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Proposed standard guideline for Informationsystems
managing information systems
(ISs) in libraries in Africa
Patience Emefa Dzandza Ocloo
Department of Information Studies, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana, and
Received 13April 2023
Lizette King Revised 7 June 2023
Accepted 1 August 2023
Department of Library and Information Science, University of the Western Cape,
Cape Town, South Africa
Abstract
Purpose – Libraries in Africa are adopting technology at a fast pace. However, literature has provided
enough evidence of the many challenges libraries on the continent are facing in the use of the adopted
information technology of which information systems (ISs) are major components. Literature also does not
provide evidence of IS standard, policy or guideline at both national and international levels as a
benchmark for the use of these systems. Therefore, this paper aims to propose an IS standard guideline as
a guide for libraries in Africa to develop IS policies, standards or guidelines to help in effective use of IS in
libraries.
Design/methodology/approach – The researchers based their proposed standard guideline on the
findings from their earlier research works and evidence from other existing literature as has been reviewed in
this paper.
Findings – Findings from the literature revealed that libraries in Africa face a number of challenges in the
use of IS which can be categorised into four main areas, namely, financial challenges, technological and
infrastructural challenges, human resource challenges and organizational challenges.
Originality/value – This paper proposed an IS standard guideline to serve as a guide for libraries in
Africa to develop IS policies, standards or guidelines to help in effective use of IS in libraries.
Keywords Libraries, Africa, Systems management, Information systems, Digital libraries,
Library management
Paper type Viewpoint
Introduction
Libraries all over the world and even in Africa have invested in numerous information
systems (ISs) from the limited financial resources available at their disposal. IS adoption is a
major cost factor to most libraries. Despite this heavy investment, IS only becomes
beneficial if it is used. This makes the use of IS an important component of every
organization, even in libraries (Shaikh and Karjaluoto, 2015). For all ISs to become usable, it
is highly recommended for them to be managed properly. The availability of standards in
organizations ensures compliance to the stated standards.
Funding source: The financial assistance of the National Institute for the Humanities and Social
Sciences under grant number APS16/1070, in collaboration with the Council for the Development of
Social Science Research in Africa towards this research is hereby acknowledged. Opinions expressed Digital Library Perspectives
and conclusions arrived at are those of the author and are not necessarily to be attributed to the © EmeraldPublishingLimited
2059-5816
NIHSS and CODESRIA. DOI 10.1108/DLP-04-2023-0029
DLP Unfortunately, though libraries are major users of different ISs, standards on IS use are
mostly absent in libraries (Ahenkorah-Marfo and Akussah, 2016; Makori, 2013; Mapulanga,
2013; Mutula, 2004). It has been noted that international federation of library associations
and institutions (IFLA) has only a standard for online public access catalogues (OPACs) and
not yet one for a general IS. The state of Texas in the USA has Library Automation
Standards and Guidelines as far back as 1995 (Texas State Library, 1995) but concentrates
only on the use of Library Management Systems (LMS). No standard from the American
Library Association was found. In South Africa, an attempt has been made to develop a
standard for purchasing of IS in libraries (Kirsch, 2014).
The research findings from two previously published articles (Ocloo and King, 2022a;
Ocloo and King, 2022b) have shown very clearly that all the academic libraries studied in
Ghana have implemented more than one IS to automate library activities. Despite the
implementation of IS, most of the libraries are not being guided by any standard on using
and managing them. Some libraries are not using their ISs and perform tasks manually or
with general office management systems. Most of the information technology (IT) heads
performmaintenance as and when they feel it is necessary or when the system breaks down.
Lack of adequate skills on the part of library staff to fully use the IS coupled with inadequate
management and system support was clearly indicated. Similar findings were recorded by
older studies by Ibegbulam and Eze (2016), Makori (2013), Mapulanga (2013), Adeleke and
Olorunsola (2010), Adeyoyin (2005), Asogwa (2014) as well as Mutula (2004).
The availability of an IS standard guideline for libraries will be in the best interest of the
