Challenges and Opportunities: A Survey of Practitioners' Perceptions on Risks in Chinese Library Transformation

Chinese libraries, from academic to public, are undergoing or preparing for transformation, to meet users' ever changing needs and expectations in the new social, economic, and technological environment. However, there are many factors deeply embedded in the process which may cause potential risks for the transformation. This paper has surveyed the perceptions of library professionals on such risks, and proposes 40 possible risk indicators (RIs) which comprehensively cover the entire life cycle of library transformation. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and multi-dimensional analysis have been used to categorize risks into different types and dimensions. It reveals that library professionals are aware of potential risks, especially the ones from inside the field. Their awareness is positively affected by their current positions in the profession. In general, they are likely to overlook some types of potential risks such as the ones from the leadership, originating outside the library community, or involving long-term uncertainty. The authors suggest library practitioners should be fully aware of the potential risks and their dynamic nature, and should take the opportunity to promote leadership and management in the process of transformation, and to cooperate with parties outside of the library community, thus making the library transformation rational and successful.