Organisational readiness for implementation of an Integrated Library System in Uganda: An assessment of Makerere University Library

Abstract

The implementation of integrated library systems (ILS) gives libraries opportunities to automate their core activities for efficient service delivery. While many libraries have succeeded in their implementation of an ILS others are facing partial or complete failure especially in Sub-Saharan Africa for various reasons. An organisation’s readiness for change is regarded as a critical antecedent to the successful implementation of information systems such as ILS, which necessitates that libraries establish an adequate level of readiness to achieve ILS implementation success. This study proposes a tool to assess the organisational readiness of Ugandan libraries to implement an ILS. The tool was piloted at Makerere University Library (MakLib) to retroactively assess its organisational readiness to implement Virtua-­‐ILS. A qualitative research approach was employed whereby data was collected using semi-­‐structured interviews and analysed using content analysis and descriptive statistics. The results reveal that MakLib’s level of organisational readiness to implement Virtua-­‐ILS was inadequate with respect to the training for staff and end-­‐users, IT infrastructure, finances for continued sustainability, adequate collective value of the ILS, presence of change agents, motivation, members’ shared belief in their collective capabilities to implement an ILS, system ease of use, and compatibility. Recommendations to address the deficient areas include providing structured training, seeking alternative sources of funding, piloting an open source ILS, addressing the human factors through building a robust project team with competent leadership, and establishing sufficient IT infrastructure. The study may be of value to researchers concerned with ILS implementation success in developing countries and to Ugandan libraries that are planning to automate with an ILS as well as those wishing to migrate to another ILS.