three major in-house stakeholders, namely, the head librarians, library staff and IT staff,
and that the standard guideline will assist libraries to develop an IS policy to guide each
staff in the performance of specific tasks.
Literature review
Libraries have been portrayed in the literature as one of the earliest institutions to adopt the
application of technology specifically ISs to the organization of information and service
delivery (Morris et al., 2001; Tedd, 2006). Technology experts have tried to provide tailor
made solutions through the development of software to help manage library resources and
services. Initial efforts in this direction were meant to manage only print collections; these
systems were called integrated library systems or LMS.
Advancement in technology and the changing nature in library collection format and
service delivery made these earlier systems incapable of meeting current needs of libraries.
System experts brought in solutions by developing other systems such as electronic
resource management and digital asset management to aid in new library workflows to be
used in collaboration with LMS to help libraries function.
At some point, these other systems were merged with LMS and this brought about
second-generation library automation systems, next-generation library systems or the new
library system. In this 21st century, these systems have again been upgraded to what is
being termed library service platforms where cloud computing devices and services are IS
application in libraries.
Social media and other collaborative tools have also been at the heart of library services.
Social media is used for communication, marketing, collaboration and sharing of ideas in
libraries. Other advanced collaborative tools such as library 3D, Internet of Things and
natural language interaction are also being used by libraries. The list of IS use in the library
also include geographic IS and content management systems (Madhusudhan and Singh,
2016; Tyagi and Senthil, 2015; Fu and Fitzgerald, 2013; Yang, 2013; Breeding, 2012;
Giri, 2012; Cho, 2011).
The use of computer technology or systems in libraries have advanced in the current era Information
of the Fourth Industrial Revolution which is data-driven and is anchored on the internet. systems
This has revolutionized library work flow (Sibiya and Ngulube, 2023). As posited by
Hussain (2020), availability of smart technology has enabled libraries to enhance their
services and collect huge data which is enabled by artificial intelligence, mobile computing
and machine learning. It was noted by Ocholla and Ocholla (2020) that most of the
technology use in the Fourth Industrial Revolution is not new but have been carried over
from the digital revolution. This enables libraries to adopt IS that help to provide
undisrupted services.
The researchers are of the view that, the list of IS used in libraries can never be
exhaustive. As early adopters of ICT/IS, libraries and for the matter academic libraries will
continue to embrace new IS as long as they are being developed. This gives the chance to
libraries never to be regarded as outmoded so long as they can offer the traditional services
using the most current IS available, they will be regarded as relevant from the user’s
perspective provided the systems use are managed properly to always deliver timely
services.
Literature on IS management revealed that despite the importance of managing and
maintaining IS, most organizations struggle to keep up to the task leading to loss of huge
capital investments in the IS (Pilemalm et al., 2016; Anisimov and Reshetnikov, 2011).
Different studies have also proved the benefits of managing IS indicating that well-
functioning IS lead to use of them (Marnewick, 2017; Mouakket and Bettayeb, 2005; Boddy
et al., 2005; Bharati and Berg, 2003). A number of studies also gave recommendations as to
how IS should be managed to ensure its effectiveness. Notable among these
recommendations are: management of IS should not be seen as the responsibility of only IT
staff but also the responsibility of managers, regular evaluation of ISs should be carried out
and quality infrastructure should be put in place and maintain regularly (Campos, 2016;
Fattahi and Afshar, 2006; Skretas, 2005).
Available literature has extensively documented the challenges encountered in IS
adoption in libraries in Africa. Ani et al. (2005) explored the sources of funds available for
ICT and factors that impede effective adoption of ICT in academic libraries in Nigeria. The
study showed that the main causes inhibiting the use of ICT in Nigerian university libraries
are lack of funds, frequent power outage, lack of trained personnel and the negative attitude
of university management towards the adoption of IT/IS in libraries, lack of understanding
of the impact of the IS by users and the staff behaviour towards change.
