Ghanaian University Libraries’ Preparedness for the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Abstract

of information to library clients. In a doctoral study which investigated performance management in Ghanaian university libraries, one of the objectives explored was how the fourth industrial revolution has affected the performance of Ghanaian university libraries. Using a mixed methods research approach, the views of 218 university librarians were elicited from selected universities in Ghana. The study found that a significant proportion of Ghanaian university libraries did not apply any 4IR technologies although they were aware of their benefits. Furthermore, the few libraries which did, only applied the aspects of Internet of Things (IoT), cybersecurity and cloud computing. Moreover, most of the libraries were not adequately prepared for implementing 4IR technologies. The study recommends that in order for Ghanaian libraries to remain relevant, address clients’ changing needs in terms of information provision and yield high performance, library management should strive to adopt and use most of the 4IR technologies