Institutional Repositories in Nigerian University Libraries:- Caroline A. Okoro

ABSTRACT

Introduction In the current information society, universities are not being visibly recognized or rated based on beautiful trees and buildings that exist within their environments but rather, the quality and quantity of scholarly outputs that emanates from such institutions. These scholarly outputs are rare in nature and very difficult for their competitors to understand, imitate or internalize. They also stand as instrument for teaching, learning and research. It is for this reason, that much emphasis is now being placed on their importance, mode of preservation and dissemination of their contents by universities and libraries. Naturally, universities are epicenters of knowledge and libraries are gateways to this knowledge. The immense knowledge that emanates from universities through teaching, learning and research are then selected, collected, organized, preserved and disseminated via libraries as scholarly outputs. In recent times, scholarly outputs of institutions are being given much consideration in terms of their availability and accessibility, and libraries are playing significant role by making sure that these scholarly outputs are well preserved digitally in various institutional repositories" across the globe for visibility and use. This process therefore, stands as part of their contributions to global scholarship