Project – Digital Preservation Practices and Accessibility of Institutional Records: A Study of University Libraries in South-East Nigeria

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

The rapid transformation of information and communication technologies has significantly changed the ways universities create, manage, preserve and provide access to institutional records and scholarly information. University libraries are no longer limited to preserving printed books, manuscripts and other physical materials; they increasingly manage electronic theses and dissertations, research publications, institutional reports, administrative documents, digitized collections, databases, multimedia resources and other forms of born-digital information. Digital preservation has therefore become an important component of contemporary library and information management because digital materials can easily become inaccessible as a result of technological obsolescence, hardware failure, software incompatibility, data corruption, inadequate storage and poor management practices. UNESCO (2003) emphasizes that digital heritage requires deliberate preservation because digital materials are particularly vulnerable to technological and organizational changes. The organization further explains that preservation should cover the information life cycle from creation through continuing access, making digital preservation not merely a storage activity but a sustained process of maintaining the authenticity, usability and accessibility of digital information.

Digital preservation in university libraries involves a range of technical, organizational and managerial activities designed to ensure that digital records remain usable and accessible over time. These activities may include digitization, regular data backup, replication, format migration, metadata creation, file integrity checks, preservation policies, controlled storage, authentication, access management and the use of appropriate digital repository systems. The Open Archival Information System (OAIS) reference model provides an important framework for understanding these activities by identifying functions such as information ingestion, archival storage, data management, preservation planning, access and dissemination. The framework recognizes that long-term preservation requires an organization to accept responsibility for maintaining information and making it available to a defined user community. This is particularly relevant to university libraries because they are expected not only to retain institutional intellectual output but also to ensure that researchers, students, staff and other authorized users can retrieve and use such information when needed (Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems [CCSDS], 2012).

Institutional repositories have consequently emerged as an important technological infrastructure through which university libraries preserve and provide access to institutional records and scholarly outputs. An institutional repository can provide an organized digital environment for collecting, storing, managing, preserving and disseminating materials generated by members of a university community. Lynch (2003) describes institutional repositories as essential infrastructure for scholarship in the digital age because they can support the management and dissemination of the intellectual and scholarly products of institutions. Their importance extends beyond simple online storage because a properly managed repository can improve the discoverability, visibility and accessibility of research outputs while also providing a structured environment for their long-term management. Thus, the effectiveness of institutional repositories depends not simply on whether a university has an online repository, but on whether the repository is supported by appropriate preservation policies, technical infrastructure, skilled personnel and sustainable management practices.

The African and Nigerian university environment, however, presents particular challenges for the effective implementation of digital preservation. Anyaoku, Echedom and Baro (2019), in their investigation of digital preservation practices in institutional repositories in Africa, found that DSpace was widely used for managing digital contents and that information migration was practiced by more than half of the repositories studied. The study also reported evidence of long-term preservation and digital preservation policies in many responding institutions, although the level of implementation varied. Earlier research focusing specifically on Nigerian university repositories also identified significant weaknesses, including limited development of repositories and inadequate digital preservation policies. Kari and Baro (2016) found that while some Nigerian university repositories provided long-term digital preservation and engaged in migration activities, many lacked formal digital preservation policies to guide the management of repository contents. These findings demonstrate that the existence of digital infrastructure does not automatically guarantee sustainable preservation or future accessibility of institutional records.

The situation becomes particularly important in South-East Nigeria because university libraries in the region are responsible for preserving substantial volumes of institutional and scholarly materials while operating within an environment where technological, financial and human-resource constraints may affect digital initiatives. Nworie (2019) investigated digital preservation strategies in university libraries in South-East Nigeria and reported that librarians’ preservation practices were generally close to the recommendations contained in the UNESCO Digital Preservation Guidelines, although many librarians lacked adequate knowledge of the guidelines themselves. In another study, Nworie and Nwosu (2019) found that 83.2% of librarians surveyed indicated that their university libraries did not yet have preservation policies for digital materials based on UNESCO guidelines. These findings are significant because preservation policies provide an institutional framework for deciding what should be preserved, how digital materials should be managed, who should be responsible for preservation activities, what standards should be followed and how long-term access should be maintained.

Recent evidence further demonstrates that institutional repository development remains uneven among universities in South-East Nigeria. Ezema and Eze (2024), in a study of 23 universities in the region, found that only 26% had fully implemented institutional repositories, while many university libraries lacked adequate ICT infrastructure and skilled personnel required for effective repository adoption. The researchers also observed that universities with functional repositories tended to have better national and international visibility. This finding is important to the present study because accessibility of institutional records is closely connected to the technical capacity of libraries to preserve and disseminate digital materials. Where repositories are incomplete, poorly maintained or inadequately supported, users may encounter difficulties locating, retrieving and using institutional records. Similarly, where library staff lack specialized digital preservation skills, the continuity and accessibility of digital collections may be compromised.

