Digital preservation practices in university libraries. An investigation of institutional repositories in Africa
| Published date | 11 February 2019 |
| Pages | 41-64 |
| Date | 11 February 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/DLP-10-2017-0041 |
| Author | Ebele N. Anyaoku,Anthonia U. Nwabueze Echedom,Ebikabowei Emmanuel Baro |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,Library technology,Records management & preservation,Information repositories |
Digital preservation practices in
university libraries
An investigation of institutional
repositories in Africa
Ebele N. Anyaoku and Anthonia U. Nwabueze Echedom
Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria, and
Ebikabowei Emmanuel Baro
Federal University Otuoke, Yenagoa, Nigeria
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of the study is to investigate the digital preservation practices in institutional
repositories(IRs) in Africa.
Design/methodology/approach –Data were collected fromthe IRs developed in university libraries in
Africa, andit was done in two phases. The phases are website investigationto identify the university libraries
in Africa that havedeveloped IR and online questionnaire.
Findings –Results from the study showed that the majority of IRs in Africa used DSpace software to
manage their digital contents, and more than half of the IRs engage in information migration. The study
also revealed that the majority of the responding institutions provide long-term digital preservation in
their IR. Interestingly, the majority of the IRs has developed digital preservation policy to guide the
implementation of digital preservation for IR contents. Finally, the majority of the respondents
indicated that they do not have long-term funding and lack the necessary technical staff with required
skills to handle and manage the IR.
Research limitations/implications –Because of language barriers, data were collected from only
universitiesin English speaking countries in Africa.
Practical implications –The findings of this study will make librarians in universities in Africa and
other developingcountries understand the key issues relating to digitalpreservation and longevity.
Originality/value –The findings of this study will inform information professionals, librarians in
developing countries thatare planning to create IRs and provide long-term digital preservation of electronic
resourcesin their institution.
Keywords Africa, University libraries, Librarians, Digital preservation, Institutional repositories,
Digital preservation softwares
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Digital preservation remains one of the most critical challenges facing scholarly
communities today. Libraries are struggling with how to preserve the scholarly and
cultural record now that this information is increasingly being produced in digital
formats. From e-journals, e-books, electronic theses and dissertations to e-mails, blogs
and more, electronic contents are proliferating fast and libraries worldwide are racing
to preserve information for the next generations before technology obsolescence, or
even data loss, creep in (Li and Banach, 2011). Digital information is fragile and faces
many threats including technological obsolescence and the deterioration of digital
storage media (Li and Banach, 2011).
Repositories in
Africa
41
Received18 October 2017
Revised13 September 2018
20November 2018
Accepted23 November 2018
DigitalLibrary Perspectives
Vol.35 No. 1, 2019
pp. 41-64
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2059-5816
DOI 10.1108/DLP-10-2017-0041
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2059-5816.htm
Digital preservation applies to “born digital”material (i.e. created electronically),
and to “digital surrogates”(i.e. created in non-digital form but subsequently
converted to digital form). With literally every bit of information now being
digitally processed and stored, our computer-based society is faced with a great
challenge: How best to preserve and efficiently access these vast amounts of digital
data well into the future? While born digital content is emerging in all areas, ways to
preserve it are far behind most especially for universities in Africa. Digital
preservation can be defined as the combination of policies, strategies and actions to
ensure access to and accurate rendering of authenticated reformatted and born
digital content over time regardless of the challenges of media failure and
technological change (Noonan, 2014). McMillan et al. (2011) defined digital
preservation as:
preservation of rare and/or brittle materials through digitization, a mechanism for
reducing the direct handling of the materials;
preservation of licensed digital content, e.g. journal articles;
preservation of locally digitized content, typically materials from special collections
or archives; or
preservation of born digital content, such as institutional records.
Digital preservation is a significant problem facing libraries in Africa. Writing on
digital longevity, Jackson (2011) states that, “the rate of change in computing
technologies is such that information can be rendered inaccessible within a decade”
(p. 2). Preservation has taken a new dimension with modern electronic technology. To
this end, digitization of important materials that may deteriorate because of age and
condition is being carried out by information professionals. A librarian identifies
materials to be digitized, clears copyright issues, digitizes, provides metadata and
acquires software to make such resources available, as well as its maintenance in form
of a digital library (Fabunmi et al., 2006). After collections or individual items are
digitized, the next stage is digital preservation. The latter involves all the activities
undertaken to ensure that digital information is maintained for as long as it is needed
(Fabunmi et al., 2006). Bishoff and Smith (2015), reported that, in spring 2014,
DuraSpace commissioned The Bishoff Group to conduct a survey of the digital
collection management practices performed by 145 academic libraries that are not
members of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) to gain a better understanding
of the status of their current digital content creation, management, and preservation
activities. The study revealed that, a significantly large number, 117 (81 per cent) of the
respondents reported that they are currently creating and/or acquiring digital content,
such as the output of faculty and student research, institutional records, dissertations
and theses and digital library collections.
It is important that sufficient research studies go into digital preservation when
considering the design of an institutional repository (IR). If the digital scholarly record is
to be preserved, libraries need to establish new best practices for preservation. The
relatively recent development of IRs offers some promise in ensuring the long-term
preservation of digital scholarship (Li and Banach, 2011). Therefore, this study aims at
investigating the various digital preservation practices adopted in preserving digital
contents in IRs in Africa. Therefore, the following research questions are raised to guide
the study:
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