Status of Automated Circulation Services in University Libraries of Lahore: A Survey

Background: University libraries are considered as the heart of the university because they perform a central role for both researchers and students. The primary responsibility of university libraries is t to provide a research environment that helps to advance the knowledge of students and researchers. Purpose: The study aimed to examine the automated circulation services and features in the university central/main libraries of Lahore. Method: The quantitative research approach based on the survey method was opted to meet the objectives of this study. Main / Central libraries of universities of Lahore listed on the website of Higher Education Commission (HEC) till February 01, 2019, were selected as the population to conduct the survey. Findings: The study revealed that the majority of the universities had started automated circulation services in their libraries. Koha was the most used integrated library software, followed by LIMS and others. The study found that different barriers of automation are confronted by librarians, such as lack of funds, non-availability of standard software, high cost of proprietary software, and retrospective conversion. Originality/value: This is the pioneer paper that gives insight into the status of automated library circulation services in Pakistan. Library software that was used for circulation services, the impact of automated library circulation services, and barriers confronting by the librarians to automate library circulation services were pointed out.