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Comparison between needed competencies of academic librarians and LIS curricula in Pakistan
Abstract
Rapidly growing academic libraries are the major consumers of the product of seven LIS schools in Pakistan. The changing environment of academic life demands new competencies in academic librarians. This paper reviews the literature on the competencies needed for academic librarians in the Asia/Pacific region and discusses the changing environment of academic librarianship in Pakistan. It provides a list of competencies needed for entry-level academic librarians, first prepared on the basis of a literature review and, then, validated by 70 chief librarians of universities and postgraduate level colleges from the public and private sector. The validated list of competencies is compared with the curricula of LIS programs. The paper highlights the deficiencies in the curricula and their implementation and recommendations are given to improve the situation.
... There is extensive literature on librarianship, but very few studies on academic library leadership (Ammons-Stephens et al., 2009;Ashiq et al., 2019;Hernon, 2017). Some research on library leadership has been done in Pakistan Ameen, 2006;Ashiq et al., 2018;Bashir, 2014;Haider, 2004;Mahmood, 2003;. The present study has been undertaken to expose the leadership practices adopted by university libraries in the Twin Cities of Pakistan. ...
... Majority of them stressed innovation, communication, interpersonal skills, communication skills, technology acceptance and team building as the most required competencies for 21st century leader. Ameen (2006) and Mahmood (2003) in their study demonstrated the needed competencies for library leaders, including ICT skills, management skills; communication skills; marketing skills and so on. In the same vein, (Aslam, 2018;Wong & Chan, 2018) stressed that providing satisfactory library services is the most required competency in this age of transition. ...
... Likewise, with the reason of lack of interest, these academic librarians/managers also avoided development programs related to the library sector (Ramzan, 2004). Mahmood (2003) has expounded the librarians to attain up-to-date collection management skills. Similarly, Ullah et al., (2010) stated that librarians in Pakistan are unwilling to take the initiative into skill development. ...
... However, the present level of their technological skills is not adequate to overcome technological innovations (Mahmood, 2003;Ameen, 2008a). In Pakistan, it has been confirmed by various researchers that the collection management skills of library professional is not very good (Ameen, 2008) and referred professional skills and training (Ameen, 2006;Mahmood, 2012). ...
Purpose of study: The core aim of the study is to identify the level of professional activities and training needs of library practitioners serving in Government colleges of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Research Method and Procedure: This study is quantitative, and the survey method is applied to achieve the desired objectives. The public sector college librarians of seven districts of the southern region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were the study population. Data Collection and analysis: A structured questionnaire was distributed among fifty-nine (59) college librarians. Out of total, fifty-five (55) librarians return the filled questionnaire with a response rate of 93%. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 21 is used to analyze the collected data. Major Findings and Recommendations: it was reflected that sixty- four percent of the respondents had not attended any training program in the last five years. The main reason for not attending the training program is the lack of management support with library professionals. Only thirty-six percent of the college librarians had attended conferences, workshops, seminars, and webinars organized by academic libraries, training institutes and universities
... As asserted by previous studies [21][22]33], to what extent, the paradigm of scientific communication, the dissemination of research findings includes the formats, methods and methodologies of referencing have brought to great changes. The development and emergence of the Internet, alertness of copyright, plagiarism and the scientific value of research are some of the vital aspects that motivate both researchers and publishers to promote accurate material in academic writing. ...
Referencing competencies are the knowledge, skills, and ability to effectively managing individual's reference sources. The importance of referencing competencies has been widely regarded in the literature. However, there is a scarcity of research focusing on referencing competencies; research is focusing on general competencies of users. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to develop and validate an instrument to measure referencing competencies and its impact on individual performance. The research was conducted on several empirical phases. First, list of predictors and dependent variables was formulated based on previous similar studies. Second, a pilot instrument was developed based on the variables that has been identified. Third, the instrument was validated by an expert review process. Finally, the face validity and reliability analysis was conducted among potential respondents. As a result, a valid instrument to measure referencing competencies and individual performance was produced, consisting of 5 variables and 24-items. The instrument could be employed to measure the level of referencing competencies among undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as measuring the impact towards individual performance.