Accessibility is ultimately one of the most important purposes of digital preservation because a digital record that survives technically but cannot be located, opened, interpreted or used by legitimate users has limited practical value. UNESCO (2003) explicitly connects digital preservation with continuing accessibility and stresses that digital materials cannot meaningfully be regarded as preserved when the means of accessing them have been lost. In Nigeria, recent research on digital resources and services in public university libraries has also identified infrastructure limitations, inadequate funding and user-awareness challenges as issues affecting accessibility. Furthermore, Bamgbose et al. (2025) found that factors such as high-level preservation, repository certification, authenticity, financial sustainability, institutional policies, stakeholder participation, technological standards and adherence to accepted practices are significantly associated with efficient digital repository service delivery. Therefore, examining digital preservation practices alongside accessibility is essential because preservation decisions, technological capacity, institutional policies and staff competencies can collectively determine whether university records remain available and usable to their intended users over time.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

University libraries in South-East Nigeria are increasingly expected to preserve and provide access to institutional records in digital formats, yet evidence suggests that the development and management of digital repositories across the region remain uneven. The transition from conventional print-based preservation to digital preservation requires appropriate infrastructure, skilled personnel, institutional policies, reliable storage systems and sustainable funding. However, Ezema and Eze (2024), in their study of 23 universities in South-East Nigeria, found that only 26% had fully implemented institutional repositories and that many libraries lacked adequate ICT infrastructure and skilled personnel. This situation creates concern about whether the digital records being generated by universities are being systematically preserved and made consistently accessible to their users. If institutional repositories are only partially developed or inadequately managed, valuable theses, dissertations, research publications, reports and other institutional records may remain difficult to discover or may become inaccessible over time.

A further problem concerns the absence or inadequacy of formal digital preservation policies in university libraries. Digital records require deliberate preservation strategies because technological environments change rapidly, creating risks associated with obsolete file formats, hardware, software and storage systems. Nworie and Nwosu (2019) reported that 83.2% of librarians in university libraries in South-East Nigeria indicated that their institutions did not have preservation policies for digital materials based on UNESCO Digital Preservation Guidelines. Without clearly defined institutional policies, preservation activities may depend heavily on individual librarians, available resources or informal practices rather than standardized procedures. Such circumstances can result in inconsistent decisions regarding file formats, metadata, backup procedures, migration, authenticity, security and access. The absence of systematic policies may therefore undermine the ability of university libraries to guarantee the long-term preservation and accessibility of institutional records.

Another major concern relates to technological and infrastructural limitations. Effective digital preservation requires reliable servers and storage facilities, adequate bandwidth, appropriate software, regular backups, stable electricity, secure networks and mechanisms for migrating information as technologies change. Research on institutional repositories in Nigerian university libraries has identified low bandwidth, inadequate and obsolete hardware and software, low server configuration and unreliable electricity supply as major infrastructural challenges. Similarly, studies of digital preservation in South-East Nigeria have highlighted limitations in the knowledge and implementation of recommended preservation standards. These challenges may affect both preservation and accessibility because a library cannot guarantee continuous access to digital records when its storage infrastructure is unreliable or when its systems cannot support the long-term management and retrieval of digital materials (Anyaoku et al., 2019; Nworie, 2019).

Despite the growing importance of digital preservation and institutional repositories, there remains a need for more focused empirical evidence concerning the relationship between preservation practices and the accessibility of institutional records in university libraries across South-East Nigeria. Existing studies have examined institutional repository development, preservation policies, preservation strategies, infrastructure and digital resources, but the specific connection between the practices used to preserve institutional records and the extent to which those records remain accessible to users requires further investigation. This gap is important because preservation is meaningful only when users can subsequently discover, retrieve and use the preserved information. Therefore, the present study seeks to examine digital preservation practices and accessibility of institutional records in selected university libraries in South-East Nigeria, with particular attention to preservation policies, backup and storage practices, migration and format management, metadata and repository practices, staff competencies, technological infrastructure and the accessibility of preserved institutional records.

1.3 Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to examine digital preservation practices and accessibility of institutional records in selected university libraries in South-East Nigeria.