Adeleke and Olorunsola (2010) conducted a study on the use of online tools for
cataloguing and classification in Nigerian university libraries and found that lack of skills
on the part of library staff in using the tools is a major challenge. Their findings on ICT
skills were also echoed by Adeyoyin (2005) as well as Ibegbulam and Eze (2016) by stating
that the rate of ICT literacy among Nigerian library staff is very low. Libraries also
encounter subscription challenges dealing with licencing agreement coupled with lack of
experience of completing online forms, difficulty with the use of credit cards coupled with
the risk of internet fraud.
Asogwa (2014) measured the IT infrastructural availability in academic libraries and
skills and competencies of academic librarians in Nigeria. The study revealed that most of
the libraries had unstable power supply, inadequate computers, poor internet, poor ICT
policy and regulatory framework and low bandwidth. Library staff had inadequate
knowledge of Web development and therefore under-used digitized institutional
repositories. Similar problems were stated by Anie and Achugbue (2009) and Baro and
Asaba (2010).
DLP At the broader institutional level, a study by Eze et al. (2013) to determine the inhibiting
factors to ICT adoption by Nigerian universities also buttressed the finding of similar
studies in Nigerian academic libraries by stating that electricity, internet connectivity,
technology support, obsolete technology pose challenges to adoption of ICT in Nigerian
Universities. Lack of institutional support and embezzlement of funds were also cited as
challenges by Eze et al. (2013). In Kenya, Makori (2013) identified the lack of an ICT policy as
a major drawback to the adoption of an IS in libraries. Husain and Nazim (2015) and Ayoku
and Okafor (2015) indicate the specific areas of ICT training need in academic libraries as
computer programming, website, portal or subject gateways development, hardware
maintenance, metadata or e-resource management and content management. The issue of
lack of ICT skills among library staff is not limited to specific countries in Africa, as a study
by Adeyoyin (2006) of 370 professional librarians in West African countries revealed that
only 179 of them had adequate ICT skills.
Mapulanga (2013) studied the digital library initiative of the University of Malawi
Libraries. Findings showed that three out of the five college libraries adopted Greenstone
and the other two adopted DSpace. Thus, in the same university library system, three
different software programs were being used for the digital library project. The University
of Malawi did not have a policy to regulate the activities of the digital library. Other
challenges identified by the study included low level of ICT among library staff, viral
attacks, funding and inadequate bandwidth.
In a study by Kari and Baro (2014) on the use of LMS in Nigerian university libraries, it
was reported that there was a high software turnover rate in most Nigerian university
libraries for reasons such as lack of proper feasibility studies, huge maintenance cost and
lack of technical support. Thompson and Pwadura (2014) also identified frequent power
outages/surges, poor maintenance culture, lack of appropriate system security and
inadequate finance as major problems affecting the use of LMS at the University of
Development Studies in Ghana. In another study in Ghana by Ahenkorah-Marfo and
Akussah (2016), it was revealed that the adoption of social media in top universities in
Ghana was not streamlined, as the libraries did not have policies to guide them in the use of
social media and they lacked the required skills to make the use of such tools effective.
Mutula (2004) investigated IT diffusion in sub-Saharan Africa and noted that there is
limited utilization of the IS available in libraries across Africa. For instance, internet use is
restricted to accessing specific sites and services. A number of university libraries change
their IS over short periods with reasons of poor performance, lack of technical support from
suppliers, inadequate information on the functions of the IS prior to their purchase. There is
also lack of ICT policy in most of the universities and their libraries. High cost of ISs coupled
with maintenance cost make the systems unsustainable. In addition to this, IS project
managers in libraries in Africa also provide wrong cost to IS projects which affects the
budget for projects. These challenges make the adoption of ISs a huge burden for small
academic libraries, especially in Africa (Cho, 2011).
From the literature, a number of challenges encountered by academic libraries in their
quest to use IS in the delivery of services was discovered. The researchers noticed four
major broad areas of challenges based on the trends of reported challenges in the literature
reviewed for this study. These trends are as follows:

