An Institutional Repository in a Developing Country: security and Ethical Encounters at the Bindura University of Science Education, Zimbabwe

Abstract

The article explores the recent experiences encountered by the Bindura University of Science Education (BUSE) Library, Zimbabwe in the daily operations of its institutional repository (IR) with emphasis on security and ethical issues. It examines the present scenario in the management of the IR. BUSE Library set up an IR to archive and enable access to the university’s scholarly research output. The account profiles the recent challenges encountered by the library as it manages its institutional repository. There are legal and ethical issues undermining the security and ethical use of the BUSE IR, for example, cyber threats and unauthorised access. The poor performance of the network firewall has exposed the IR server to cyber-attacks. The ethical challenges relate to plagiarism and predatory publishers who prey on researchers whose work is hosted on the IR. The article recommends measures to enhance security and overcome challenges in the management of the IR.

Keywords:

• Bindura University of Science Education
• cyber security
• institutional repositories
• Zimbabwe and access to information

Acknowledgements

Authors are grateful to the Bindura University of Science Education Library, Zimbabwe for availing reports used as primary data for this study.