Usage and Impact of the Institutional Repository at the University of Namibia

This paper presents the findings of the study on the usage and impact of Institutional Repository (IR) by academics at the University of Namibia (UNAM). The study used quantitative research approach and a survey questionnaire was used as a data collection method. The population comprised of academic staff from three faculties, Economics and Management Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Science. The data collected was analysed through Microsoft Excel 2013. The study was driven by four (4) research questions in order to fill the gaps and answer the questions on the usage and impact of the IR at UNAM. The study was supported by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). The findings of the study discovered low usage of UNAM’s IR by academics which is a major issue affecting the recognition of UNAM internationally as a successful research institution and revealed that UNAM does not provide recognition and incentives or full appreciation to academics who deposit scholarly publication in the IR. The study recommended that the University library in conjunction with the Research and Publications Unit should provide workshops to sensitize academics on the IR in order to upscale the benefits of open access and its usage.

Keywords: Usage, Institutional repositories, academics, scholarly materials, Open access, UNAM.