1. The document outlines an advocacy campaign conducted at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, Senegal to promote the establishment of an open access institutional repository.
2. Activities during the campaign included presentations, workshops, and discussions with university staff, librarians, researchers and administrators about open access policies and the benefits of an institutional repository.
3. Feedback from participants was positive, recognizing the importance of open access and an institutional repository for research visibility and impact. However, challenges remained in fully engaging all stakeholders and maintaining momentum for the project.
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Narrative report ucad Open Access campaign
1. 1
CHEIKH ANTA DIOP UNIVERSITY OPEN ACCES INSTITUTIONAL
REPOSITORY
ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN
Mandiaye Ndiaye
December 2014
INTRODUCTION
Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar (UCAD) has a big university community composed in
2012 of 68777 students, 1329 teaching staff and 1313 non-teaching staff. With its 6 faculties,
23 schools and university institutes, 10 institutes of faculty, 7 doctoral schools and 166
research units, Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar has a critical mass of research outputs.
The central library is the depository of the thesis and dissertations defended at the university
and archived in its different digital libraries.
University of Dakar decided to take the opportunity of ICT and the dynamic of Open Access
to give new impetus to the policy of archiving, preservation and dissemination of its research
outputs, by establishing a central Open Access institutional repository at the university
Library.
Implementation and management of an OA IR require the active involvement of different
stakeholders of university community. That needs an advocacy campaign for a better
understanding of OA policies and IRs.
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
- Commitment of the new Vice chancellor Pr Ibrahima Thioub as a champion. As
professor at the department of History he initiated and achieved the project of
digitizing 463 thesis and dissertations defended since 1963.
- Commitment of our champions, distinguish researchers Dr Abdou Salam Fall, Dr
Dieyi Diouf, Dr Bernard Dione, etc. as speakers during the campaign.
- A memo of the former vice chancellor inviting researchers and teachers to pass
through the library to submit their research outputs to the African and Malagasy
Council for Higher Education (CAMES). A digital copy is done by the library for all
the documents and a form completed by the applicant.
- 1016 articles and 41 new thesis never collected before have been received then.
- A new central platform developed by the IT staff of the library is launched and contain
beyond thesis and dissertations new articles received.
- Librarians and IT staff from common service of documentation of the university
gained a better understanding of OA IRs and OA policies. They are empowered to
support the achievement of the project.
- Different activities of awareness was conducted, flyers and leaflets about OA were
distributed.
2. 2
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The project aims to establish an Open Access institutional repository for Cheikh Anta Diop
University at the central library, and the adoption of AO policy accepted by all stakeholders
of the university community. An OA advocacy campaign may bring greater understanding of
OA policies and IRs.
OVERALL OBJECTIVES:
To create awareness of Open Access IRs and policies among different stakeholders of
the university community.
To lobby for university managers to support the process of drafting OA institutional
policy for UCAD
To train librarians and IT staff to manage and fill the platform
PRIMARY AUDIENCE
The project audiences were university managers (Vice chancellor, deans of faculties,
chairpersons of departments, etc.), heads of PhD schools, researchers, lecturers, postgraduate
students, librarians, and IT staff.
ACTIVITIES
- UCAD Open Access day, a public sharing session around a panel during Open Access
week 2013. The dynamic of OA in university area, different models of OA, and the
challenges for the developing countries were discussed. T-shirt, flyers and
promotional materials were distributed at the end. Pins of “I love Open Access” were
given to the distinguished participants. The flyers insisted on miss understanding on
what OA is and what OA is not.
