embargoed records.

The archive team wanted to improve the discoverability of their collection without exposing records that were under embargo or had institution-level access restrictions. Their previous setup either hid records entirely or showed them with no access enforcement.

After restructuring the access model in Inrep Scholar, the team configured each record with an explicit access type — open, view-only, institution, or embargoed. Public search surfaces showed all records with their access status clearly labelled. Restricted records showed metadata without the file; embargoed records showed a scheduled release date.

Discovery traffic increased in the months following the change. Feedback from users indicated that clear access labels helped them understand what was available without needing to contact the library.