Abstract:
This study sought to assess documentation of automation procedures in academic libraries in a case study for Maseno and Great Lakes University libraries. Automation is a process described in terms of how it is performed, by who, when it starts, when it ends, and how it is supported by a computer system. Documentation provides evidence on automation process and facilitates transparency in organization of activities and clarification of individual responsibilities. Most academic libraries in Kenya are automated but documentation of procedures has not been captured despite the growing number of universities and/or constituent colleges. The aim of the study was to find out existing documentation of library automation procedures, Establish the perception of librarians and users on its effectiveness, Challenges associated with it and the personnel involved. Descriptive design was used while data was collected through structured questionnaires in which 58 respondents were involved. Stratified random sampling was used to identify the respondents. Both primary and secondary data was collected and analyzed. The findings showed that existing automation procedures were: Program documentation, User, description of data storage and system flowchart. Automation procedures included: Acquisitions, Cataloguing, Classification, Reference services, and serialization. Some libraries are not well established. Most of library personnel use automated systems with ease compared to majority (58.0%) who are average users. 24.0% of users experience problems in using automated services. Seventy-one-point four percent (71.4%) of users do not have any trainings/ induction on use of documented systems. Challenges included: power shortage, user misuse, lack of proper orientation, limited access points, network insecurity, lack of enough personnel, high maintenance cost and poor documentation. Majority of personnel have diverse qualifications relevant to responsibilities assigned to them and some are ICT and software specialists. This study concludes that documentation and automation of procedures it is lacking in most constituent colleges. Service providers and users are of the opinion that documentation of procedures enhances service delivery. The paper observes that several challenges are experienced especially at university campuses and constituent colleges. It is recommended that similar studies be extended to other academic libraries.
