Abstract:

This is an exploratory case study on the perspective of library leaders towards librarians’ innovative behaviour patterns in Malaysian public research universities.  The objectives were firstly, to explore academic librarians’ innovative behaviour from the insight of library leaders. Secondly, to analyse list of innovation projects initiated by academic libraries in research universities selected. To meet the objectives, first, in-depth interviews were conducted with their library leaders in order to determine their perceptions and pattern of behaviours regarding antecedents and inhibitors of innovative behaviour, within the universities under study. Second, document analyses were used to check the nature and influence of the library/parent organization vision and goals with regard to innovativeness and librarian innovative behaviours. It included official library innovation documents and librarian’s job specification. The interviews were also set to explore the stimulating and restraining factors during innovative processes championed by the libraries in the previous innovation competition. The data collection methods provided significant evidence to show that the Malaysian universities’ academic libraries are dynamic in which the practices of innovative behaviours have taken place to a certain extent with incremental award winning innovations. The innovative behaviour had been practiced in both cases within the parameter of their professional norms focusing on processes that contribute to the bureaucratic sluggishness inherent in the traditional structure of the academic library. The findings showed that not only in the recognition of the need to be innovative, but also in the diversity of roles and responsibilities cited and the progressing innovations projects and initiatives undertaken should be taken into considerations.