... They further raised the point that the quality of education level is not up to the mark,reason being that the library schools were not keeping pace with the latest technological and environmental developments in libraries. This led to their deduction that it would not be an easy task to find manpower possessing required knowledge and skills for particular professions [22][23][24] . ...
Objective:To understand the significance and importance of the students’ feedback in the develop- ment and incorporation of the students’ point of view and reservations as a stakeholder in order to build a more effective and unbiased dental curriculum.
Methods: A qualitative explorative study was conducted in Foundation University College of Dentistry for a duration of 6 months starting from 6th Feb and ending on 18th Aug 2017.Inclusion criteria in- cluded a two sessional focus group discussion (FGD) conducted with likewise graded students as per their exam scores which include high achieving (75-85%) and low achieving groups (55-66%) in the subject of Oral Biology. Those students who were willing to participate in this study.Exclusion cri- teria included students who scored less than 55% in low achievers and those who scored less than 75% in high achievers in the subject of Oral Biology. Also those who were not willing to participate in this study.Sample size was of 14 students took part in the FGD sessions.
Results: Manual Thematic analysis was done to drive codes out of it. Open and Selective codes and themes were derived. Member checking and triangulation was done to validate my findings.
Six common themes were adopted and students were asked to record their views and reservations on these themes. The themes included.Teaching approach, Issues regarding 1st year BDS education,Teachers/Students collaboration, Faculty qualification/experience status, Impact of student’s input in curriculum development, Absence of collaborative sessions.
All these points included were added based upon the students’ feedbacks and reservations about the curriculum, teachers, assessment modes and were considered critical for better learning. Conclusion: As per our study findings, integrating multiple teaching approaches and emphasizing on students’ feedback is significant for dental curriculum development.
... Other studies use previous literature to define a starting list of competences, which is then amended based on their professional experience or using semi-structured qualitative interviews with industry professionals and, in some instances, recruitment agencies and the university faculty (Azevedo et al., 2012;Hodges and Burchell, 2003;Pan and Perera, 2012). Studies of this kind were performed for public health workforce (Allegrante et al., 2001;Biesma et al., 2008;Kreitner et al., 2003), HR managers (Jamshidi et al., 2012), R&D managers (Dreyfus, 2008), academic librarians (Mahmood, 2003), managers in higher education (Spendlove, 2007), tourism industry (Zehrer and Mossenlechner, 2009), construction industry (Ahn et al., 2012), automotive and pharmaceutical industry (Grzybowska and Łupicka, 2017), hightechnology manufacturing (Wang et al., 2004), lodging industry (Chung-Herrera et al., 2003), industry 4.0 sectors (Hecklau et al., 2016), and the nursing sector (Cowan et al., 2008). However, although these qualitative approaches are very useful in identifying perceived key competences, they preclude firm conclusions and have limited representativeness. ...
With an increasing pace of digitalization, automatization, and robotization, firms need to quickly anticipate new consumer values, trends, and needs and adjust their production, thus requiring constant adaptation of competences and competence-based models. This review: (1) briefly outlines the development of competence-based models; (2) presents difficulties when defining and delineating differences between competences, skills, and abilities; (3) presents the main challenges of competence measurement; (4) presents recent findings of competence-based models in organizational and individual context; and (5) highlights challenges these models are likely to encounter in the future. To this end, a non-systematic literature review was carried out to summarize relevant published research studies and to define future research directions. Results show that further competence-based research should focus on generalizing the findings by looking at various groups of workers and industries, expanding the set of competences used in the analyses, using different definitions of key competences, and developing alternative models to assess their impact on performance. Such research would allow to better assess employees’ preparedness in terms of competence requirements, as well as to identify the most critical gaps and opportunities for the formal educational system and as part of on-the-job training.
