Investigating the Feasibility of Using Subject Institutional Repositories: A Case Study at the University of Zambia

Abstract

This study investigates the feasibility of using the subject institutional repository. It seeks to quantify the research footprint of The University of Zambia as depicted on the Institutional Repository, to establish workflows used when depositing (ingesting) content into the repository, to identify an appropriate open source software tool for setting up a subject Institutional Repository and to assess the usability, usefulness and feasibility of a subject Institutional Repository. The research used a case study, it used purposive and random sampling. The research instrument used were questionnaires and interview guides, the research used system usability scale SUS in order to measure the usability of the subject repositories. The study revealed that the existing institutional repository is not utilized fully. This was evidently shown by the state of its current footprint. Scholars of the institution do not upload their scholarly work on the repository. The research further revealed that Dspace is the most recommended open source software tool to be used when setting up the subject institutional repository. It further discovered that there are a number of procedures followed when uploading materials on the repository. Furthermore, the study found that it is feasible to use the subject institutional repository as the majority of the participants demonstrated a favorable disposition towards the repository that was set. It was concluded that to use the subject institutional repository at the University of Zambia is possible. The results of the research is showing such possibilities by first quantifying the research footprint of the UNZA Institutional Repository. The study recommends that, as regards to copyright issues, authors should be educated on their rights in relation to their intellectual output. Further, schools have to purchase enough scanning machines so as make the scanning process of documents easier. It also recommended that the subject institutional repositories that will be set should use Dspace software tool and it should be structured in such a way that the search and retrieval of materials is easy.