The current status of innovation in the university libraries of Pakistan

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the current status of innovations in the university libraries of Pakistan because the desire for reshaping the university libraries is now necessary to fulfill the mission of higher education, i.e. to be competitive and compatible in the international market.

Design/methodology/approach

The content is based on the literature. For this purpose, the researchers’ 20 years’ experience and the websites of all the 183 universities of Pakistan have been reviewed. A checklist of 40 innovations (Jantz, 2013), used in ACRL libraries and prepared by the researcher, is used as a yardstick to measure the innovation status of university libraries.

Findings

The findings indicate that a large majority of university libraries, ranging from 70 to 100 percent, have not adopted these innovations. Only 15 percent of university libraries all over Pakistan are relatively better on the innovation adoption scale.

Research limitations/implications

The data are explored by reviewing the websites of university libraries of Pakistan. Viewpoint of librarian and administrators of university librarian is not taken at this stage.

Practical implications

It will be helpful for the practitioner community to brain think on serious grounds for future improvements by having a clear picture of current status.

Social implications

By analyzing the standings of university libraries of Pakistan vs developed countries, the professionals would get awareness and they might be take initiatives for extending the services suitable and compatible with the present and future needs of users. Ultimately, profession and users satisfaction could be obtained.

Originality/value

The aspects discussed in the context of Pakistan may catch the attention of policy makers for the sake of improvement of university libraries, and growth of their professionals. It is further assumed that this situation is similar to the other neighboring developing countries. So, the work will raise the awareness among professionals of other countries too.

Citation

Awais, S. and Ameen, K. (2018), "The current status of innovation in the university libraries of Pakistan", Library Management, Vol. 39 No. 8/9, pp. 541-552. https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-08-2017-0085