... The ICT competencies were the most important competencies needed for future academic librarians. Mahmood (2003) discussed the academic library situation in Pakistan concerning required competencies for academic library professionals and offered a list of competencies required for academic library professionals, in which seven out of ten competencies were relating to ICT. The researcher approved that the curriculum of LIS schools in Pakistan has not up-dated regularly and there was a shortage of teaching staff who were capable in the teaching of ICT to their students. ...
The major objective of the study was to explore methods adopted by library professionals of South Punjab to acquire ICTs competencies. The population of the study was all the universities of South Punjab, Pakistan. Purposeful Sampling was applied by the researchers. The tool of the questionnaire was formed to gather data from the participants. The findings of the study show that the respondents of South Punjab sectors' libraries used tele/video conferencing methods, LIS schools, self-study, and tours of other institutions for acquiring ICT skills. The study discovered that respondents faced problems during acquiring ICT competencies included tight working schedules, lack of scope for library professionals due to ICT applications, lack of initiative from professional associations to conduct specialized training programs. The respondents of South Punjab sectors' libraries also faced limited opportunities, lack of power interruption of electricity, library professionals are not interested to learn ICT, and higher authority is not interested to send their librarian to upgrade their ICT skills during acquiring competencies in ICT. The study recommends methods to cultivate ICTs expertise among library professionals to initiate smart services in university libraries. Recommendations of the study are of great value for the policymakers and decision-making personalities.
... Competence was assessed on the grounds of one's innate abilities, virtue, quality of character and underlying traits. However, in today's world, competence is defined when observable actions, and skills-oriented behaviour are measured against quantitative standards [9]. ...
The study focuses on discussions on the fast-growing nature of tertiary institutions in Ghana with inadequate supply of high-quality Library and Information professionals to manage their libraries. In order to set the context for these concerns, the paper adds to the discussion a brief history of how libraries in Ghana begun. The paper continues to underscore the development of these libraries and their current states. The challenges of LIS education as well as significant roles played by LIS education in the nation's development are also highlighted in the paper. It concludes by offering suggestions on how to improve LIS education in Ghana as well as the quality of curriculum used by the only LIS professionals provider in the country.
... The prior literature has revealed that the effectiveness of higher educational institutions is linked with the overall educational statistics. Furthermore, HEIs play a very important role in setting the standards of quality (Mahmood, 2003;Padlee & Reimers, 2015). Institutional environment is considered to be a consequence of the contact of teachers and students, with the concern of arranging activities for a prosperous future of the students (Meng & Berger, 2021). ...
Service quality is vital for higher education institutions in order to remain competitive and growing. There is a dire need to ensure students’ satisfaction with university. Factors influencing students’ satisfaction had been explored in private universities of Islamabad, Pakistan. The factors that influenced students’ satisfaction were measured on teaching excellence, quality of academic programs, faculty involvement, and institutional environment. Non-probability sampling technique applied for 436 of HEIs students from three universities which were selected as a sample for study. A set of questionnaires was administered and distributed to the respondents of the study. A variance based Partial Least Squares regression (PLS) was applied to test the hypotheses. Results indicate a positive and direct relationship between perceived service quality of education and student satisfaction. The results of study contribute towards the literature of student satisfaction determinants and practical implications for academicians of HEIs of Islamabad, Pakistan universities.
... The researches in the multi-disciplinary subject knowledge management with respect to the field of Library and Information Science(LIS) highlighted that there is a gap between KM skills and curriculum offered by LIS schools in India (Raghavan, 2007;Nazim and Mukherjee 2013;Mahmood, 2003;Kavulya 2007). The study conducted by TFFL (1999), revealed that the LIS professionals are lacking in their interest towards understanding new technologies, willingness to gain experiences by exploring new knowledge and the mind-set which portrays their self-esteem and self-efficacy [13]. ...
This paper highlights "An Analysis of Knowledge Management Skills among Library Professionals in Managing Print and Electronic Resources".A well-structured questionnaire was designed and distributed among Library Professionals to collect data. The data were converted into SPSS for analysis. It is found that majority of the library and information science professionals are highly skillful in managing print resources than E-resources. It is further found that majority of the Library Professionals are highly using E-resources and retrieving theinformation through various devices. The result further shows that 97.2% of the respondents highly preferred "Workshops" to undergo training to enhance their skills on Knowledge Management. The study also recommends that Library Professionals are required to enhance their skills on Knowledge Processing, Subscription to E-Databases and to use Social Media for sharing of information.