- Series of activities for the advocacy campaign during November 2014:
o Day 1: Sharing session and building capacity for the staff of the library. The
UCAD Open Access Repository project and the platform developed by the IT
department were presented. Different issues were discussed related to the OA
movement, the UCAD OAR project, and the platform developed.
o Day 2: Capacity building for managers of contents, librarians and IT staff from
Common service of documentation of the university. The event was chaired by
the Director of the library, Mr. Papa Arona Ndiaye. Sessions were held to
empower librarians of faculties and institutes of the university to advocate for
Open Access and for the project of UCAD OAR and to lobby for the adoption
of an OA policy at UCAD. Different speakers gave presentations. Gora Dia,
senior librarian head of the library of a research institute; Mandiaye Ndiaye
senior librarian coordinator of the project; Mohameth Lamine Thioune
computer engineer, head of the IT department of the library; Jean Baptiste Sarr
senior librarian head of the department of digitizing of the library. Following
issues were discussed in dynamic exchanges:
Need to set up an institutional repository at the University
3. 3
Initiatives and declarations in favor of Open Access
Update of UCAD OAR project and new strategies
Presentation of the platform developed for the IR.
o Day 3: Open session for policy makers: An invitation with the agenda of the
event was sent to all the deans of faculties and head of schools and institutes of
the university. The event was chaired by the Head of the library, Mr Papa
Arona Ndiaye with the participation of the new vice chancellor Pr Ibrahima
Thioub and moderate by Dr Bernard Dione, researcher, director of Studies of
the school of librarianship of UCAD. Various speakers addressed the audience
of administrators, teachers, researchers, students, librarians and IT.
Why an Open Access institutional repository for Cheikh Anta Diop
University? / Dr Dieyi Diouf, teacher - researcher EBAD UCAD and
specialist of Open Access.
The different models of Open Access: Issues in developing countries? /
Ms Nafisatou Bakhoum, Curator of Libraries, manager of the Project
«Biens culturels africains» IFAN-CAD
Perspective of a researcher / Dr Abdou Salam Fall, Director of
research, and coordinator of the research laboratory on economic and
social transformations (LARTES)
Flyers, leaflets and promotional materials were distributed.
PARTICIPANTS FEEDBACK
‘’While I was professor, I myself led the fight for years. Today as vice chancellor, I will
support such an initiative, which comes on time’’. Pr Ibrahima Thioub
‘’An institutional repository is central for any researcher to publish as it says' ‘’publish or
perish’’. IR is based on the University Library but requires collaboration of different actors.
It is a service, technology, and individuals all well coordinated and well orchestrated.’’ Dr
Bernard Dione
‘’Scientific production is unknown and even not exploited. The researchers themselves do not
remember their own production. The IR should be a real stimulus for research. It may impact
on the scientific reputation or citation index because to be cited you must make your
production available’’. Dr Abdou Salam Fall
CHALLENGIES
After launching the campaign on Open Access week 2013, Dakar University had a lot of
disruptions during the academic year. A prolonged crisis in the campus did not allow an
outreach activity and lobbying. The activities planned between October 2013 and March 2014
was not done. So the project starts again with the beginning of the new academic year on
November 2014.
Multiply the champions committed to operate in the steering committee whatever the situation
at the university.
4. 4
Revitalize and accelerate the work of the three committees (strategic, legal and technical) with
the adoption and compliance with the schedule of meetings.
Upgrade the software repository using the new skills acquired by librarians and IT staff of the
University as part of a sub-regional training on Invenio software.
LESSSONS LEARNED
Having short and attainable goals, keep the pace of activity and remain a factor of success in
the awareness campaign.
Necessity to have fully dedicated staff for the project and the real involvement of the top
management of the common service of documentation of the university is critical.
The involvement of content producers as advocates facilitates the process and provides new
strategies.
Make opportunism by exploiting the various events related to research or documentation in
the campus, to foster communication among peers facilitates ownership of project aims.
THE FUTURE
Make the new vice chancellor, chairman of the steering committee and register the project in
the top of his agenda.
Synthesize advocacy activities, identify key findings and new directions and submit them to
the vice chancellor.
Make visits by appointment to all deans, directors of institutes and graduate schools who did
not attend the policy makers session with Open Access Resource Kits products during the
campaign.
Canvassing in favor of the UCAD OA, by identifying 100 Friends of the Library among
researchers and for 10 volunteer’s laboratories accepting to upload their research products
before the end of committees work.
Launching competition game with a quiz on OA is not already done. Organize at the end of
the exhibition and reward winners with the rest of the promotional tools available (flash disk,
pins, caps, key ring, pens, etc)