The paper provides an overview of some elements that are necessary for ensuring hardware and software interoperability in library and information systems. It specifically proffers meaning to the term system interoperability and identified the need for interoperability alongside some globally accepted standards and mechanisms that will guarantee system interoperability. Based on this, the paper examined library automation standards such as DCMES, MARC-21, OAI-PMH and Z39.50 standards. Bottlenecks in ensuring operability through standardization were highlighted, the way forward in achieving interoperability among libraries in a library system were also itemized and recommendations were put forward.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.