Adoption of Koha Open Source Software for Service Delivery in Skyline University Library, Nigeria

Abstract

This research investigated the adoption of Koha open source software for service delivery in Skyline University Library, Nigeria. The objectives of the study was to find out the: types of library services provided in the library studied; perception of library staff about the adoption of Koha in the library; attitude of library staff towards the adoption of Koha and; challenges associated with the adoption of Koha. Qualitative methodology was employed for the study using narrative based design. The population of the study comprised the six (6) library staff that work in the library. Interview was used to obtain data from all the six library staff in the library. Narrative analysis was use to analyze the data collected from the participants. Findings revealed that the: services provided in the library include technical and readers’ in both physical and online forms; the library staff had a positive perception about the adoption of Koha. In terms of perceived usefulness, they agreed that Koha has enhanced their work performance and experience, improved their efficiency and productivity and positively impacted on the library’s relevance. On perceived ease of use they agreed that Koha is easy to use because of its flexibility and adaptability. Findings also revealed that the library staff had a positive attitude and sentiment towards Koha because it is open source, requires no subscription, can be modified to meet the library’s specific needs, and provides community and multilingual support and cost effective. The participants agreed that poor internet connectivity and epileptic power supply are the challenges affecting the adoption of Koha. The paper concluded by recommending that adequate internet and power infrastructure be provided for the library to function optimally.