Preservation of theses and dissertations in the era of digitization: a case study of selected universities in Oyo state, Nigeria

Purpose Digital preservation of theses and dissertations (TDs) is crucial for the archiving (long-term preservation) of intellectual content of undergraduate and postgraduate students in universities. This paper aims to investigate the digitization of TDs in three selected academic libraries in Oyo State, south-west Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach Descriptive survey research design was used for this study. The instrument for data collection was the questionnaire. The study comprised 78 professionals and paraprofessional librarians in the three selected university libraries in Oyo State. Findings The study revealed that digital preservation of TDs in university libraries is at the developmental stage. Also, the study revealed that most participants strongly agreed that the main purpose for embarking on the digital preservation of TDs was to influence the web ranking of the institutions. Web archiving was the widely adopted method of digital preservation in university libraries. Poor information and communication technology infrastructure, absence of policy and poor funding were identified as major challenges militating against the effective digital preservation of theses in the libraries. Hence, it was recommended that the management of university libraries should be more committed to providing substantial funds to meet the financial obligation for digital preservation initiatives. Originality/value The study provides insight into a case study of digitization of theses and dissertation i academic libraries in three selected universities to serve as a basis for further research.