Strategies for Overcoming Challenges in Digital Preservation of Electronic Theses and Dissertations in Public University Libraries in South-East Nigeria

The study examined the strategies for overcoming challenges in digital preservation of electronic theses and dissertations in public university libraries in South-East Nigeria. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. The study population comprised 256 librarians, out of which only sixty-eight (68) digital or institutional repositories librarians were covered. A self-constructed questionnaire was used for data collection. The data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation. It was discovered that the major challenges encountered in preserving e-theses and dissertations in those libraries were lack of adequate funding, adequate ICT facilities, skilled staff, poor power supply, absence of staff development programme and digital preservation policy. It was also found that the strategies for overcoming challenges in preserving e-theses and dissertations in the libraries were creation of a digital preservation policy, undergoing continuing education, engaging in staff development programmes, creation of an institutional repository, entering agreements, collaboration, outsourcing funds, community needs assessment, organizational assessment and seeking expert advice while outsourcing ICT was not a strategy for overcoming the challenges. Finally, the investigation found that creation of a digital preservation policy, engaging in staff development programmes, creation of an institutional repository, entering agreements, undergoing continuing education, collaboration, community needs assessment, organizational assessment and seeking expert advice were the effective strategies employed in overcoming challenges in preserving e-theses and dissertations in the libraries, whereas, outsourcing ICT /funds and lobbying management for support were not effective strategies for overcoming the challenges. It was recommended that government and university management should be more committed to supporting the cause of digital preservation in university libraries as sustainable digital preservation cannot be achieved by the libraries alone

Strategies for Overcoming Challenges in Digital Preservation of Electronic Theses and Dissertations in Public University Libraries in South-East Nigeria

The study examined the strategies for overcoming challenges in digital preservation of electronic theses and dissertations in public university libraries in South-East Nigeria. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. The study population comprised 256 librarians, out of which only 68 digital or institutional repositories librarians were covered. A self-constructed questionnaire was used for data collection. The data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation. It was discovered that the major challenges encountered in preserving e-theses and dissertations in those libraries are lack of adequate funding, adequate ICT facilities, skilled staff, poor power supply, absence of staff development programme and digital preservation policy. It was also found that the strategies for overcoming challenges in preserving e-theses and dissertations in the libraries are creation of a digital preservation policy, undergoing continuing education, engaging in staff development programmes, creation of an institutional repository, entering agreements, collaboration, outsourcing funds, community needs assessment, organizational assessment and seeking expert advice while outsourcing ICT is not a strategy for overcoming the challenges. Finally, the investigation found that creation of a digital preservation policy, engaging in staff development programmes, creation of an institutional repository, entering agreements, undergoing continuing education, collaboration, community needs assessment, organizational assessment and seeking expert advice are the effective strategies employed in overcoming challenges in preserving e-theses and dissertations in the libraries, whereas, outsourcing ICT /funds and lobbying management for support are not effective strategies for overcoming the challenges. It was recommended that government and university management should cultivate a positive attitude to supporting the cause of university libraries as sustainable digital preservation efforts cannot be achieved by the libraries alone

Supporting Research in Area Studies: a guide for academic libraries

The study of other countries or regions of the world often crosses traditional disciplinary boundaries in the humanities and social sciences. Supporting Research in Area Studies is a comprehensive guide for academic libraries supporting these communities of researchers. This book explores the specialist requirements of these researchers in information resources, resource discovery tools, and information skills, and the challenges of working with materials in multiple languages. It makes the case that by adapting their systems and procedures to meet these needs, academic libraries find themselves better placed to support their institution's�� international agenda more widely. The first four chapters cover the academic landscape and its history, area studies librarianship and acquisitions. Subsequent chapters discuss collections management, digital products, and the digital humanities, and their role in academic projects. The final chapter explores information skills and the various disciplinary skills that facilitate the needs of researchers during their careers

