FUL Trains Academic and Research Staff on Effective Use of Institutional Repository

The management of the Federal University Lokoja (FUL) has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening research documentation and scholarly communication through a training programme designed to equip academic and research staff with practical skills for using the university’s institutional repository.

The training, themed “Effective Utilization of the University Institutional Repository for Academic and Research Staff,” was organised by the University Library on October 20, 2026, at the Multipurpose Hall, Felele Campus.

The programme focused on equipping participants with the knowledge and practical skills required to deposit, retrieve and manage scholarly materials on the university’s digital platform.

Speaking at the event, the University Librarian, Professor Serah Dauda Yani, said the sensitisation programme underscored the importance of effective repository use in ensuring that the university’s scholarly publications are properly documented, preserved and made accessible in accordance with relevant policies.

Yani explained that the initiative was designed to equip staff with the skills to access, deposit, retrieve and manage scholarly publications while promoting knowledge sharing and scholarly communication.

A key session featured a presentation titled “DSpace Institutional Repository: A Practical Orientation for Academic and Research Staff,” which explained how the DSpace platform enables universities to collect, organise, preserve and provide online access to scholarly publications and other academic resources.

During the presentation, participants were informed that the following materials could be deposited in the university’s institutional repository:

1. Journal articles
2. Conference papers
3. Theses
4. Dissertations
5. Research reports
6. Inaugural lectures
7. Permitted teaching and learning materials

The Head of the E-Library Unit also highlighted the importance of accurate metadata in helping users locate scholarly works. Such information includes publication titles, authors’ names, dates, abstracts and keywords.

Researchers were cautioned to comply with copyright requirements, publisher policies, co-author agreements and institutional guidelines before uploading materials to the repository.

The presentation was complemented by a practical session during which participants were guided through the university’s institutional repository at https://ir-fulokoja.edu.ng/.

The demonstration covered the following processes:

1. Signing in to the platform.
2. Selecting the appropriate collection.
3. Entering publication details.
4. Uploading documents.
5. Completing the submission process.

Participants also learnt how to review their submissions for accuracy, monitor submission status and verify that deposited works could be located on the platform.

The programme forms part of the University Library’s efforts to build staff capacity in managing the institution’s scholarly output effectively while promoting compliance with copyright provisions and institutional policies governing academic publications.

The institutional repository can be accessed through https://ir-fulokoja.edu.ng/.