Assessment of the Implementation of Sustainable Open Access Repositories in Nigerian Universities

Abstract

The assessment was performed according to 57 indicators across the nine determinants identified in the model, including stakeholder engagement,
community competence, content development, technology innovation,
feedback systems, regulatory support, institutional cooperation, cultural
inclusivity, and industrial partnerships.
The population of the study comprised 117 staff working in IR units across 14 public
universities in Nigeria. This study's findings reveal that none of the determinants influencing the implementation of Sustainable Institutional Repositories (IRs) have been fully realized. While six determinants have made significant progress, three remain at the initial implementation stage. Stakeholders indicate commendable performance in
staff management for IRs, fostering teamwork, and strengthening internal relationships within the repository team. However, there is a noticeable absence of indices reflecting relationships between teams and scholars. Similarly, the findings reveal that universities lack partnerships with international journals/publishers and show minimal engagement with local peer-reviewed journals for depositing publications into repositories. These universities have not yet established affiliations with other repositories or
digital libraries for data harvesting, nor have they endorsed any open-access declaration to support repository practices. Nigeria should revive and establish new collaborations for resource sharing, expertise, and data harvesting, as well as create partnerships with local and international journal publishers for deposits into the repositories. Library schools should reform their curricula to reflect the current practice of scholarly
communication and repository management. This research is the first to measure the implementation level of Institutional Repositories (IRs) in Nigeria using a novel assessment framework tailored to the African context, offering a comprehensive analysis of 57 indicators across nine determinants of IR sustainability. It highlights progress in internal management while identifying significant gaps in external collaborations. The research provides valuable insights into stakeholder engagement and presents
actionable recommendations, including policy development, fostering partnerships,
and updating educational curricula to enhance IR sustainability in Nigerian universities.