Purpose Academic libraries are reengineering their services to address the gap brought about by the convergence of physical and virtual information landscape. Despite the reengineering efforts, as many as 70 per cent of the libraries do not achieve the expected results. Certain critical success factors need to be in place for successful implementation. This paper aims to investigate the key success factors to service reengineering in an effort to establish their extent of application in university libraries in Kenya. Design/methodology/approach A multiple case study approach of six purposively selected private and public university libraries in Kenya based on Webometric ranking as an indicator of reengineering was used. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with 30 librarians. The qualitative data collected were analyzed through content analysis. Findings The following key success factors were found to have been considered during reengineering: top management commitment, planning, provision of required resources, appropriate IT infrastructure, presence of skilled and competent staff, value of the library to the university and teamwork. Despite the central role of training, change management program and having a clear vision and objectives, university libraries in Kenya did not pay any attention to them as deserved. The authors conclude that university libraries in Kenya have not optimally achieved the desired reengineering results as a result of overlooking training and change management as critical success factors. The paper recommends that the identified critical success factors should be considered wholly not in isolation. Research limitations/implications The study was carried out among the top-ranked universities according to the January 2017 Webometric ranking; and therefore the findings may give a general indication of the critical success factors considered by university libraries in Kenya. However, this pre-condition may have locked out other libraries that may have made some recommendable strides in re-engineering their services. Originality/value This study has practical implications in identifying the critical success factors for library service reengineering to provide insights on the factors to consider as librarians reengineer library services.
One of the key responsibilities of a government is to provide efficient health care services that are better and affordable. In Burundi, patients’ health records are collected using handwritten forms and stored in filing cabinets. Evidence’ based research and practice shows that adoption of a Big Data Analytics (BDA) system can significantly improve health care services. Unfortunately, BDA adoption models and automated assessment tools are lacking not to mention the dearth caused by researchers’ predominant focus on the technical aspects. Therefore, the aim of this study was to propose a BDA system adoption model for improving health care services in Burundi’s public hospitals. This was achieved through a mixed research method a large part being qualitative. The factors that influence the adoption of BDA in public healthcare services using the Technology Organization Environment (TOE) adoption theory through a desk research. Semi-structured interviews, observations and document reviews were used to investigate the methods used to collect, store and analyze data in Public hospitals of Burundi. Afterwards, a web based automated Adoption Readiness Assessment Tool (ARAT) was developed then used to assess the readiness of Burundi in adopting a BDA system in its public hospitals. The assessment results showed that the country has adequate telecommunication infrastructures and has started using information systems like OpenClinic and District Health Information Software 2 (DHIS2) in some public hospitals, the government has set up policies for e-Health and the level of awareness is high as well among health workers. But there are improvements to be made in order to assure that the adoption is successful. Lastly, a tailored adoption model was proposed describing what should be done and how in order to assure a successful adoption of a BDA in public hospitals.
Institutional repositories (IRs) have a leading role in providing long-term access to the research output of universities. This study assessed the capabilities of institutional repositories in Kenya to support long-term preservation of digital content by reviewing digital preservation policies and plans. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews from 19 respondents drawn from three public universities that were identified by their registration in OpenDOAR, ROARMAP and the number of items in their repositories. Additional data was acquired through analysis of documents such as open access policies and mandates, as well as institutional websites. Findings revealed that the organizations were poorly prepared to support long-term digital preservation. Policies were inadequate and plans to support the implementation of the policies were lacking. The study concluded that although the IRs were to undertake digital preservation, they lacked clearly defined actions from plans and policy. This article offers recommendations, including identifying digital preservation goals that will guide policy formulation and multi-stakeholder involvement in the policy-making process. Effort should also be made to create awareness of the relationship between digital content selection and its successful long-term preservation.
Selecting suitable suppliers of ICT products is always a challenging task for a procuring entity since it requires the consideration of multiple, competing, tangible and intangible criteria in determining optimal suppliers of a given product. This study investigated the evaluation criteria of suppliers of ICT products used by Moi University with a view to developing a multicriteria decision analysis model for evaluating the performance of suppliers of ICT products. Hence, the study was guided by a variation of Saaty’s Analytical Hierarchy Process theory of measurement and targeted a population of 55 respondents comprised of 33 ICT staff and 22 procurement staff. Seventeen companies who bid to supply ICT products were targeted. Purposive sampling was used to select 7 companies who supply ICT products as per their prequalification status and there were 16 respondents; 11 from the Procurement unit and 5 from the ICT directorate respectively. Data was collected using questionnaires and documentary reviews. The study findings demonstrated that quality and transport and communication logistics were the most preferred evaluation criteria and sub criteria respectively, and the respondents had different preferential treatment on suppliers of ICT products as per the evaluation sub criterions. It is recommended that the model be adopted to assist the procurement unit in evaluating suppliers of ICT products and be customized for use in evaluating suppliers of other products at the University and other public institutions in Kenya. https://doi.org/10.13033/ijahp.v9.i2.487
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