Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential of open access institutional repositories (IR) in enhancing the global visibility and impact of Nigerian scholarly publication. Design/methodology/approach -This is a literature-based opinion paper which examines the problem of open access IR in Nigeria providing pragmatic suggestions that would address the challenges of making Nigerian scholarly publications accessible internationally. Findings -While the paper acknowledges several problems that impede the building of open access IR, it equally highlights some necessary requirements for the building of IR with a road map for the development of functional IR in Nigeria. Practical implications -The proliferation of universities and other higher institutions that are in one way or the other engaged in research activities suggests that Nigeria would have generated a lot of research to facilitate speedy development. Available evidence shows that in recent years scholarly publications in Nigeria lack viable means of global dissemination, which has reduced the global visibility of many publications from the country. This paper focuses on the current situation in scholarly publications in Nigeria and examines the need for building of institutional open access repositories and its influence in the dissemination of scholarly research from the country to the international scholarly community. Originality/value -The originality of the paper is purely the proposal for the building of IR in Nigeria which includes creation of awareness on IR, government sponsorship of IR, development of information and communication technology infrastructure, use of effective advocacy, submission of electronic theses and dissertations, and self-archiving mandate. The paper concludes that open access IR are the most viable means of ensuring the global visibility and impact of Nigerian scholarship.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to investigate the current status of electronic theses and dissertations (ETD) projects in Nigerian university libraries. Design/methodology/approach -A survey research methodology was applied. A total of 125 questionnaires were distributed to librarians in eight government-funded universities in South Eastern Nigeria. Findings -Only three out of the eight universities surveyed have started ETD projects in their libraries. Other universities have the intention of adopting ETD but very little has been done towards this. The study also revealed that university libraries in Nigeria stand to benefit immensely from ETD projects. Some of these benefits as revealed from the findings include enhancing scholarly communication in Nigeria, promoting the global visibility of Nigerian universities, and enhancing research dissemination. The results of the study also revealed some challenges of ETD in Nigeria. Strategies to mitigate these challenges were also identified from the findings. Practical implications -The paper establishes that the adoption of ETD in Nigerian university libraries is very low. Nigerian universities must therefore adopt a pragmatic approach to develop an ETD program that will facilitate the dissemination of research documented in theses and dissertations. Originality/value -The originality of the work lies in the empirical evidence obtained from the eight university libraries surveyed.

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -This study seeks to examine the management of local content materials for open access institutional repositories in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach -A survey research design was adopted for this study. A total of 85 librarians from seven government funded universities in South East Nigeria were used for the study.Findings -From the findings 15 local content materials were identified as relevant for publication in institutional repositories. Similarly a major method of acquiring these local contents is by encouraging staff to deposit their publications in the university libraries. It was also found out that providing a subject index to the local contents and their digitization were effective methods of organizing the materials for the institutional repository. The findings also showed that an increase in the visibility of the authors, promotion of university ranking and efficient dissemination of research findings were among the benefits of publishing in institutional repositories. The problems and strategies of publishing in institutional repositories were also identified through the findings. Practical implications -This study will serve as a useful guide for university administrators and librarians who are interested in developing their institutional repositories using local contents available to them. It will also be of great value to project managers who are engaged in the digitization of their local contents. Social implications -Research works generated in Nigeria and other developing countries are poorly disseminated and therefore lack global visibility. The publication of these research findings in institutional repositories of individual universities will not only improve the visibility and utilization of the research but will also increase the global ranking of the universities and researchers who have published the works in the repository. Originality/value -This paper is on the use of local content information resources in building institutional repositories in Nigerian university libraries. These studies will be useful for university libraries, particularly in developing countries, that intend to build their institutional repositories.