Challenges and Remedies for Adoption of Open Source Integrated Library System in the University Libraries of Bangladesh

Abstract

This paper aims to identify the significant challenges and remedies for the adoption of Open Source Integrated Library System (OSILS) in the university libraries of Bangladesh. A survey was conducted among 184 library professionals from seven public and fourteen private university libraries using a structured questionnaire. The challenges for adoption of OSILS were computed through multiple regressions analysis. The regression models revealed that lack of consortium of OSILS, the unwillingness of library professionals to take the initiative, inadequate funding, lack of IT infrastructure, and lack of training & retraining of library professionals were the significant cause of lower adoption of OSILS in the university libraries of Bangladesh. Among the fourteen challenges for adoption of OSILS in the university libraries of Bangladesh, “lower the technical knowledge of library professionals on OSILS” occupied the highest mean, whereas “higher the availability of commercial software” formed the lowest mean. Among the twenty remedies for the adoption of OSILS in the university libraries of Bangladesh, “libraries should employ skilled manpower” occupied the highest mean whereas “technical support from vendors for adoption and maintenance of OSILS” formed the lowest mean. This study suggested some recommendations based on the findings. The effort has been made to assess the significant challenges and remedies for the adoption of OSILS in the University Libraries of Bangladesh for the first time that will trigger further study on OSILS.