MANAGEMENT OF CHANGE IN THE 21ST CENTURY LIBRARIES AND INFORMATION CENTRES

Abstract

             Change is so fundamental to all things in the world that it is the most important obstacle to overcome in a game of survival of the fittest. It is constant for all times. This immutable principle may have been the “raison d’être” behind the craving by many to understand change, as a phenomenon from wider and deeper perspectives. Managing change therefore requires managers to think about the organization from a new perspective. For any organization, including the library, change can come from one of two sources: internal or external. Internal changes are changes initiated within the organization and relate to how to do things, when to do things or what new things to do. The issue of participation, manipulation and resistance become of some significance in the management of internal change. Resistance to change must be recognized as an initial first reaction of the majority of people. It is important to note that change management in the information world entails most importantly, both human and equipment. The electronic library is an important ingredient for the quality of life in future societies and libraries and librarians have the responsibility for bringing them into being.