Category Archives: oa.nigeria

Empirical validation of IR sustainability model: leveraging on a PLS-SEM approach | Emerald Insight

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Abstract:  Purpose This study aims to validate a proposed conceptual model for the implementation of sustainable institutional repositories (IRs) in Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative approach shaped the survey research design. This study used structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis to evaluate the proposed model. The population of the study comprises 117 librarians, information technology staff and researchers knowledgeable about IR implementation status across 14 public universities in Nigeria. The data was collected using an online survey. The Smart-PLS v3.3 software was used to facilitate the analysis.

Findings

The findings indicate that the nine identified factors of the IR sustainability model have a significant influence on the implementation of sustainable IRs. This signified that the model has adequately depicted the relationship between the implementation of sustainable IRs and the identified factors.

Originality/value

This study provides an integrated synthesis of factors that influence the implementation of sustainable IRs. This study also presents the first-ever empirically validated model for sustainable IRs. The findings of this study addressed the challenge of implementing sustainable IRs and institutionalized the idea of IRs’ sustainability assessment.

Utilization of Open Access Journals by Library and Information Science Undergraduates in Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria

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Abstract:  The study examined the utilization of open access journals by Library and Information Science (LIS) undergraduate at Delta State University, Abraka. Two research questions and one hypothesis guided the study. A descriptive survey design was used by the researchers. The population of the study comprised 477 LIS undergraduates, and a simple random sampling technique was used to determine the sample size which is 217 students, representing 45% of the total population. The questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection. The questionnaire was validated by two experts and the Cronbach Alpha was used to establish the reliability of the instrument which yielded 0.75. Data were analysed with frequency count, simple percentages, and Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) version 23 was used to generate the mean, and standard deviation while Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficient was used to test the hypothesis at 0.05 significant levels. The findings revealed that the students had a high level of awareness and a high level of usage of open access journals. From the test of the hypothesis, the study discovered that there is a significant relationship between the level of awareness and the use of open access journals. Hence, the student’s level of awareness positively influenced the use of open access journals. Based on the findings, the researchers recommended that the library management and lecturers should continue to promote the use of open access journals generally among the students to sustain its use.

Determinants of research output submission in institutional repositories by faculty members in Nigerian universities | Emerald Insight

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Abstract:  Purpose

This paper aims to determine and analyze the rate of content submission by lecturers in relation to type of university, discipline, academic qualification, rank and teaching experience and identified the determinants of research output submission by faculty members in Nigerian varsities.

Design/methodology/approach

The survey was conducted in six universities with functional institutional repositories in Southern Nigeria. Data collated through questionnaire from the university lecturers were analyzed using frequency distribution, percentages and regression analysis.

Findings

Results showed that submission of research output was higher for lecturers in Social Sciences than for those in the Sciences; the highest among those with doctorate degree, senior lecturers and those with 6–10?years of teaching experience. The rank of faculty members and the type of university were significant determinants of research output submission.

Research limitations/implications

The survey was limited to universities in Southern Nigeria with functional institutional repositories. There should be further investigations on same study in universities with functional institutional repositories in other regions in Nigeria.

Practical implications

Increased submission rate by faculty members will sustain the institutional repositories.

Social implications

Faculty members get in contact, make friends and engage in collaborative research.

Originality/value

This report contributes to the global knowledge and communication’s field through the provision of empirical evidence on the determinants of content submission in open access institutional repositories.

Case Study of Open Access practices: Limitations and Opportunities in Public Libraries in Nigeria | by Isaac Oloruntimilehin | Creative Commons: We Like to Share | Mar, 2022 | Medium

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“Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC)…

Institutional Repositories…

The Nigerian Copyright Act…

Expressions of Folklore…

Nigerian Language Oral History Documentation Project…

Challenges…”

 

Development of institutional repositories in academic and research libraries in Nigeria | Emerald Insight

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Abstract:  Purpose

The development of an institutional repository for academic and research libraries makes possible the visibility of localized scholarly contents on web platform and also provide open access to restricted resources. This paper aims to explore the relevance of developing institutional repositories for open and unrestricted access to confined resources, and discusses academic and research libraries roles in developing institutional repositories; the types of software to be used for the development; and the hardware requirements for server setup and copyright issues. With more establishment of institutional repositories, access to localized information domiciled in the remote institutions can be easily accessed by visiting the institutional library online to retrieve the material.

