Around the World with the OABN: Zimbabwe – Open Access Books Network

"Uptake of open access books in Zimbabwe has been met with mixed feelings. On one hand, the consumption of open access books content is relatively high. On the other hand, the contribution of open access book content by authors remains low. Several factors contribute to this striking contrast. It is important to dissect the open access books ecosystem and analyse the positions and roles played by the key stakeholders of the ecosystem, including policy makers and administrators, researchers or authors, readers, and librarians.

Policy makers and administrators at both government and institutional levels have the mandate to put in place policies to promote the open science movement. It is encouraging to point out that nearly all universities in Zimbabwe now have policies governing open science in the form of open science policies and open access policies. Undeniably, the policies may have some shortcomings in addressing the ever-evolving issues surrounding open access and open science. [OP1] [hp2] For instance one university had adopted an institutional repository policy yet focus should be on the broader concept of open access. In addition, there is no national policy on open access, a situation that leaves universities efforts fragmented. Efforts towards establishing a national policy on open science are already underway as part of the Zimbabwe University Libraries Consortium’s advocacy programmes. The consortium is taking a leading role in influencing the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development to implement an open science policy or framework. It is anticipated that once robust policies are in place, more developments in open science would be witnessed.[OP3] [hp4]  It is anticipated that the new policy framework would be influential in the provision of human resources and information technology infrastructure required to drive open access at national level. The policy is also expected to outline clear mandate for researchers, funders, librarians, etc. regarding open access...."