eReadiness of Public University Libraries in Malawi with Special Reference to the Use of Mobile Phones in the Provision of Library and Information Services

Abstract

It was observed that public university libraries in Malawi were failing to adequately serve their clients due to, among others, inadequate ICT infrastructure and and and limited opening hours. The use of mobile phones in the provision of library and information services was viewed as an alternative solution to this challenge. This study was, therefore, undertaken to investigate the eReadiness of public university libraries in Malawi to use mobile phones in the provision of library and information services. The study addressed the following questions: What is the level of preparedness of public university libraries in Malawi in terms of ICT infrastructure, policy framework and human capacity for the adoption and use of mobile phones in providing library and information services? What electronic information resources and services are currently available in public university libraries in Malawi that can potentially be adopted and used through mobile phones? What is the current status of providing and accessing library and information services through mobile phones in public university libraries in Malawi? What are the attitudes of library staff, academic staff and students towards the potential use of mobile phones in providing and accessing library and information services? What factors influence the adoption and use of mobile phones by library staff, students and academic staff in providing and accessing library and information services? The study was underpinned by two theories: Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), and Technology, Organization, and Environment (TOE) Framework. The study used the pragmatic paradigm, mixed methodology and case study design to understand the research phenomenon. The population of the study comprised students, academic staff, university/college librarians and ICT Directors. The samples of the population studied were 370 students, 255 academic staff, 5 university/college librarians and 5 ICT Directors. Qualitative data was collected through interviews from university/college librarians and ICT Directors while quantitative data was collected from students and academic staff using questionnaires. Qualitative data was analysed using Nvivo whilst quantitative data was analysed using IBM SPSS Software version 23. Findings of the study reveal that libraries surveyed had most of the ICT infrastructure necessary for offering library and information services through mobile phones. Students and academic staff possessed mobile phones which they could use to access information services offered by the libraries. Moreover, the mobile telecommunications network was pervasive in the country making the delivery and access to library services through mobile phones easier. However, ICT policies were not available whilst human resources and requisite skills were inadequate to provide effective library and information services through the use of mobile phones. The results further revealed that institutions surveyed had e-resources such as OPAC, e-books, e-journals, and repositories of local content that could be implemented through mobile phones. Findings also revealed that COM Library had fully implemented library and information services offered through mobile phones but MZUNI, KCN, The Polytechnic and LUANAR were all planning either to introduce or fully implement these services. The attitudes of library staff, academic staff and students towards the potential use of mobile phones in providing and accessing library and information services were largely positive. Network quality, service costs, and response times were factors that influenced the use of mobile phones in providing library and information services. The overall conclusion from this study was that public university libraries in Malawi were generally e-ready to offer library and information services through mobile phones notwithstanding certain infrastructure and skills issues that must be addressed. Consequently, the study recommended that public university libraries in Malawi that had not implemented the delivery of library services through mobile phones should speed up their implementation. The study further recommended that infrastructure and skills issues that were discovered should be addressed to ensure effective operations of library and information services provided through mobile phones. The researcher recommends that a much broader study covering all students in the four public universities in order to provide a holistic picture of the eReadiness of public university libraries in Malawi to offer library and information services through mobile phones.