A serials’ management system for Makerere Institute for Social Development (MISD) Library

Abstract

The study aimed at designing a Serial management system for Makerere Institute for Social Development Library. The objectives of the study were to; find out the serial publications, find out how serial publications are currently being managed, identify the challenges faced by library users in access to serial publications, identify the challenges faced by librarians in serial management, and design a serial management system for the MISD library. The methodology employed in this project involved a case study design and both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used. Purposive sampling and simple random sampling were used to sample the respondents who participated in the study. Questionnaires, Interviews and observation methods were used to collect relevant data for the study. The study found out that; currently Makerere Institute for Social Development Library is using a manual system in managing Serials where users had to visit the counter present their IDs in order for the students to access Serials. The system has a number of challenges such as; time wastage during the process of circulating the Serials to the users, poor data storage mechanism, difficulty in Serials reports generation, insufficient space for the storage of Serials and slow retrieval of data. The user requirements suggested for the system were; easy to use, a user friendly interface, compatibility with the available hardware and software, accessible to only the authorized users, security for the Serials and users’ data. The study concluded that electronic Serials would be acquired in the MISD Library to support the needs of users. Time wastage as a major challenge would be solved by adopting this system during the retrieval and delivery of the Serials. The study concluded that there was a need for designing a Serial management system for MISD Library, to train the librarians at MISD Library in the management of Serials at the MISD Library. The study recommended that electronic Serials should be acquired through increasing the library funding in order to curb the challenge of inadequate funds and improve on the library staffing in order to effectively provide the Serials to the library users. The study further recommended the MISD Library staff to adopt the designed proposed system to support the librarians while offering Serials to the user