Public Library Management between Centralization and Non-Centralization

Abstract

The nation’s development is measured by the progress in science and knowledge. Public libraries are the main source for the dissemination of knowledge and science. However, to achieve real societal development through public libraries, flexibility in library management is needed to adapt fast to the changes in services that needed by the societies that library serve. Each library system is required to adapt and changing its services based on the users’ educational, cultural, and social needs. The problem always lies on the bureaucratic and centralized library management systems that prohibit libraries from changing the services based on the users’ needs. Further, the problem is clearly appears in multi-branches library system that serve a wide range of users in high divers communities in terms of  economic status, and social awareness. Defining the services that provided by library branches through centralized management prohibits the management flexibility and consequently reduces the ability to achieve the users’ changing needs and consequently loses its importance to the society it serves. On the other hand, the use of complete decentralization in managing multi-branches libraries would diminish the general shape of the library organization to act as an institution that has goals and action plans that drawn and implemented in an organizational framework. This paper is to suggest a new library organizational paradigm that avoids the negative impact of the centralization to increase the flexibility that needed to provide customized services to library patrons. Meanwhile, keeps the library organizational framework intact by not applying the complete decentralization while managing multi-branches library system.