Management of Organizations

Introduction

As a student I know how important a library is. Much the work that we will be doing this semester involves a lot of research. You will agree with me that a library is the best place where I can get information on the various pieces of research I will be conducting. I have chosen a library as an organization of study from personal experience of one of my friends, who went to Pakistan for an exchange program. His experience of the libraries in Pakistan was not the best. The libraries there have not integrated modern technology, which makes everything complicated. This essay will discuss the problem in the library at University of Bahawalpur in Pakistan, the cause of the problem, and the recommendations to solve it.

The Problem in University of Bahawalpur Library

I agree with my friend that the problem of University of Bahawalpur library is lack of integration of modern technology in the library operation. Books are still stored in manual shelves. In order to find a book, one has to go through the hustle of finding the title, author, or its reference in a manual catalogue. What is more, there are no soft copies that one can borrow or study in the library. In addition, there is no internet connection in the library, which means that one cannot research online. Lack of modern technology in the library has made operations there rather complicated.

Analysis of the Problem

I wanted to understand what the main cause of the problem of library at Bahawalpur University was. My thinking was that one of the problems was lack of adequate skills among the librarians. With the advancement of the modern technology and Internet, I feel that modern librarians should have computer skills, such as web designing and organizing. Research done by Dianne McKenzie on courses librarians go through in Pakistan supports my argument. According to McKenzie, only two universities in Pakistan (University of Karachi and University of Punjab) teach librarianship. The costs of these courses are also high, which makes only few people enroll for the courses. The effect is that schools are left with librarians, who do not understand the system, policies, or procedures, and who work only grounded on their basic knowledge (McKenzie). I believe that the same situation is in the University of Bahawalpur library.

The second reason for lack of modern technology integration in University of Bahawalpur library is lack of modern facilities and resources, such as computers and Internet. To my mind, even if the librarians went through librarianship and computer skills, without modern facilities in the University of Bahawalpur library it would still be difficult to operate. Diane McKenzie’s research supports my thinking that most school libraries in Pakistan lack some modern facilities. In his research, McKenzie discovered that most schools do not use automated systems in the libraries. Most of the libraries do not have a system to help students find resources in large capacity hence they browse on the shelves manually to search for the required materials. In few schools that have computers, the librarians do not have any computer skills. Furthermore, there is a problem of daily power outages, which makes it difficult to rely on computers, if any. In schools that are lucky to have Internet access, the Internet is always inconsistent and unreliable (McKenzie).

I believe that such two factors as lack of skilled librarians and lack of modern facilities and technology are the main cause of the problem that University of Bahawalpur library faces. A great role here would play the integration of modern technology in library operations.

Recommendations

After making the analysis, one can conclude that the main cause of the problem in University of Bahawalpur library is lack of skilled librarians as well as modern facilities and skills. I therefore recommend that the university offer computer skills and librarianship course and direct some of the school’s funds towards improving the facilities in the library. If the librarians are well-trained, they will have the capacity to organize library materials and act as web designers and organizers, researchers, managers, intermediaries, end-user trainers, facilitators, and sifter of information. In addition, they will be knowledgeable about modern methods of book storage and library operations. What concerns the issues of facility and technology, if the school channels more funds into improving the facilities of the library, they will manage to buy enough computers, back-up generators, and provide reliable internet access. Afterwards, they will manage to integrate the modern technology and make the operations in the library easier and more convenient.

The materials of Erik Peterson’s case study can be applied when initiating the recommendations explained above. Ensuring that the subordinate (librarians) are involved in decisions of the organization can create harmony. Another material on the course is the idea of motivation. If the librarians are motivated either intrinsically or extrinsically, they will find some innovative ways of running the library, for instance, developing application where students can access library materials even when not in the library. Lastly, the lessons on networking are relevant in the recommendations explained above. Interconnecting the library with other offices will reduce congestion in the main library.

In addition to training the librarians and channeling more funds into school library, all other stakeholders, such as students, will also need to be trained in order to know how to operate in the library and use the new technology installed. This may be time consuming, may require a lot of resources (manpower and money), and there probably will be those members of the organization who may be rigid about accepting these changes.

Conclusion

My friend went to Pakistan as an exchange student and realized that there is a problem of integrating modern technology in the University of Bahawalpur library. After my analysis, I discovered that the causes include lack of skilled librarians as well as modern technology and facilities. Therefore, I recommended training the librarians as well as directing more funds towards improving library facilities.