The Lakasa ti Sirib: DMMMSU Institutional Repository was unveiled by the DMMMSU Library Services and Development during the Research Innovation, Publication, and Extension (RIPE) Day, part of the 44th DMMMSU Foundation Anniversary Celebration. The event was held at the Covered Court of DMMMSU-MLUC, City of San Fernando, La Union, on January 16, 2025.

Dr. Sonia B. Siago, the Director for Library Services and Development (LSD) at Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU), led the launch of the Lakasa ti Sirib, along with the Heads for Library Services, the Librarians, Library Staff, and ILS Administrator.

Dr. Siago elucidated the significance of Lakasa ti Sirib, a term in Ilokano. In this context, Lakasa translates to treasure box, and Sirib signifies knowledge. Therefore, Lakasa ti Sirib embodies the concept of a treasure box filled with wisdom and understanding.

The publications, theses, and reports from DMMMSU will be indexed and made searchable in Google and Google Scholar through the repository. The Google Scholar profiles of DMMMSU faculty members will be improved to reflect their citation counts. DMMMSU journals and publications will be widely distributed, increase citation rates, and hopefully achieve impact factors. The Institutional Repository functions as a comprehensive resource for all information and knowledge held by the institution, encompassing academic publications, administrative documents, policy papers, and more.

Acknowledging that Information Repositories (IRs) are an effective means for storing and retrieving information, Director Siago finds it essential to enhance the library facilities to support the repository and digitization efforts. Additionally, DMMMSU library personnel must be equipped with the skills to manage the repository and adhere to digitization standards, among other requirements.