Purpose: To describe how an institutional repository (IR) was set up, using open source software, at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Kharagpur. Members of the IIT can publish their research documents in the IR for online access as well as digital preservation. Material in this IR includes instructional materials, records, data sets, electronic theses, dissertations, annual reports, as well as published papers. This opens up the world of scholarly publishing in a way that causes re-examination of many of the current practices of scholarly communication and publishing. Design/methodology/approach: Details of the hardware and software requirements are provided along with information about available open source software. The steps involved in uploading and submitting material in the IR are described. Findings: This paper provides evidence on how to set up an IR and how to create different communities and, under each community, many collections using the DSpace software. It was found that setting up an IR is very simple but its maintenance is very difficult. One person needs to have the computer knowledge, particularly in the Linux operating system environment and must be dedicated to carry out the IR administrative activities like registration, permission authenticity, submission and grant, installation of the updating version of the software, etc. Research limitations/implications: Before setting up an IR, the institution should have sufficient funds to acquire computer hardware and other related software, and computer knowledgeable manpower. It can also be noted that after setting up a successful IR, the administrator must train the faculty members and research scholars regarding the proper uploading and submitting of metadata into the repository. Practical implications: Guidelines are provided to assist those in setting up an IR. Appropriate staff are required to administer and run the IR smoothly. Originality/value: An IR provides the IIT with a central and cost-effective facility for the orderly and systematic archiving of research results and other documents that is accessible worldwide. Eventually, the library hopes to build a full IR, and make the resource available to other sites using a data harvesting protocol like OAI-PMH. This paper gives an idea that setting set up interoperable IRs among the same type of institutions in a particular state or country enables data to be transferred through OAI-PMH protocol from one IR to another.