Determinants of Service Innovation in Academic Libraries through the Lens of Disruptive Innovation

Abstract

With the development of digital technologies, various disruptive innovations have emerged that are gradually replacing academic libraries in the information-seeking process. As academic libraries become less relevant to their users, it is imperative that they develop strategies to respond to disruption. We highlight the fact that the service mission of academic libraries is in alignment with service innovation and propose that academic libraries respond to disruption by accelerating service innovation. Applying the Resources-Processes-Values framework, we recommend that, to facilitate service innovation, high-level administrators become innovation leaders, foster an innovation-supportive culture, tie performance evaluations and rewards to innovation outcomes, and create dedicated innovation teams with high levels of decision-making autonomy. We also recommend that academic libraries involve their users and build partnerships with other libraries and with commercial communities to bring about service innovation necessary to respond to disruption.cademic libraries have long enjoyed the reputation as the "heart of the university." Library users traditionally visited a library building to conduct research, locate and retrieve items from the collection, or consult a librarian at the reference desk. With the advent of the Internet, more and more library services are delivered digitally. In recent years, with the emergence of various Internet-related innovations such as Google Scholar, faculty and students have been gradually moving away from their libraries altogether: instead of walking up to a reference desk or using the chat program to seek help from a reference librarian, they rely on various free web resources as the first step in information seeking; instead of using library materials, they rely on Google Scholar to locate resources; instead of using library-subscribed journals, they peruse open journals and repositories. As this trend continues, academic libraries are under mounting pressure to demonstrate their value.

The Emerging Technology Collection at Carleton University Library: Supporting Experiential Learning in the University Curriculum

“…For example, Yeh and Walter (2016) examine the determinants of service innovation in academic libraries.…”

Quantitative analysis of workplace morale in academic librarians and the impact of direct supervisors on workplace morale

“… Patillo et al (2009) also found academic librarians have more autonomy than public librarians and librarians with administrative or information technology roles experience higher levels of autonomy. Yeh and Walter (2016) proposed that the autonomy of librarians and library committees is a crucial factor towards creating innovative solutions to combat the evolving demands placed on academic libraries. Work autonomy's relationship to constructs such as job satisfaction, motivation, commitment, and decreases in stress, point to work autonomy as an important tool for academic library managers to deploy towards increasing performance and potentially workplace morale.…”

Competitive intelligence as a coping strategy for academic libraries in South Africa

“…The competitors have increased over the years because of information brokerage, globalisation as well as the evolution of information technologies and networks (Patkar, 2010). Most of them have aggressive, fast-paced and disruptive approaches, offering advanced and improved services and products (Esse, 2013; Pinfield et al , 2017; Yeh and Walter, 2017). Similarly, they are more equipped with sophisticated technology, current library resources and adequate funding that enhance their ability to provide much-needed information to the information seekers, thus making it difficult for academic libraries to contend (Esse, 2013; Farney and McHale, 2013).…”

“…Given the increasing need and pressure for efficiency, productivity and competitiveness in academic libraries, the need to explore and intensify the adoption of Internet technologies as competitive and innovative tools has heightened (Appleton et al , 2011; Al Hijji, 2012; Tait et al , 2016; Pietruch-Reizes, 2010; Uzohue and Yaya, 2016; Pinfield et al , 2017; Yeh and Walter, 2017). Although the adoption of technologies is touted as the solution, there is evidence that it could be impacted negatively by challenges such as the following: slow adoption of technology, budgetary constraints, lack of leadership and inadequate skills level.…”