Factors Contributing to the Adoption of Institutional Repositories in Universities in South-West Nigeria: Perspectives of Library Staff

Institutional repository (IR) has the potential of increasing the visibility, prestige, ranking and public value of researchers and universities. Despite the potential benefits associated with the establishment of institutional repositories (IRs) by universities, observations have showed that it is as if most universities in Nigeria have not keyed into this laudable innovation. The study therefore examined from the library staff point of view, the factors that could contribute to the adoption of IRs in Universities in South-West Nigeria. Descriptive survey research design was adopted and the population consisted of 32 library staff in seven universities in South-West Nigeria. The total enumeration method was used and the questionnaire was the data collection method used. Results showed that most of the respondents (86.7%) had high level of awareness and also majority had a favourable perception of IR. Most of the respondents also acknowledged that IR is easy to use and also very useful. Majority of the library staff also identified licensing agreement, deposit and withdrawal services and issues relating to copyright and intellectual property as factors that could influence adoption of IR. It was recommended that capacity workshops should be organised to educate relevant stakeholders on issues of IR adoption