<![CDATA[The rapid growth of digital resources in Nigerian university libraries has outpaced the development of effective preservation strategies, leading to challenges such as data loss, technological obsolescence, and limited institutional support. The study used a descriptive survey design to examine perceptions of digital preservation practices, challenges, and open source software adoption in Nigerian university libraries. The area of study covered selected Nigerian universities. The population comprised librarians and Library and Information Science students. A sample of sixty five respondents (23 males, 42 females) was selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire measured on a four point Likert scale. The instrument was validated by experts and showed acceptable reliability (Cronbach alpha = 0.78). Data collection was conducted online via Google Form. Descriptive statistics and ANOVA were used for data analysis. The findings show minor gender based variations in digital preservation practices, challenges, capacity, and tool usage in Nigerian university libraries. Females slightly rated formal policies (3.40), standardized formats (3.38), and backups (1.95) higher than males (3.26, 3.30, 1.57), while males perceived routine checks more positively (2.30). Major problems in both sexes consist of lack of good ICT infrastructure (3.35 3.40) and lack of funding (2.98 3.22). Women viewed greater ability to adopt open-source software (3.48) and familiarity with other tools like DSpace (2.60). The results of ANOVA in all hypotheses showed a statistically significant finding of no gender differences (p>0.05). Based on this, the research concludes that digital preservations in Nigerian university libraries are limited by the lack of finances, infrastructure, and expertise. Intense institutional backing, intensified employee development, improved information and technology infrastructure, and the implementation of tailored open-source preservation systems therefore become fundamental corrective interventions]]>
