Defining some criteria for the success of automated library systems

Success and effectiveness in automated library systems are two related issues that all users are normally looking for when buying or designing a new system. On the basis of the available literature and opinions of automated library systems experts, 26 factors were identified as criteria for the success of automated library systems. Attitudes to these criteria of Australian university librarians and systems managers were examined in a survey conducted in 1993; 23 of these criteria were approved by the survey sample, and the other three were rejected. These criteria should be tested with other groups of experts in library automation to gain more generalisation on the findings.