The study analyzed factors shaping adoption of technology in academic libraries in Kuwait. The research was based on interviews conducted with library directors, staff, and users, combined with observation and document analysis. A major aspect of the Kuwaiti context was a relative lack of financial restraints and an enthusiasm for technology within society as a whole. Other important influences shaping technology adoption specifically within libraries were the top down decision-making style and a quest for prestige, in a context of a lack of library culture among users, shortage of professional staff, and a strong, perhaps exaggerated, faith in technology as a solution to problems.