The impact of information technology on library organisations

Abstract

Information technology, by combining computers and telecommunication technologies into one function, is increasingly becoming a powerful and important device in libraries. It is utilised by libraries to perform internal technical functions more efficiently and to provide more timely and better services to meet users' information needs. Consequently, it has produced tremendous and significant impacts on major areas of library organisations. Information technology is widely regarded by scholars as a primary force contributing to organisational changes in libraries. As a result there emerges a need for libraries to understand the impact of information technology on library organisations. With this understanding, libraries are then able to plan for their future transformation in an increasingly complex and diverse information environment. This study reviews the literature which discusses the impact of information technology on library organisations, including the impact on library structures and staff. A Delphi study has been used to explore opinions of professional librarians regarding the impact of information technology on library organisations within university libraries in New Zealand. A comparison is made between the results of this survey and the findings discussed in the literature. It is found that significant impacts brought by the development of information technology have already emerged in New Zealand's university libraries. In these libraries, information technology is on its way to changing their organisational structures and to producing significant impacts on library staff.