Design/methodology/approach

To provide a thorough breakdown of the building of institutional repositories in the University of Ilorin, Library, webliography sources were consulted.

Findings

It has been established by the OpenDOAR which is the quality-assured, global Directory of Open Access Repositories that only 30 repositories have been created by some academic and research libraries in Nigeria. There is a need for more academic and research libraries in Nigeria to key into the initiative of developing online institutional repositories to give online visibility to their intellectual contents that have no copyright restrictions in meeting the researcher’s information needs.

Originality/value

This study revealed a thorough approach and various steps that should be followed in developing institutional repositories for academic and research libraries.

Can Nigeria lead the way in modernising outdated copyright laws through expanded exceptions? – Walled Culture

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“Nigeria, is in the process of reforming its outdated 1988 copyright law….

As the IPKat post explains, the executive Bill is particularly strong when it comes to exceptions to copyright. These are increasingly seen as a legal way to break down the walls locking up so much creative material, freeing them for myriad new uses. The executive Bill proposes some general exceptions, including a “fair dealing” provision that is similar to the powerful US “fair use” approach….”

Open access: Promoting right and accessible knowledge

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“IITA joined the international community to celebrate Open Access Week from 25 to 29 October, as the Institute keeps promoting the global mission of openness. The theme of the week-long event was “It matters how we open knowledge: Building structural equity.” 

The Data Management Unit (DMU) embarked on an awareness campaign, with scientists sharing their opinions about open access throughout the week. The DMU also organized a webinar to share knowledge on the importance of open access and how to achieve it. Olayemi Oluwasoga, Open Access/Open Data Administrator, moderated the webinar….”

Challenges and opportunities of facilitating access and use of open access resources to users by librarians in federal and state universities in Nigeria | Emerald Insight

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Abstract:  Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate the challenges and opportunities of librarians in federal and state universities in Nigeria in facilitating access to open access resources.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a positivist research paradigm, descriptive survey research approach was employed in the study. Five research questions guided the study. The population of the study was 79 librarians. There was no sampling. A questionnaire was used as instrument for data collection, and the data were presented in figures and tables.

Findings

The major findings of the study were that librarians are aware of open access resources. They make the resources available/visible to users by linking them to the library website and promote the use of Google and Google Scholar searches. The librarians were of the view that free online resources are important for the research process. The major challenges they face in giving users access to these resources are lack of metrics and evidence to demonstrate the value of free content.

Research limitations/implications

The study only assessed e-resources’ librarians in the sampled universities at the time of this study. It may be necessary to assess the perception of users towards open access resources.

Practical implications

Adopting and implementing these opportunities to enhance users’ access and use of the resources will improve service delivery without doubt. Though this study is not exhaustive, it has provided insight into the inherent opportunities of using open access resources.

Originality/value

For the library management and librarians, the creation of awareness on available open access resources and facilitating access to users through different strategies will not only increase access but also improve teaching, learning and research. It will also increase users’ awareness on accessing other sources apart from through subscription.

Multilevel analysis of factors affecting open-access institutional repository implementation in Nigerian universities | Emerald Insight

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Abstract:  Purpose

The study aims to identify novel open-access institutional repository (OAIR) implementation barriers and explain how they evolve. It also aims to extend theoretical insights into the information technology (IT) implementation literature.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted the interpretive philosophy, the inductive research approach and qualitative case study research method. Three Nigerian universities served as the case research contexts. The unstructured in-depth interview and the participatory observation were adopted as the data collection instruments. The qualitative data collected were analysed using thematic data analysis technique.