The specific objectives are to:

1. examine the digital preservation practices adopted by selected university libraries in South-East Nigeria;
2. assess the extent to which institutional records are accessible to authorized users in the selected university libraries;
3. determine the adequacy of digital preservation policies guiding the management of institutional records;
4. examine the influence of technological infrastructure on the preservation and accessibility of institutional records

1.4 Research Questions

The following research questions will guide the study:

1. What digital preservation practices are adopted by selected university libraries in South-East Nigeria?
2. To what extent are institutional records accessible to authorized users in the selected university libraries?
3. How adequate are the digital preservation policies guiding the management of institutional records?
4. To what extent does technological infrastructure influence the preservation and accessibility of institutional records?

1.5 Research Hypothesis

The following null hypothesis will be tested at 0.05 level of significance:

H₀: There is no significant relationship between digital preservation practices and accessibility of institutional records in selected university libraries in South-East Nigeria.

1.6 Significance of the Study

This study will be significant to university library management because its findings will provide evidence concerning the effectiveness of existing digital preservation practices. The findings may assist university librarians and library administrators in identifying weaknesses in preservation policies, storage systems, backup procedures, repository management and access mechanisms. Such information can support better planning and allocation of resources for sustainable digital preservation.

The study will also benefit librarians and information professionals. Digital preservation requires specialized competencies in areas such as metadata management, repository administration, file-format management, digitization, data security, migration and digital curation. The findings of the study may identify areas where library personnel require additional training and professional development.

The study will be useful to university management and institutional policymakers because digital preservation involves financial, technological and organizational commitments that extend beyond the library. Evidence from the study may encourage university authorities to establish formal preservation policies, provide adequate ICT infrastructure, allocate appropriate funding and develop institutional strategies for protecting and providing access to digital records.

The study will also benefit students, researchers and academic staff. Effective preservation and accessibility of institutional records can make theses, dissertations, research publications, conference materials and other scholarly outputs easier to discover and retrieve. Improved access may facilitate research, reduce duplication of effort and increase the visibility and use of knowledge produced within universities.

Furthermore, the study may be useful to government agencies and regulatory bodies concerned with higher education, libraries and information management. The findings may provide empirical evidence that can support the development of standards, policies and institutional guidelines for digital preservation and accessibility within Nigerian universities.

Finally, the study will contribute to the academic literature on digital preservation and institutional records management, particularly in the Nigerian and South-East Nigerian context. Existing research has identified challenges associated with institutional repositories, preservation policies and technological infrastructure, but further empirical investigation of the relationship between preservation practices and accessibility remains necessary. The study may therefore serve as a reference for future researchers in Library and Information Science, archival studies, records management and related disciplines.

1.7 Scope of the Study

The study will focus on Digital Preservation Practices and Accessibility of Institutional Records in Selected University Libraries in South-East Nigeria.

Geographically, the study will be limited to selected university libraries in the five states that constitute South-East Nigeria: Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo States. The study will focus on university libraries because these institutions are major custodians of scholarly and institutional information generated by their respective universities.

The content scope will cover digital preservation policies, digitization practices, institutional repositories, backup and storage practices, format migration, metadata management, data security, preservation planning, staff competencies, technological infrastructure and accessibility of institutional records.

The study will specifically consider institutional records such as electronic theses and dissertations, research publications, conference papers, institutional reports, administrative documents, university publications and other appropriate digital materials maintained by university libraries.

1.8 Operational Definition of Terms

Accessibility: The extent to which authorized users are able to locate, retrieve, open, understand and use preserved institutional records when required.

Digital Preservation: The systematic policies, procedures, technologies and activities employed to maintain digital information in an authentic, usable and accessible condition over time.

Digital Preservation Practices: The practical activities undertaken by university libraries to protect digital records from loss, corruption, technological obsolescence and unauthorized alteration. These include backup, migration, replication, metadata management, storage management and preservation planning.

Digital Records: Information created, received, stored or maintained in digital form as evidence of academic, administrative, research or other institutional activities.

Institutional Records: Documents and information created, received or maintained by a university in the course of its academic, research, administrative and operational activities.

Institutional Repository: A university-managed digital platform designed for collecting, organizing, storing, preserving and providing access to the scholarly and intellectual outputs of the institution.

Metadata: Structured information describing the characteristics, content, context, origin and management of a digital record to facilitate its identification, organization, retrieval, preservation and use.

University Library: An academic library established and maintained by a university to support teaching, learning, research and the preservation and dissemination of institutional knowledge.

Digital Accessibility: The ability of authorized users to discover, retrieve and use digital institutional records through available technological systems and platforms.

Project – Digital Preservation Practices and Accessibility of Institutional Records: A Study of University Libraries in South-East Nigeria