Tracing the Footprints of Academic Research in Zambia through the Institutional Repository: A Case of the University of Zambia" Zachary Zulu

The University of Zambia established an institutional repository (IR) in order to archive and make available to the research community the university's intellectual output using DSpace. This presentation will focus, examining the Repositories role in tracing the footprint of academic research in Zambia. The presentation identifies explores challenges such as Repository management ,underutilization, limited content diversity, and issues in digital preservation that hinder the repository's effectiveness. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study analyzes the repository's current state, user engagement, and content accessibility. Findings reveal significant gaps in repository management and suggest strategies to enhance its functionality, including increased advocacy for open access, capacity-building for stakeholders, and policy enhancements. This work underscores the importance of institutional repositories in documenting national research outputs and their potential to drive academic visibility and collaboration in Zambia and beyond