Abstract:
Rapid changes in technology have put a demand on institutional repositories to consider
preservation in order to fulfill their goals and objectives. Although research funders,
depositors and other stakeholders need evidence that the repository is worthy of trust in
relation to long-term preservation, the efficaciousness of these efforts are narrowly
documented. This study aimed at establishing the efficacy of digital preservation
practices in Institutional Repositories (IRs) of selected public universities in Kenya.
Specifically it sought to achieve the following objectives: to determine the types of
digital resources in the institutional repositories; appraise the digital preservation plans of
the selected IRs; audit the existing digital preservation policies; examine the digital
preservation strategies practiced by the IRs in the selected universities; identify digital
preservation challenges in the IRs of the selected public universities and to make
recommendations and propose best practices for digital preservation in the IRs in Kenya.
The study was informed by both ISO 14721:2011: Open Archival Information System
(OAIS) model and ISO 16363:2011: Space data and information transfer systems -- Audit
and certification of trustworthy digital repository. The research adopted a pragmatic
research paradigm and utilized the qualitative research approach incorporating a multi
case study research design. Criterion purposive sampling was used to select three
universities from which 19 respondents consisting of senior library management,
institutional repository staff, systems librarians and ICT staff responsible for ICT issues
in the library were sampled using expert sampling. Primary data was collected through
interviews, observation and document review with trustworthiness established through
triangulation, dependability, confirmability and transferability Data was analyzed using
directional content analysis. The findings established that repositories were custodians of
both digital and hybrid information resources that ingested into the IR without the
support of a needs assessments, inadequate metadata, failure to consider file formats that
support long term preservation, lack of comprehensive digital preservation policies,
fragmented digital preservation planning, limited poor technology plans and budgets,
failure to document preservation actions, limited skills as well as reliance on short term
digital preservation strategies. The study concludes that the digital preservation practices
could not guarantee long term preservation of the resources in the IRs. The following
recommendations are proposed: review of the goals of the IR as this was seen as a major
step towards determining the level of digital preservation required, development of:
content selection policies, digital preservation policies and plans, development of a
business model for digital preservation, investment in stakeholder sensitization and
training on digital preservation, formation of cooperatives to address digital preservation
challenges and promotion of resource sharing. Finally, framework for best practices in
digital preservation informed by the current industry standards is proposed.