Findings

Findings show that IR implementation barriers evolved from global, organisational and individual implementation levels in the research contexts. Results specifically reveal how easy access to ideas and information and easy movement of people across international boundaries constituted globalisation trend-driven OAIR implementation barriers given their influence on OAIR implementation activities at the organisational and individual implementation levels. The two factors led to overambitious craving for information technology (IT) implementation and inadequate OAIR implementation success factors at the organisational level in the research contexts. They also led to conflicting IR implementation ideas and information at the individual level in the research contexts.

Research limitations/implications

The primary limitation of the research is the adoption of qualitative case study research method which makes its findings not generalisable. The study comprised only three Nigerian universities. However, the study provides plausible insights that explain how OAIR implementation barriers emanate at the organisational and individual levels due to two globalisation trends: easy access to ideas and information and easy movement of people across international boundaries.

Practical implications

The study points out the need for OAIR implementers to assess how easy access to information and ideas and easy movement of people across international boundaries influence the evolution of conflicting OAIR implementation ideas and information at the individual level, and overambitious craving for IT implementation and setting inadequate OAIR implementation success factors at the organisational level. The study extends views in past studies that propose that OAIR implementation barriers only emanate at organisational and individual levels, that is, only within universities involved in OAIR implementation and among individuals working in the universities.

Social implications

The study argues that OAIR implementation consists of three implementation levels: individual, organisational and global. It provides stakeholders with the information that there is a third OAIR implementation level.

Originality/value

Data validity, sample validity and novel findings are the hallmarks of the study’s originality. Study data consist of first-hand experiences and information derived during participatory observation and in-depth interviews with research participants. The participants were purposively selected, given their participation in OAIR implementation in the research contexts. Study findings on the connections among global, organisational and individual OAIR implementation levels and how their relationships lead to OAIR implementation barriers are novel.

Nigerian National Open Science Symposium, Sept 01 & 02, 2021

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Eko-Konnect Research and Education Initiative is hosting a two-day online National Open Science Symposium with national policy agencies including TETFund, NUC, NBTE, NCCE and FME to improve open research and scholarly output in Nigeria.  Building on the UNESCO open science recommendations for open science and support from the pan-African LIBSENSE community,  stakeholders from the Nigerian Research and Education Community will gather to discuss taking steps “Towards an Open Science Action Plan for Nigeria”

Enhancing Academic Visibility of Faculty Members in Nigerian University Community: The Role of Institutional Repositories

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Abstract: This paper focused on the role of institutional repositories in enhancing the academic visibility of faculty members in Nigerian university community. It began with a brief clarification of the concept of Institutional Repository (IR) before delving into its origin, spread, contents and mode of population of contents. This smoothened the ground for a detailed analysis of the role which IRs can play as enablers of information provision in Nigerian universities. Subsequently, attention was drawn to the potentials of IRs as avenues through which tertiary institutions of learning can increase access to, and visibility of, the academic outputs of their scholars and researchers. Notwithstanding the challenges to the optimal performance of the few repositories available in Nigerian universities, the paper posits that the prospects and fortunes of these IRs would change for the better with sustained efforts and commitment of various stakeholders. It is on the basis of this conclusion that several recommendations were made, including sustained awareness and advocacy, adequate funding of universities in Nigeria and their libraries, provision of better training opportunities for librarians to improve their IT competency, as well as increase in the rate of population of content deposition. 

Enhancing Academic Visibility of Faculty Members in Nigerian University Community: The Role of Institutional Repositories

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Abstract: This paper focused on the role of institutional repositories in enhancing the academic visibility of faculty members in Nigerian university community. It began with a brief clarification of the concept of Institutional Repository (IR) before delving into its origin, spread, contents and mode of population of contents. This smoothened the ground for a detailed analysis of the role which IRs can play as enablers of information provision in Nigerian universities. Subsequently, attention was drawn to the potentials of IRs as avenues through which tertiary institutions of learning can increase access to, and visibility of, the academic outputs of their scholars and researchers. Notwithstanding the challenges to the optimal performance of the few repositories available in Nigerian universities, the paper posits that the prospects and fortunes of these IRs would change for the better with sustained efforts and commitment of various stakeholders. It is on the basis of this conclusion that several recommendations were made, including sustained awareness and advocacy, adequate funding of universities in Nigeria and their libraries, provision of better training opportunities for librarians to improve their IT competency, as well as increase in the rate of population of content deposition. 

