Open Access Week Competition
Report template 2016 competition
Applicant details
Country / ZimbabweConsortium/Institution name / University of Zimbabwe Library
Address / P.O. Box MP45
Mt. Pleasant
Harare
Zimbabwe
Applicant’s name / Ms Abigail Mazhude
Applicant’s job title / Assistant Librarian
Applicant’s email address /
Lead contact (if not you) / Mrs Agnes Chikonzo
University Librarian
OR
Feedback on activities undertaken
Date and duration of the activity / 24-28 October 2016Starting at 0900 hours and ending at 1500 hours
How many people did these activities reach? / The activities reached 5931 people on social media sites such as facebook and twitter, 1252 people through the faculty reach out.
Summary of activities
Please outline in no more than 300 words the three main highlights of your activities
Awarding of T-shirts to IR top contributors
The main attraction of the OA celebrations was the awarding of OA t-shirts to UZIR top contributors in each faculty. A testimonial from one recipient alluded to the fact that if they knew that their contributions to the IR would always be rewarded they would have submitted more articles. In the same manner those who did not receive any t-shirts wallowed in self pity and vow to submit their articles to their Faculty Librarians.
Showcasing the IR top contributors by faculty
Another highlight was the posters that showcased the UZIR top contributors by faculty and the overall for the university at large. The top contributors were amused and vowed to continually support OA by submitting their articles so that they remain on top. The showcase in itself evoked an aura of competitiveness amongst the lecturers, at the same time others whose names were not on the list felt encouraged to support OA through contributing to the IR.
Live demonstrations of OA resources to students and staff
Students showed great enthusiasm when they realised they could search and find OA journals and books easily. Furthermore dissertation writing students proclaimed that they will use the IR when they found out that they could access electronic dissertations submitted by those who have completed their studies. Researchers were pleased to learn that they could access journal articles published in subscription based databases on the UZIR.
What do you consider to be the most important achievement or the most memorable experience and how did this help you to achieve the objectives of your activity?
The most important achievement of the OA week activity was the reach out to more than 30 potential contributors to the UZIR in the form of Lecturers. The OA Reach out to the Faculty offered the Library OA Team a platform to explain and clarify some of the concerns which the researchers had with OA publishing. After getting clarification, researchers promised to submit their research papers for uploading into the IR, hence the overall goal of getting more lectures to appreciate and participate in the OA movement was met.
If someone else were to repeat your activity:
What would you recommend them to do exactly as you did? / We would recommend the following;
· Having a mobile OA Tent around campus for wider participation and reach out to the university community
· Rewarding top contributors for motivation and recognition of effort towards growing the IR collection
· Ranking IR contributors to evoke a sense of competitiveness and willingness to submit articles for the IR
· Live demonstration of OA resources to promote and encourage the usage of OA journals and books
What would you recommend them to change from what you did? / We would recommend to change the following;
Awarding OA T-shirts to all top three contributors per Faculty instead of one person
Based on the data you have collected for evaluation:
Please share success stories, quotations or feedback from those participating in your activities / Below are feedback messages from some our participants who signed the visitors register during the OA week celebrations”.
Professor Maasdorp (Lecturer) “OA is a good initiative but there is need for a follow up with more information to academics”
Professor Chaneta, “OA is a very good initiative, I will give you more articles for the IR
R Mushonga (Lecturer) “Great it boosts citations”
M Mungodori(Lecturer) “This helps researchers share their information”
Nigel Mapfudze (student) “I am in support of OA looking forward to be part of it”
S Muparutsa(student) “It is very interesting and I am in support of the movement”
T Bere (student) “Information should be more easily accessible to the students rather than waiting for the Open Access Week”
M Madondo, “Found the project to be helpful, however more campaigns are required to help everyone else”
Anonymous “ Open Access is a good program for advanced research and it is very helpful”
Anonymous “Open access resources are very helpful and are an added advantage”
What have people told you has changed as a result of the activity? / The general perception of lecturers towards OA has changed as evidenced by an increase in articles being submitted for the IR.
After the OA week celebrations we have had a graduate student who wants to have books he has written for commercial purposes uploaded on the IR platform to enhance access to his work.
What have you learnt from carrying out this activity and how will this affect your future activities? / Participation of lecturers was commendable; however, more can be done to increase their participation by engaging them more often on OA issues. Implementing the above will ensure more active participation of lecturers as most issues pertaining to OA would have been demystified along the way.
Any additional information you would like to include? / We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to INASP for awarding us the grant. It went a long way in helping us celebrate OA milestones over the years.
The information provided in this report is intended for internal use within INASP network and on the E-resources community of practice. It will not be used externally without your express permission. However, if you are happy for us to use the comments and information within this report for external publication, please check the box below.
ü I give INASP permission to use my responses along with my name and affiliation in promotional material, publications or reports
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Report template 2016: Open Access Week Competition