The aim of this study is to determine how the absence of a collection development policy is affecting collection development practices at Mzuzu University Library. This research is a case study that makes use of a sequential mixed design which means that data was collected in a number of stages. The researchers personally collected data from the field using a semi-structured questionnaire, tape recorder, and coding schedules. The main data collection procedure was a focus-group discussion involving senior library members of staff. Researchers also carried out physical inspection and analysis of books from the Acquisitions Department, and Reading Area. Qualitative data collected was analysed thematically, whilst quantitative data was analysed using MS Excel. The study found out that the absence of a collection development policy has greatly affected collection development practices at Mzuzu University Library. Most of the core collection development practices such as selection, acquisition, weeding and preservation were haphazardly done as there were no clearly documented guidelines to guide the various individuals that were involved in the implementation of these collection development tasks to ensure consistency. The findings of this study are significant because they could be a catalyst for the development of collection development policy at Mzuzu University Library, which might in the long run provide solutions to collection development challenges which the institution currently faces.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study the use of Koha integrated library system by higher education institutions in Malawi.
Design/methodology/approach
The study made use of the diffusion of innovation theory as an anchoring model. Data were collected using a survey questionnaire that was administered to library managers of higher education institutions registered with the National Council for Higher Education in Malawi. The data collected were analyzed using SPPS version 21 to generate descriptive statistics.
Findings
The findings revealed that 84.2 per cent of libraries in higher education institutions in Malawi are automated, and 81.3 per cent of them are using Koha ILS and the rest were using proprietary and other open source software. Cost and technical aspects have been discovered to be the primary factors that have assisted in the rapid diffusion of Koha. The study also exposed some factors that negatively impacted the use of Koha in the adopting institutions. The main ones included lack of information and communication technology infrastructure, unreliable Internet connectivity and limited finances.
Originality/value
Previously, some small-scale case studies have been performed to examine implementation of Koha in some higher education institutions in Malawi. However, this is the first large-scale attempt to investigate use of Koha among higher education institutions in the country. Findings that have shown that Koha can be installed easily and used at minimal cost could assist in its rapid adoption in the higher education institutions, a majority of whom face a myriad of financial challenges.
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