Use of Institutional Repositories among Academic Staff of Federal Universities in Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated the use of institutional repositories among academic staff in federal universities in Nigeria. The study used a  quantitative methodology with a cross-sectional survey design. Four research questions were formulated to guide the study; the  population of the study was one thousand two hundred and eighty-eight (1288) academic staff of federal universities in Nigeria that  deposited research outputs in their respective institutional repositories and the sample size is three hundred and six (306). Questionnaire was used as the instrument for data collection. Proportionate stratified sampling was used in selecting the required number of  respondents for each university under study, while purposive sampling was used in administering the research instrument to the  respondents. Three hundred and six (306) copies of the questionnaire were administered to the respondents, out of which 268 were  filled, returned and found useful. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The study discovered that academic staff used a variety of research outputs in their institutional repositories, which include seminar papers, pre- print journals, post-print journals, conference papers, theses/dissertations, book chapters, books, and workshop papers among others.  The finding of the study also revealed that the frequency of use of institutional repositories by academic staff in federal universities in  Nigeria was high. Result of the inferential statistics showed that effort expectancy influenced the used of institutional repositories. The  study concluded that effort expectancy influenced academic staff in federal universities to use the institutional repositories. The study  recommended that the library should organize series of seminars and workshops on how to use IRs.