Re-engineering and Redefining University Libraries in the Context of Modern Information and Communication Technologies

Technological advances, especially within information and communication technologies, have brought remarkable changes in the functions and services of libraries and information centers. In recent decades, the library and information service sector has witnessed rapid changes due to various factors. In order to cope with these changes and to improve the organizational performance through the effective use of the latest technologies, various strategies are commonly used. Among these, Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) is one of the leading management approaches which deals with the radical redesign of an organization's processes, especially its business processes. Rather than organizing an institution into functional specialties (like production, accounting, marketing, etc.) and looking at the tasks that each function performs, the re-engineering theory is looking at complete processes from acquisition, to production or services, to marketing, distribution, and dissemination. Hence, the organization should be re-engineered into a series of processes. BPR in libraries target to serve the clientele not as a mechanical act, but one that provides an opportunity for fulfillment and meaning. Policy planners, head of institutions, librarians, and library staff should be able to understand the principles of re-engineering their libraries. This book provides a detailed management analysis in the context of modern ICTs and depicts various aspects of re-engineering that can be used to re-define the business processes of libraries, especially university libraries. The book also discusses the re-engineering and re-defining aspects of collection management, personnel management, technology management, service management, etc.