Examining the Practice of Digital Scholarship Services at Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City

Abstract

The article reports the results of an investigation on the practice of providing digital scholarship services at Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This study is part of an ongoing research project entitled Developing a digital scholarship service framework for universities at Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City. It employed a qualitative research approach through in-depth interviews with 31 individuals who are university managers, library managers, lecturers, and postgraduate and undergraduate students from six member universities and Central Library of Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City. Research results show that some digital scholarship services have been provided at Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City. However, they have not been yet systematically implemented and have not met users’ needs. Lack of needed resources such as space, technology infrastructure, human resources, finance, and stakeholder support are among major challenges in developing digital scholarship services. The management of existing digital scholarship services is fragmented without a clear policy for developing digital scholarship and supporting services. The study contributes to the existing knowledge by adding substantially to current understanding of the practice of providing digital scholarship services in Vietnam’s universities in the transition period, from state control to autonomy, which has not been much addressed in previous research. Furthermore, this study can be a useful reference for higher education institutions in developing countries regarding implementation of digital scholarship services.