Investigating the level of desirability of information in management information systems in libraries in Iran
| Pages | 833-843 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/02640471211282136 |
| Published date | 16 November 2012 |
| Date | 16 November 2012 |
| Author | Asefeh Asemi,Ali Akbari,Manouchehr Kheradmandnia,Abbas Farazi |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
Investigating the level of
desirability of information in
management information systems
in libraries in Iran
Asefeh Asemi and Ali Akbari
Department of Library and Information Science, University of Isfahan,
Isfahan, Iran
Manouchehr Kheradmandnia
Department of Statistics, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran, and
Abbas Farazi
Department of Library and Information Science, University of Isfahan,
Isfahan, Iran
Abstract
Purpose – The aim of this paper is to investigate the pros and cons of Iranian library management
software, focusing on the usage of open source technology. It seeks to analyse the viewpoints of
librarians in the University of Isfahan as a sample to extend the findings to the Iranian Library
management software community.
Design/methodology/approach – In order to get the opinions of librarians, the descriptive method
is used. The required data are collected by literature review, questionnaire and open interview from
university top managers, software technical staff, libraries managers, librarians, end users, and
companies providing similar products. However, because of time limitations, the authors could only
gather data by researcher-made checklist of the librarians (informants) who directly have worked with
University of Isfahan in the libraries.
Findings – The main problem of many library management software platforms in Iran is that the
focus of development is mainly on technical issues rather than management, operational, and end-user
concerns. This is highlighted when open source software is used because it is common for an
off-the-shelf product to be used with less consideration of the nontechnical issues. This is the reason
that Iranian libraries are moving to replace their software with commercial versions.
Research limitations/implications – There was insufficient cooperation of some librarians in
identifying capabilities and deficiencies of UILMS and limited cooperation of some technical experts in
reviewing the software.
Originality/value – Considering the lack of standard checklists, this paper presents a relatively
complete checklist to evaluate the library software.
Keywords Academic libraries,Library automation, Librarians,Library systems, Computer software,
Iran
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
A system means a set of elements which are interactive by operating as a group to
meet a purpose. A system may consist of people, tools, equipments, supp lies and
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Investigating
the level of
desirability
833
Received October 2010
Revised March 2011
Accepted March 2011
The Electronic Library
Vol. 30 No. 6, 2012
pp. 833-843
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0264-0473
DOI 10.1108/02640471211282136
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