NIGERIA’S LOW CONTRIBUTION TO RECOGNIZED WORLD RESEARCH LITERATURE: CAUSES AND REMEDIES: Accountability in Research: Vol 0, No ja

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Abstract:  We present a first time study on identifying the causes and remedies to Nigeria’s low contribution to research literature. A mixed research approach involving 300 academic staff from several areas of specialization in southern Nigeria was adopted, using structured questionnaire and semi-structured interview schedule. Data obtained were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic technique. Furthermore, 43.7%, 28.6%, and 27.7% of the respondents were from the university, polytechnic, and the college of education system, respectively. While 78.4% of the respondents agreed that the high cost of open access publication in top journals influenced Nigeria’s low contribution to research literature, over 75% reported that the low contribution was due to high cost of attending international conferences. Other factors identified were stringent conditions for paper acceptance (89.7%), scarcity of relevant information about Africa (85.4%) and paucity of high impact journals in the libraries of Nigerian tertiary institutions (6.7%). Others were poor funding, non-usage of research findings by policymakers, lack of adequate facilities, and high penchant for publication in predatory journals, informed by promotion criteria not supportive of quality. Participants advocated for increased funding, reduced conference fees and entrenchment of collaboration between reputable publishers abroad and African publishers.

 

Scholarly Publishing Experience of Postgraduate Students in Nigerian Universities: Accountability in Research: Vol 0, No ja

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Abstract:  The study examined scholarly publishing experience among postgraduate students in Nigerian universities. A survey design was employed, using a questionnaire as an instrument for data collection from 919 postgraduate students selected from twelve universities in Southwest Nigeria. The findings revealed that scholarly publication means the procedure of generating, producing, and judging scholarly content, distributing and circulating it to the scholarly community and conserving it for future use, and writing and publishing novel academic ideas in scholarly communication outlets. A (23.7%) of research students had published academic papers and the majority of those research students had 0–2 years’ experience. Knowledge of data analysis, literature search and review, development of relevant research questions, methodology, access to relevant materials, e-mail, phone, identification of relevant keywords, and ICT skills are considered necessary for scholarly publishing. Postgraduate students are aware of predatory journals and publishers. Challenges to scholarly publishing experience are inadequate mentorship and support, skills, knowledge; lack of funds, and limited access to available materials including journal articles, databases, and others. Also, universities in Nigeria should consider funding scholarly publications for any postgraduate students that put in the effort to get published; and mentorship, support, and collaboration with supervisors should be more emphasized.

 

Open Book: Swimming against the Tide | Research Information

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“How have Nigerian libraries worked to support the university system under such difficult conditions? Many libraries have reduced the size of their journal subscriptions drastically, and encouraged their research community to make optimal use of open access resources. While accessing free resources online is a god-send to the research community, there is always the fear that uninformed researchers may not be able to differentiate between predatory journals and the ‘unreliable’ science they peddle, and other freely available but more reputable resources. Libraries have also embraced consortium arrangements, which has given them some negotiating edge with the big vendors, publishers and aggregators who market subscription journals. However, these arrangements if poorly managed, come with their own share of problems. 

To redress the years of neglect, academic libraries require a massive infusion of capital. Knowledge is a global good, and knowledge products as it concerns our institutions may not be locally sourced and might require hard currency. The implication of this is that the Nigerian Government should strategically intervene to support academic libraries by reviewing the existing funding model. To ensure intellectual vibrancy in Nigerian universities, a robust and supportive library system is non-negotiable.”