Automating the understaffed library: a framework for low-code workflow automation in colleges of education libraries

Purpose This paper aims to address the problem of chronically understaffed academic libraries, using Ghanaian Colleges of Education as the case, and develops a practical framework for using low-code and no-code workflow automation to lift routine work without new hires. Design/methodology/approach The framework is developed through a conceptual synthesis of the general automation, library-practice and African library-technology literatures, adapted to the resource-constrained College of Education setting. Findings The paper sets out a four-stage framework – identify suitable workflows, select a tool, build along a maturity model, and govern the result – supported by a task taxonomy, an impact-and-effort prioritisation method, a tool-selection guide, a maturity model, and explicit boundary conditions for when not to automate. Originality/value Existing work is either not about libraries, code-heavy, tied to costly subscription platforms, or frames automation as expensive artificial intelligence. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first framework to treat low-code workflow automation as a deliberate, affordable strategy for the understaffed, resource-constrained academic library, built on self-hostable tools and within reach of a single capable librarian.