Article Details

Management Information Systems In some Academic Libraries In India |

Chandra Bir Singh, in Journal of Advances in Science and Technology | Science & Technology

ABSTRACT:

This paper examines the potential and actual use ofcomputer generated information in decision making by academic library managers.It begins by discussing some of the contemporary issues in Indian highereducation which are compelling library managers towards establishing a moreformal planning process and towards making more systematic use of informationin their decision making, especially in resources allocation and serviceevaluation. It considers the general features of Management InformationSystems, particularly automated systems, and reviews the general development ofautomated library systems in Indian academic libraries. It then examines thecurrent state of development of Management Information Systems in some Indianacademic libraries. The results of the survey showed that automated ManagementInformation Systems are not widely available to library managers. Only two ofthe sixteen libraries made much use of their library automation systems formanagement information. Problems to be overcome include the crude form of dataprovided by existing automated library systems, a lack of agreement on whatdata is required for management purposes, and a lack of expertise on the partof library staff in interpreting data. The cost of establishing ManagementInformation Systems and the absence of Management Information systems in theparent institutions had also inhibited their widespread adoption by academiclibraries. However, it appears that the introduction of Management Informationsystems poses no threats to library staff, because most libraries already havea 'flat' management structure.