Indian Open Access Institutional Repositories (OAIRs) and Its Significance in Pandemic Era

What is it about?

The COVID-19 outbreak has affected the world among all segments of the population in all possible fields of life, viz health, economic, social & educational. In India, the second wave of the pandemic brings the nightmare on repeat with a tsunami of cases. To encounter this critical situation and to safeguard the health of the students & faculty members, the education system undergoes a significant change, from conventional classroom-based learning to online interaction-based teaching-learning. This turnabout demands the availability of sufficient e-content. In this situation, OAIRs as a free-to-use platform with a voluminous amount of data, are able to help users including the institutions in coping with financial critical situations as well as enabling the learning process. This study aims to determine the current status of Indian OAIR housed in OpenDOAR by conducting a user survey to assess its importance in assisting academics and the education system during this current pandemic situation. The findings of the study reveal that DSpace (58%) is the dominant software in Indian OAIRs while English (96.43%) is the most prominent language. Additionally, the study also identifies the continual growth of Indian OAIRs with regular updation. According to the survey result, library staff and researchers are the most experienced regarding the importance and benefits of OAIRs, whereas students need to be more aware. Overall, the survey agrees with the fact that, in India, OAIRs support the significant change in the education system as well as promote web accessibility and eliminate the digital divide.

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Photo by Sangga Rima Roman Selia on Unsplash

Photo by Sangga Rima Roman Selia on Unsplash