Impact of open access repository in higher education institutions: A case of the University of Namibia (UNAM) institutional repository (IR)

This study investigates the usage and impact of the University of Namibia institutional repositories (IRs). Moreover, the study utilized a quantitative informetric approach by analyzing downloads data from the DSpace database and citation impact data from Google Scholar; the study identifies a growing trend in IR submission content, with these dissertations and articles comprising 64% and 34%, respectively. However, the scope of IR submission remains low, considering the high number of researchers and postgraduates at the university. The IR content achieved commendable societal and academic impact, attracting 62,861 downloads, translating to 968 downloads per publication and accruing over 2715 citations, decoding to 1.16 citations per publication. Books and articles retained higher citations per publication, with 5.5 and 2.1. Shortage of skilled staff, low submissions, and limited marketing and advocacy programs are the significant challenges hindering the success of the University of Namibia repository. These findings have practical implications for the practice and administration of IRs. Therefore, considerable recommendations are provided in the manuscript.