Abstract
M.Com. (Business Management)
In the knowledge economy, the service delivery models, organisational structure and staffing, facilities, and workflows and procedures in academic libraries are changing continuously. Current technological growth and advancement is enabling academic libraries to change the way they deliver service to clients, redefining the academic library collection in order to meet the changing needs of clients and remain relevant.
The focus of the study presented in this minor dissertation is to analyse and understand how change in terms of technology is managed in a decentralised academic library in a higher education institution (HEI) of South Africa. Change is something that is happening in most organisations on a daily basis, and academic libraries should be active in responding to change because of the vital role in supporting teaching, learning and research at HEI level. If the academic library can manage change in a planned manner, they would progress in effectively meeting the information needs of their clients.
This study was placed within a qualitative research paradigm. A case study design presented the study with the opportunity to analyse the feelings, opinion and experience of the participants and ensured that the real life events are investigated. Semi-structured individual interviews were used to collect data for the purpose of this study.
The most significant finding of this study is the emphasis on the importance of change management in the library and the need for effective communication in order to achieve low employee resistance to change. The majority of the research participants felt that technological change is improving the level of library service to clients. The findings enabled the researcher to make recommendations for future change practice in academic libraries.