Digital Preservation Practices in University Libraries: A Survey of Institutional Repositories in Nigeria

Abstract The purpose of the study is to investigate the digital preservation practices in institutional repositories (IRs) in Nigeria. Data from the IRs developed in university libraries in Nigeria was collected in three phases: initial phone calls, website investigation, and questionnaire. After the phone calls to librarians and website investigation of libraries of the 141 approved universities in Nigeria, the researchers found only 15 university libraries to have developed institutional repositories in Nigeria. Out of these numbers, 12 respondents, representing their university libraries were reached to respond to the questionnaire. Results from the study showed that the majority of IRs in Nigeria used DSpace software to manage their digital contents and that half of the IRs engage in information migration. The study also revealed that the majority of the responding institutions provide long-term digital preservation. Regrettably, most of the IRs do not have a digital preservation policy to guide the implementation of digital preservation for IR contents. Finally, the majority of the respondents indicated that they do not have long-term funding and lack the necessary technical staff with required skills to handle and manage the IR. The findings will inform information professionals, particularly librarians in developing countries who are planning to create institutional repositories and to provide long-term digital preservation of electronic resources in their institutions.