Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify barriers and drivers to open source software (OSS) adoption, and measures awareness and adoption stages of OSS in US academic libraries. Design/methodology/approach: An online survey of chief information officers, chief technology officers or heads for IT in US academic libraries was conducted. A total number of 179 responses were used for data analysis. Findings: From the survey, the authors identify significant barriers and drivers that US academic libraries may consider before adopting OSS and found that awareness itself is not a barrier. While about half of respondents confirmed using OSS, the authors found surprisingly low levels of intent to adopt from current non-adopters. Practical implications: This research offers insights for promoting OSS adoption. Also, it provides funding agencies and administrators with guidelines to encourage successful deployment of OSS in higher education. Originality/value: While extant research is mostly anecdotal, this research draws from an online survey to snap-shot the current state of OSS adoption in US academic libraries and provides a baseline for practice and research.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 641-659 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Library Hi Tech |
| Volume | 37 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 25 2019 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited.
Keywords
- Academic libraries
- Information technology adoption
- Open source software
- Survey
- USA
- University libraries
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Information Systems
- Library and Information Sciences