Impact of library management systems on information provision in the Rustenburg municipality

Abstract

Background: The Library Management System (LMS) is crucial to the operations and performance of the library. Libraries around the world have automated their operations to provide relevant services to users and to move away from operating manually.

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of LMS on the provision of information in libraries of the local municipality of Rustenburg.

Method: This was a quantitative study that examined the impact of LMS on information provision in libraries of the Rustenburg local municipality. The survey research design was adopted and data was collected using questionnaires.

Results: The findings revealed that Rustenburg libraries depend highly on manual systems, which is a sign that they do not have adequate information and communication technologies. The few libraries that have online systems used them for circulation and are not maximising the full functions of the library.

Conclusion: The study concludes that the local municipality of Rustenburg should provide funding to acquire information and communication technologies. Furthermore, it should adopt a library system in all libraries and train staff in all modules.

Contribution: The LMS’s are crucial in the operations and performance of the library. Similar studies focused on the type of management systems available for use and how they can be managed. Having said that, most third world countries are still using manual systems, therefore this study takes the discussion further by looking at the impact that the lack of systems in the third world countries have on information provision in libraries.