 financial challenges;

 technological and infrastructural challenges;

 human resource challenges; and

 organizational challenges.
It should however be noted that these challenges are not mutually exclusive of one another Information
but move hand in hand. For instance, financial challenges will lead to technological and systems
infrastructural challenges and will also not enable a library to maintain highly qualified
IT/library staff. Organizational challenges will lead to financial challenges due to lack of
commitment from leadership and will also cause staff not to be committed to IS projects. In
the midst of these existing challenges, it is very dangerous for libraries to continue to
operate IS without policies.
Methodology
Based on the findings from a larger research study (Ocloo and King, 2022a, 2022b) and
evidence as shown in the literature above, an IS standard guideline for libraries in Africa to
serve as a benchmark for ensuring implemented IS in libraries is used for the purpose for
which it was acquired and managed properly to ensure future use and benefits to the library
is proposed.
Proposed information system standard guideline for academic libraries in
Africa
It is therefore recommended for every library to have a standard/policy for IS with the
following basic elements.
Purpose and function
The purpose of acquiring an IS should be defined and outlined for each IS acquired and
every staff member made aware of this.
The functionalities and requirements of each IS adopted should be specifically stated.
This will serve as a yardstick for measuring the performance of the IS.
Legal and ethical issues
The use of the IS should be situated within the code of conduct of the information
professional and all data collected and use on patrons should be done within the personal
data protection act of the country.
Financial provision
To ensure adequate financial provision of IS projects, every library should assign a specific
percentage of the library’s budget towards an IS project. This initiative will help the
institutions to make funds available for IS projects. The percentage assigned should be
reviewed regularly and take into consideration local currency to foreign exchange rates, as
most of the IS tools are imported.
Libraries should endeavour to seek other sources of funding through aid and internally
generated funds to finance library IS projects.
Level of integration
Libraries, especially academic library ISs, should be integrated with the main institution
system. Academic libraries systems should be integrated with learning management system
adopted by the university.
Hosting of information system and security
Libraries should determine and indicate the means of hosting ISs; whether cloud-based or
locally hosted. If locally hosted, it should be indicated if it will be hosted by the main
DLP institution or IT unit or in the library. Whichever option the library decides on, adequate
facilities should be provided.
The library IS team should endeavour to provide current and robust internal and
external security of the IS. This will ensure that physical IS infrastructure and data in the IS
are secured. Appropriate levels of authorization should also be granted to each staff member
to safe guard the integrity of data and the system at large.
Information provision on information system
Adequate information should be provided to each staff member on the use of the IS and how
it can affect the staff’s job and the total outcome of the library. This will help staff appreciate
the benefits they are likely to gain from the use of the IS for their specific job roles and the
total benefit of the use of the IS to the library.
Each job position should be associated with a specific IS function and staff should be
adequately informed. This will enable staff to know exactly what functions to use the IS for
in their line of duty.
Information should be given to all staff members anytime there is an upgrade or change
in the IS associated with specific job performance to enable library staff be abreast with
current changes to the IS to aid ease of use.
Design issues
The user interface of all ISs should be designed to be user friendly and format of output from
ISs should be well structured to ensure clarity and use.
Maintenance and upgrades
Estimated schedules for maintenance work should be specifically outlined andmeasures put
in place to guarantee the stated maintenance is carried out.
The life span of every major equipment including servers, workstations and scanners among
others should be clearly stated. This will help replace equipment before they become obsolete.
Evaluation of information systems
Estimated schedules for evaluation of jobs performed with ISs should be provided. This type of