The history of Library and Information Science in Pakistan is traced back to the arrival of W. A. Broaden and Asa Don Dickinson to Sub-continent in 1911 and 1916 respectively. This piece of document tends to explore the history of library and library science education, library activities and role of professional associations in promotion of library culture in North-West part of Pakistan. This study is basically historical in nature. The paper is broadly divided into three parts that is library science education, library developments through ages and library associations and their role in the promotion of libraries in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa. Efforts were made to elaborate the growth of libraries in different eras over the passage of time. The role of Muslims and British in the promotion of library culture is also discussed. It is reflected that both nations have made no stone left un-turned for the establishment of libraries in this part of sub-continent. It is also evident from the pages of history that the introduction of Library and Information Science education was not that late here as compared to the rest of the world. University of Punjab is the third in the race of ranking after Germany and United States to offer this program. Various associations had also played their roles in this regard. They had worked hard for the promotion of library culture. The role of Pakistan Library Association (PLA) is observant and praise worthy in the said context. It is concluded that future of libraries and their education is bright in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as library schools, senior professionals and associations are playing their due role with zeal and favor.
Defines and validates competences for entry-level professionals of academic libraries in Malaysia keeping in view the needs of the next five years. Top and middle managers of all the university libraries and two other academic libraries participated in the study. A scale of perceived importance of each competence was used for validation of competences organized in the six areas of foundation, cataloguing, circulation, information services, collection development, and serial control. A distinct emphasis is noted for contextual, managerial, technological and service competences. The validated competences can be used for the evaluation and revision of the curricula of formal education programmes.
A survey of professional leadership of library and information organizations in Malaysia was conducted to gather their perceptions about the trends in the field during the next 10 years, the extent of preparedness of entry-level professionals and the strategies they proposed for an improvement in education and development programmes. A total of 148 top- and middle-managers from 30 organizations, equally divided among the three strata of academic, public and special libraries, were interviewed for filling in an open-ended questionnaire. A qualitative analysis of the responses revealed that the participants strongly felt that future libraries would be electronically inter-connected, would have a variety of media to access and would undergo organizational changes. They noted major discrepancies in the demands and preparedness of the entry-level professional in the areas of information technology, management capabilities and behavioural dimensions. A number of measures were proposed for improvement in formal education, continuing education activities and the role of the professional association.
Unplanned expansion of library education facilities has affected the quality of library manpower. Various constraints encountered by library schools in their effort to improve the situation are discussed and suggestions are offered. Bright students are not attracted to library schools because of low status according to librarians in the society. Traditional courses dominate the curriculum, with very little emphasis on computer and media courses. The existing faculty lacks competence for the teaching of courses relating to information technology. The teaching methodology is primarily characterized by traditional class-room lecture, supported by practical work. The existing facilities for conducting practicals are not satisfactory with few bibliographical and reference tools available together with a lack of equipment. The most recently published books are seldom available, while there is an absence of periodical literature. Continuing education is confined to the organization of courses in computer applications by the Pakistan Library Association and its branches. The distance education programme needs improvement in order to avoid further criticism. Both M.Phil. and Ph.D. programmes are still in their initial phases and are under scrutiny constantly by academics.
A study was conducted to identify sets of competencies which could become the basis for the design of information study programs for the two levels of undergraduate and graduate education. A list of 70 competencies was used to gather responses from the middle and top managers of the Gulf libraries about the manpower needs of the profession in the next five to ten years. The perceptions of the respondents were also collected about different aspects of information studies at the two levels. The results have indicated that the respondents prefer to have the two levels of programs designed differently around specific sets of competencies with an appreciation of the distinct roles the graduates from the two types of programs have to play.
