Exploring the Software Quality Criteria and Sustainable Development Targets: A Case Study of Digital Library in Malaysian Higher Learning Institution

Being sustainable within social, environmental, and the economy is still a major issue to almost every company globally. Although on-going actions have been implemented via information and communication technology (ICT), studies and development efforts in seeking solutions are in scarcity, particularly for the present use of software to perform its intended task. The lack of technological innovation and development motivate us to explore the present use of software with the focus on software quality criteria (SQC) in attaining sustainable development targets (SDTs). The understanding of SQC is significant for the purpose of meeting the needs and operating environment of software that are continually changed in the future. This paper presents a semi-structured interview involving eight digital library’s stakeholders in one of Malaysian higher learning institution. By applying thematic analysis, the study finds six digital library software quality criteria (DL-SQC) and seven digital library sustainable development targets (DL-SDTs) that were heavily stressed by more than half of participants. The DL-SQC are usability, maintainability, functionality, portability, efficiency, and reliability. While the DL-SDTs are equal access to information/knowledge, energy efficiency, persistent updates the information/knowledge, collaboration & partnership, funding, green technology innovation, and information/knowledge sharing. The study contributes as a guide to researchers who are motivated to position their further studies into this topic and for a practitioner; it is to summarize the SQC and their relevant SDTs that may be applied to make decisions regarding the next level of software development and maintenance process towards being sustainable.