The state of institutional repositories and scholarly communication in Nigeria

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess the current status of Institutional Repository (IR) and scholarly communications (SC) in Nigeria. The paper also deliberates the benefits of IRs including how it can help libraries in Nigeria to reduce the cost of purchasing articles and journals.

Design/methodology/approach

Given that the paper is an opinion of the current status of SC, a formal documented methodology is not applicable. However, it gives an overview of SC in Nigeria and traces the origin of open access awareness to 2008 when the first open access sensitization workshop was organized in Nigeria.

Findings

The study shows that Nigeria currently has 20 IRs listed in the OpenDOAR and tops the list of journals listed in the Africa Journals Online (AJOL) with 221 journal titles followed by South Africa with 96. Of the 221 Nigerian journals listed in AJOL, only 70 are open access journals.

Research limitations/implications

This paper is an expression of opinion about current status of SC and particularly IRs in Nigeria. It is not based on any formal methodology. It will be useful for librarians, academic staff and academic institutions generally, especially in developing countries where IRs are still in a developmental stage. Therefore, some of the general recommendations may not be as relevant for those institutions with well-established and flourishing IRs.

Originality/value

The paper shows the current state of IR in Nigeria and deliberates on the impediments to successful implementation of IRs.

Citation

Oguche, D. (2018), "The state of institutional repositories and scholarly communication in Nigeria", Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, Vol. 67 No. 1/2, pp. 19-33. https://doi.org/10.1108/GKMC-04-2017-0033