Abstract:
This study aimed at examining characteristics of public university libraries regarded
as innovative organization, determining factors affecting the development of public
university libraries into innovative organization, exploring current condition of public
university libraries, and identifying means for developing them into innovation-driven
organization. This research was divided into 3 stages. In the first stage, the examination of
characteristics of and factors leading to innovative organization was conducted. In the
second stage, current conditions of public university libraries were explored. And in the
final stage, an evaluation to identify means of developing them into innovative
organization was organized.
The first stage of research was qualitative research, the second stage was
quantitative research, and the third stage was qualitative research. The tools employed
for this study were semi-structured interview form, questionnaire, and group discussion.
The study sample included 20 members of 5 public university libraries comprising library
administrators, librarians, library users and experts. The sample of exploring current
conditions of the public university libraries consisted of 271 staff from 26 public university
libraries, while the evaluation of guidelines for the development of public university
libraries to the innovative organization was evaluated by 8 experts. The collected
qualitative data were analyzed by content analysis, and the quantitative ones were
analyzed by percentage, mean, and standard deviation.
The results of the research were as follows:
1. The characteristics of public university libraries regarded as innovative
organization included 7 items: 1) visionary organization and innovative leader, 2) learning
organization, 3) user-centered organization, 4) organization with mindset shifting, 5)
organizations with changing roles and work processes; 6) organizations with an open
culture; and 7) organizations with cooperative networks.2. There were 5 factors affecting the development of public university libraries into
the innovative organization: 1) organization, 2) library administrator, 3) resources and
budget, 4) information technology, and 5) library user.
3. The current conditions of public university libraries as innovative organization
disclosed that most of them had the characteristics of innovative organization at a high
level. In the aspect of innovative organization, it was found that the highest level was the
user-centered organization, followed by organizations with changing roles and work
processes and learning organization. In the factors affecting the development of public
university libraries into the innovative organization, it was found that they had the factors
affecting the development of public university libraries into the innovative organization at
a high level. When each aspect was considered, the finding revealed that the highest level
was library user, followed by information technology and library administrator.
4. The guidelines for development of public university libraries into the innovative
organization, the data revealed that the libraries had to develop 3 elements:
1) human resource development, 2) an establishment of library core values, and 3)
development of additional supporting factors.