Adoption of Digital Preservation Methods for Theses in Nigerian Academic Libraries: Applications and Implications

Graduating students of higher institutions in Nigeria usually write and submit theses, as a requirement for the award of diplomas, undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. This paper examines the importance of students' theses to research, industrial and economic development of the nation and therefore advocates the need to preserve them. It discusses the intricate dimensions of the preservation of theses in academic libraries and notes the urgent need to address the worsening deteriorating state of students' theses in academic libraries in Nigeria. The paper also discusses the current traditional preservation methods practiced among academic libraries and observed that these methods are not adequate. It recommends that academic libraries in Nigeria should digitize theses and adopt the cloud computing preservation model through the operations of institutional repositories. The paper further identified digital divide and poor technological infrastructure, inadequate funding, data security breaches and issues revolving around copyright as challenges of digitization and cloud computing, and made recommendations.