This study ascertains the attitudes of library school alumni regarding the value of including various competencies in an M.L.S. program in order to facilitate curriculum planning. A total of 736 alumni rated a list of fifty-five competencies. Twenty-five percent of alumni had been out of library school less than three years; 60 percent had been out less than ten years. The largest category of respondents is represented by public librarians (39 percent), followed by academic librarians (20 percent), school librarians (19 percent), special librarians (10 percent), and those in nonlibrary settings (12 percent). There was a significant relationship between the type of library course taken during library school and the type of library in which the respondent found employment. Children's and young adult literature was the most popular "type of literature" course taken. The five competencies ranked most frequently as essential include: knowledge of sources, collection management skills, conducting a reference interview, communicating effectively in writing, and the ability to apply critical thinking skills to library problems. Rating of competencies was also analyzed by beginning librarians. Competencies valued also differed as a function of setting. Findings were compared to those of an earlier study conducted by the authors in 1987.
Faculty evaluation criteria were scrutinized utilizing the following variables: academic qualifications, professional experience, and research and publication credentials. The faculty of six graduate programs of library education in Pakistan were evaluated using these variables in order to examine their preparedness. Data were collected by administering two questionnaires to obtain faculty profiles and bio-bibliographic information. It was found that the number of faculty was inadequate in many departments, senior positions were either unavailable or remained unfilled, few teachers had obtained the doctorate, many teachers lacked experience in the areas in which they taught courses, and research and publication credentials were weak. Remedial measures proposed to improve the situation include creating additional positions, providing opportunities for doctoral study, improving recruitment policies, and sharpening research and publication skills of faculty through specialized programs.
A survey of professional leadership of library and information organizations in Malaysia was conducted to gather their perceptions about the trends in the field during the next 10 years, the extent of preparedness of entry-level professionals and the strategies they proposed for an improvement in education and development programmes. A total of 148 top- and middle-managers from 30 organizations, equally divided among the three strata of academic, public and special libraries, were interviewed for filling in an open-ended questionnaire. A qualitative analysis of the responses revealed that the participants strongly felt that future libraries would be electronically inter-connected, would have a variety of media to access and would undergo organizational changes. They noted major discrepancies in the demands and preparedness of the entry-level professional in the areas of information technology, management capabilities and behavioural dimensions. A number of measures were proposed for improvement in formal education, continuing education activities and the role of the professional association.
The rapid changes in higher education in the UK are prompting library and information professionals to reflect on the nature of the services they provide and on the appropriateness of their skills. Explores the kinds of skills which will be required by academic - and, in particular, subject - librarians in the foreseeable future. Notes that, while technological developments clearly have important implications for libraries, they should not overshadow the more people-oriented skills which are equally essential for organizing and providing effective services. Makes practical suggestions concerning specific groups of skills including improving credibility with academic staff, giving guidance on teaching information skills, focusing on particular IT-related skills and acquiring key management skills such as managing change, finance and strategic awareness. Finally, addresses the responsibilities of the library’s management and the individual to ensure that skills are harnessed through co-ordination and continuity. In this way they will benefit both individual staff and the wider academic community.
These curriculum guidelines are intended to offer some quality control for: programs just beginning with their curriculum development and other academic considerations; programs already in existence which are struggling to upgrade the content of their programs; and agencies which are administratively and financially responsible for implementing and supporting information policy and information services development. The document begins by considering the nature and characteristics of the information societies that are emerging in the Asia and the Pacific Region. From this it is possible to identify the range of skills and competencies that will be required in the future. The present education and training arrangements within the Region are briefly reviewed, and weaknesses and deficiencies in the present system are identified. Finally, a draft curriculum is outlined that can be regarded as the starting point for discussion and development of syllabi that reflect the local conditions. (AEF)
Describes characteristics of core competencies. Examines the competencies a librarian should possess. Discusses types of competence and reviews advantages of developing and improving core competencies. Looks at core competencies in terms of the major service areas of public libraries. Presents several steps for building core competencies. (Contains 17 references.) (AEF)