Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Date of this Version
6-2023
Abstract
This research was carried out to evaluate the Awareness and Use of Open Access Institutional Repositories by Academics in Federal Universities in North Central States of Nigeria. The research questions raised among others include: How often do academic staff use Open Access IR for dissemination of research outputs in Federal Universities in North Central States of Nigeria? What challenges are academic staff faced with in accessing Open Access IR in Federal Universities in North Central States of Nigeria? Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the research. The target population are 3,547 academics in the Federal Universities in the North Central States excluding University of Agriculture Makurdi, and University of Abuja. A sample of 355 respondents (Academics) was selected for the study. The figure represents approximately 10% of the target population of academics in the Federal Universities in North Central States of Nigeria. The instrument that was used to collect data for the study is questionnaire. The data collected was subjected to descriptive statistics. Mean and standard deviation were used to analyze the data. Some of the major findings revealed: that the Open Access Institutional Repositories were used by scholars on daily bases and at their will. That academics experience a kind of delay when looking for information from their Open Access Institutional Repositories during their academic activities which can lead to unproductive academic productivity. The study recommends that university management should provide necessary facilities and formulate policies that would encourage mandatory deposit and use of scholarly works in open access institutional repositories and other open access outlets to raise the level of usage among others.