Personalisation and recommender systems in digital libraries

Widespread use of the Internet has resulted in digital libraries that are increasingly used by diverse communities of users for diverse purposes and in which sharing and collaboration have become important social elements. As such libraries become commonplace, as their contents and services become more varied, and as their patrons become more experienced with computer technology, users will expect more sophisticated services from these libraries. A simple search function, normally an integral part of any digital library, increasingly leads to user frustration as user needs become more complex and as the volume of managed information increases. Proactive digital libraries, where the library evolves from being passive and untailored, are seen as offering great potential for addressing and overcoming these issues and include techniques such as personalisation and recommender systems. In this paper, following on from the DELOS/NSF Working Group on Personalisation and Recommender Systems for Digital Libraries, which met and reported during 2003, we present some background material on the scope of personalisation and recommender systems in digital libraries. We then outline the working group’s vision for the evolution of digital libraries and the role that personalisation and recommender systems will play, and we present a series of research challenges and specific recommendations and research priorities for the field

A case study investigation of academic library support for open educational resources in Scottish universities

The aim of the research was to investigate why and how Scottish university libraries support open educational resources and to assess their ability to provide support services for their development and use within higher education institutions. There has been little research on the role of academic libraries in supporting open educational resources in Scotland and previous research found that there is a lack of awareness of them in Scottish higher education institutions and few have open educational resources policies. The case study methodology therefore involved two Scottish academic libraries providing open educational resources services. The libraries’ motivation includes supporting teaching and learning and the development of educator digital skills and copyright knowledge. However, there are a number of barriers limiting the services the libraries are able to provide, particularly lack of human resources. The research confirmed the findings of previous research on the importance of institutional commitment, incentives for educator engagement, and understanding of copyright and licensing issues by educators and library staff

LIBER's involvement in supporting digital preservation in member libraries

Digital curation and preservation represent new challenges for universities. LIBER has invested considerable effort to engage with the new agendas of digital preservation and digital curation. Through two successful phases of the LIFE project, LIBER is breaking new ground in identifying innovative models for costing digital curation and preservation. Through LIFE’s input into the US-UK Blue Ribbon Task Force on Sustainable Digital Preservation and Access, LIBER is aligned with major international work in the economics of digital preservation. In its emerging new strategy and structures, LIBER will continue to make substantial contributions in this area, mindful of the needs of European research libraries

Invest to Save: Report and Recommendations of the NSF-DELOS Working Group on Digital Archiving and Preservation

Digital archiving and preservation are important areas for research and development, but there is no agreed upon set of priorities or coherent plan for research in this area. Research projects in this area tend to be small and driven by particular institutional problems or concerns. As a consequence, proposed solutions from experimental projects and prototypes tend not to scale to millions of digital objects, nor do the results from disparate projects readily build on each other. It is also unclear whether it is worthwhile to seek general solutions or whether different strategies are needed for different types of digital objects and collections. The lack of coordination in both research and development means that there are some areas where researchers are reinventing the wheel while other areas are neglected. Digital archiving and preservation is an area that will benefit from an exercise in analysis, priority setting, and planning for future research. The WG aims to survey current research activities, identify gaps, and develop a white paper proposing future research directions in the area of digital preservation. Some of the potential areas for research include repository architectures and inter-operability among digital archives; automated tools for capture, ingest, and normalization of digital objects; and harmonization of preservation formats and metadata. There can also be opportunities for development of commercial products in the areas of mass storage systems, repositories and repository management systems, and data management software and tools.

Universal Broadband: Targeting Investments to Deliver Broadband Services to All Americans

Suggests ways to implement Knight's 2009 recommendation for universal broadband access, including repurposing and distributing existing funds via a transparent, market-based approach and supporting adoption by low-income and other non-adopter communities

In Search of a New Model: Library Resource Sharing in China - A Comparative Study

This paper reviews the framework of library resource sharing (LRS) in China and examines, from a comparative perspective, cases of recent development, particularly in the 1990s and early 2000s. Highlights include: (1) historical review of LRS in the U.S. and China, particularly in the areas of print union catalogs and union lists, online bibliographic utilities, and interlibrary loan; (2) literature review of Chinese publications, and LRS issues and challenges in China; (3) Analysis of three LRS models to provide a contextual grasp of a paradigm shift taking place in China; and (4) comparative analysis of LRS objectives, structure, and governance, etc., in the U.S. and China. The study also underscores the imperative for building a national digital library system in China to gain a competitive edge in resource sharing and to support the country’s rapid social and economic growth. At this stage of development, the success of China Academic Library & Information System provides a convincing argument for a national digital library system with its methods of governing, financing, and development