Electronic theses and dissertations in Nigeria university libraries Status, challenges and strategies

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.