Volume 15, No 1, 2018
Promotional Strategies for Open Access Resources Discovery and Access
Chinwe V. Anunobi and Rebecca Ape
Abstract
The research was designed to determine the promotional strategies adopted by Nigerian university libraries to enhance open access resources discovery and access, as well as their support and perception on use of the resources. Data for the research were collected with a survey questionnaire using 50 university librarians in Nigeria through electronic mail and social media platforms. A follow up interview was used to elicit qualitative data from the university librarian. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative data were extracted to confirm and consolidate the data as collected. The results were presented as simple percentages, tables and charts. Nigerian universities are supporting the green and gold models of open access initiatives, though emphasis is more on the green model-the institutional repository majority of which were yet to be listed in the OpenDOAR. There was perceived high use of open access resources by faculty members in spite of very few who could not use the resources due to unawareness, lack of skill and institutional reservations on open access resources quality. Promotional strategies adopted include advocacy and infrastructural development with limited user survey initiatives. The ingenuity of the university library is important for Open Access Resources (OAR) promotion. Nigerian universities have made incursions into the support of OAR (www.nusoer.org) especially the green model which discovery and access are promoted through advocacy, infrastructural development and survey initiatives. Librarians and continuing professional development stakeholders could deploy the results to assess their status in OAR support and promotion.
Pages: 30-45
Keywords: Open access; Electronic information resources; Discovery; Perception; Promotion; Advocacy; Challenges; Universities; Nigeria