The Open Access landscape in Zimbabwe: The case of university libraries in ZULC

Abstract

Purpose: The paper focuses on the current state of Open Access (OA) initiatives in Zimbabwean Universities. The paper specifically reports the initiatives at Zimbabwean universities regarding institutional repositories that promote OA and other digital OA collections. Methodology: A qualitative research methodology was adopted. Questionnaires were used as the primary data collection method for this research. The research sought to address the following specific areas: state of Institutional Repositories and Open Access in Zimbabwe, Discoverability of content, Open Access Policies and Mandates, benefits of Open Access in Zimbabwe and institutional OA future plans. A total of eight out of twelve universities responded to the questionnaire. The data provided by the universities involved in the research were summarised to give a general picture of the Open Access landscape in Zimbabwe. Findings: The current initiatives that the universities involved in this survey indicate that most universities in Zimbabwe are going to have institutional repositories that promote Open Access to information. Most institutions in Zimbabwe are already working on putting Open Access policies in place in a bid to promote Open Access. Originality: The research will shed more light on the status quo of the open Access initiatives in Zimbabwe, particularly with regards to institutional repositories, Open Access policies and Open Access Mandates.