Using open access institutional repositories (OAIRs) for enhancing access to local contents in Tanzanian Universities
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Date
2023
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Sokoine University of Agriculture
Abstract
Open Access Institutional Repositories (OAIRs) are technologies that enhance access to local content produced by academic staff members in universities. However, these OAIRs in Tanzania have fewer uploaded scholarly contents produced by academic staff members than is the case with OAIRs of universities in other countries. This study investigated how OAIRs in Tanzania enhance access to local content to meeting the diverse information needs of potential users. Specifically, the study established the extent to which academic staff members engage in self-archiving of local contents in OAIRs, and determined factors that influence self-archiving of local contents in OAIRs, the usage patterns of OAIRs and how OAIR policy can be used to improve the collection of OAIR contents in selected universities in Tanzania. The study area includes four selected public universities in Tanzania namely: Mzumbe University (MU), University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), and Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA). This study was guided by the pragmatic paradigm; and used a cross-sectional survey research design to investigate how OAIRs in Tanzania enhance access to local content to meet the diverse information needs of potential users. The study involved 2894 participants including 413 (academic staff) that were obtained through systematic random sampling, four Heads of Department, two ICT technicians, and two Library Technicians. These eight key informants were selected through purposive sampling techniques. The study collected both qualitative and quantitative data. Interviews and structured questionnaires were used to collect primary data while literature on OAIRs, OAIR policy documents, and statistics from ROAR and Open DOAR were v used to collect secondary data. The SPSS version 22- computer software programme was used to analyse quantitative data where descriptive and inferential statistics were obtained. Content analysis was used to analyse qualitative data, which were presented in a narrative form. The thesis is organized in paper format. The first paper explored academic staff members’ engagement in depositing locally produced content in OAIRs in public universities in Tanzania. Findings showed that 92.5 per cent of the academic staff members were aware of the OAIRs and 46.2 per cent reported to engage themselves in self-archiving their scholarly works in OAIRs. Furthermore, the study revealed that poor Internet connectivity and unstable power supply were the challenges academic staff members faced in depositing their scholarly publications in OAIRs. The second paper investigated how the self-archiving of scholarly publications in OAIRs can be strengthened for improved access to local content in Tanzania. Findings showed that the self-archiving of scholarly publications in OAIRs is influenced by factors such as motivating, technical support, influence of colleagues, OAIRs policy, and supporting services. Likewise, the study revealed, the lack of personal benefit, inadequate advocacy, the low level of awareness, the lack of sufficient ICT infrastructure and plagiarism as barriers against self-archiving. The third paper investigated how OAIR submission policy can be used to improve OAIR contents. Findings showed that the OAIR submission policy is available in their universities, as reported by 46.2 per cent of the respondents. The findings also revealed that OAIR submission policy has been used to direct academic staff to submit their scholarly publications in OAIRs (45.5%). Furthermore, in order to improve the collection of OAIR contents, regular awareness creation of the rules and regulations on how to submit in OAIRs was vii cited 24.5 per cent of the respondents as important strategy of increasing the use of OAIRs cited. About 18.5 per cent of the respondents suggested effective implementation of OAIR submission policy for academic staff members to submit in the university OAIRs as another strategy. About 16.3 per cent suggested for an increase visibility and accessibility of OAIR policy through the university website; and about 14 per cent suggested that OAIRs submission policy be made clear to authors and the institutions operating the OAIRs. The fourth paper investigated the usage patterns of OAIRs among academic staff members in Tanzanian universities. Findings indicated that 43.7 per cent of the respondents used OAIRs for accessing and downloading scholarly publications, 40.7 per cent used OAIRs for browsing and reviewing scholarly publications for teaching, learning, and research work and 32.9 per cent used OAIRs for self-archiving their scholarly outputs. Likewise, the study found that motivation and social factors were the only variables that had a unique influence on the use of OAIRs at a 1 per cent level of significance (p=0.000). Furthermore, awareness creation of the use of OAIRs and the provision of enough digital skills and ICT infrastructure were found important in improving the use of OAIRs. From the foregoing findings and observations, it is concluded that academic staff members are not engaged much in self-archiving their scholarly publications in OAIRs, and the OAIRs policy regarding submission requirements is not implemented as intended; as a result, local contents are poorly uploaded in OAIRs. Therefore, the management of universities should engage academic staff members in self-archiving their academic publications in OAIRs, raise awareness of staff; improve staff's digital skills; provide adequate ICT facilities, manuals and technical assistance to staff on the use of OAIRs and self-archiving; and implement OAIR submission policy in the collection of OAIR contents. These will increase the amount of content and thereby enhance access to local content in OAIRs.
Description
Thesis submitted to Sokoine University of Agriculture in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of doctor of Philosophy
Keywords
Open Access Institutional Repository (OAIRs), local content, scholarly publications, research outputs, self-archiving, usage pattern of OAIRs, OAIR submission policy, academic staff members, Tanzania
Citation
APA