evaluation can easily be done through report generation on each function for every user account
created in the IS. This will guarantee that staff will use the IS to perform their expected roles.
The performance of the IS itself should be evaluated by using the purpose and functions
outlined as yardstick. It is highly recommended that this should be done every three months
to determine if the IS is performing as expected.
Training
Training should be made a core component of an IS. Training should be provided on general
computer use skills and library IS use on three different levels:
(1) Pre-implementation training: This should be provided by the vendor/developer/
consultant in charge of the IS before implementation and during the
implementation process of the IS. This type of training should aim at giving the
general knowledge and skills of using the IS to all staff members and also equip
each staff with adequate skills to use the IS to perform specific job-related
functions. It is advisable for this type of training to equip core IT/IS staff with
adequate knowledge and skills on installation and all functions of ISs, so that they
will serve as in-house trainers to other staff members in the future.
(2) Refresher training: Due to the fact that IS functionalities keep advancing, it is Information
prudent for libraries to organize refresher training to all staff members using systems
training methods that best meet the needs of the library. Libraries can organize in-
house training using IT/IS staff who have been trained by vendors as proposed in
Point (1) above. No matter the method of training chosen by a library, it is highly
recommended for each staff member to be retrained at least once in every three
months to ensure library staff do not become obsolete in the use of the IS and other
IT tools.
(3) It is highly recommended that personal training sessions should be organized for
individual staff who may have peculiar challenges with IS use. This is very
necessary in the African context, as the majority of library staff as evident in the
literature do not have advanced IT skills leading to the possibility of them to not
use the training initiatives optimally or struggle to apply skills and activities after
the training. This type of training will help them feel more comfortable to express
their weakness and be assisted to overcome them.
Due to the peculiar nature of the African situation where IT professionals with expert
knowledge on library ISs are generally not available, IS installation and training should be
made a compulsory part of the purchasing agreement so that vendors will ensure the full
enrolment of the IS before handing it over to the library. In the case of open-source software
acquisition, consultation should be done with an expert team with knowledge of library IS
installation. This will help prevent the situation where IS projects are left in the hands of an
individual IT staff member.
Level of authentication
The system use should ensure a two level authentication. Thus, data entered should be
approved by a senior level staff to ensure the integrity of the data in the IS.
Level of automation with ILMS and functions
Total automation of all library functions and services is highly recommended but due to the
challenging demands of the African environment, it is also recommended that at least all
basic/core library functions namely acquisition, cataloguing, electronic resource management,
circulation and OPAC should be the minimum level of automation in every library with the
ILMS adopted having the function of report generation.
Acquisition. The acquisition module should enable pre-order searching, ordering process,
receiving, fund processing and payment.
Cataloguing. The cataloguing module should support an international machine readable
cataloguing record standard. This will ensure that the bibliographic record of libraries can
be shared and the database can bemigrated to another ILMS.
Serial control. The serial control module should provide functions to support the
processes of ordering, receiving, paying of current issues, cataloguing, indexing and
creating of union list of serial publications. It must also contain a search functionality
allowing for different access points.
Electronic resource management. The electronic resource management module should
help libraries develop a subscription management facility supported by a knowledge base,
an A–Z searchable list, discovery services, provide information on electronic resources held
by the library and their subscription status, vendor access to provide support through trial,
acquisition and licencing stages. The system should aid the library to generate usage
statistics for each electronic resource.
DLP Circulation. The circulation model should be used for the followingminimum functions:

 creation of user accounts;

 charge items;

 discharge items;

 calculate fines;

 payment of fines;

 assignment and modification of due dates of items; and

 sending of automatic e-mails or SMS to patrons on overdue and other relevant
messages
The circulation module of an ILMS acquired by a library should also enable offline
circulation in case of system failure or internet downtime. This is very essential in the
African environment where internet downtime and power cuts are common challenges. The
offline and online circulation modules should be programmed to synchronize automatically
to avoid inaccuracies in the two data sets.
OPAC. The OPAC should be online and work well with major browsers to facilitate
federated searching. All library materials including e-resources and IR records should be
searchable via different search options or access points via the OPAC.
Report generation. The report module should provide statistical information on each
record in the LMS as well as staff activity which can be used to determine productivity of
staff and the performance of the IS.
Personalization feature. The ILMS adopted should provide a feature for end users to
create personal accounts to keep track of library resource they use or are interested in. This
feature should enable a user to keep record of all transaction performed with the ILMS. A
user should be able to self-charge and discharge resources and also renew via the web portal
of the library with this feature.
Use of digital asset management tools

 Every academic library should use the most current version of the Digital Asset
Management chosen. It is recommended that countries choose one type of software
as is the situation now in Ghana (Ocloo and King, 2022b), for instance, to enable
them to continue sharing their experiences.

 A minimum of two staff members should be trained and assigned to IR projects
even in small libraries.

 Self-archiving should be encouraged among the academic community as it will
reduce the work load of the library staff.

 Bibliographic details and metadata of materials uploaded should be linked with the
OPAC and discovery services to enhance the use of the materials.

 The content of the materials should be uploaded in searchable format.

 African academic libraries should endeavour to merge their IR to form a national
academic repository for the continent.
Social media accounts
Libraries should officially declare the social media handles they have created for official
functions. To ensure active use of library social media handles, a staff member should be
assigned to be in charge thereof and post information regularly. All other staff members and Information
patrons should be encouraged to patronize the links. systems
Library websites
All library websites should be available free of charge and link to the library site not more
than three clicks from the home page of institutions. It is highly recommended for the library
link to be on the home page. The link should be appropriately titled “library”.
Adequate navigational and search features should be provided.
The date of posting and authorizing institution (library) should be clearly stated on each
page of the site.
Information available on the site should be updated at least every three months.
All libraries should provide the following functions and information on their website:

 website index;

 site map;

 library website feedback form or e-mail link;

 web site search;

 frequently asked questions;

 mobile version (mobile catalogue);

 Webmaster link;

 library “news alerts”;

 RSS feed;

 Web 2.0;

 user guidelines;

 virtual help desk or ask a librarian;

 new-arrival section;

 LibGuides;

 Myaccount;

 discovery services;

 library events calendar;

 image gallery of library providing pictures of every section of the library and other
library activities;

 online tutorials;

 information and virtual request for off-campus access;

 information on different library sections;

 library services and technical services;

 link to e-resources including a research portal;

 information on library resources/collection; and

 library general information.
The library website should be provided in the two major international languages,
namely, English and French to enable international access to the information on the
websites.
DLP Staffing for information system projects
The library committee should setup a sub-committee to oversee IS issues in the library. This
committee should be headed by the librarian and the head of IT unit should bemade amember.
For academic institution, they should assign one IT/IS staff to the library who will be
directly in charge of all library IS issues. Large universities can set up IT units within the
library to provide IT support to the library team.
Conclusion
IS have become a major component of libraries. Their functionality determines the success
of library service provision. These systems come at huge cost to libraries and must therefore
be properly managed for adequate benefits to be derived from them. The users of libraries
also expect prompt and efficient service delivery which can only be made possible through
appropriate current technology.
To achieve these and overcome the challenges outlined in existing literature in Africa, the
study developed an IS standard guideline for libraries in Africa. This will serve as a
guideline to help libraries makemaximum use of ISs in libraries in Africa.
It is recommended that every library should adopt an IS policy based on the standard
that has been proposed in this paper to ensure that ISs are properly managed and used for
the specific purposes for which they have been acquired.
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About the authors
Dr Patience Emefa Dzandza Ocloo is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Information Studies,
University of Ghana. Her research interests are in information system use and management and
information organization. Patience Emefa Dzandza Ocloo is the corresponding author and can be
contacted at: Pedzandza@ug.edu.gh
Dr Lizette King lectures at the Department of Library and Information Science, University of the
Western Cape where she is currently the Head of Department. Her research interests are in
information literacy, information behavior and e-resources.
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