Continuing professional development and special librarians in Jamaica

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the continuing professional development (CPD) activities undertaken by special librarians in Jamaica, their motivation, the challenges faced and the areas of interest for professional development. Design/methodology/approach Special librarians working in Jamaica were surveyed using an online questionnaire which was disseminated via e-mail. Findings The study indicates that special librarians in Jamaica were engaged in both formal and informal CPD activities. They were motivated by factors such as keeping up to date with changes in librarianship and personal satisfaction. Challenges to participating in CPD include, lack of funding, time constraints and lack of worthwhile options. Areas of interest for CPD were mainly information technology-based. Research limitations/implications The study was limited to the contact lists of the special libraries section of the Library and Information Association of Jamaica (LIAJA) and the Government Library and Information Network of the Jamaica Library and Information Network (JAMLIN). Practical implications The results have implications for the planning and implementation of continuing professional activities for Jamaica’s special librarians. It also fills a gap in library literature regarding the continuing professional activities of special librarians. Originality/value The paper is one of few studies focusing on the CPD activities of special librarians undertaken in a developing country.

Continuing professional development in Cambodia: Perspectives of different stakeholders

“…Previous studies from Ireland, Jamaica, South Africa, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam have found similar barriers. Examples of such barriers include the lack of or limited budget for accommodation and travel, and not granting leave to attend CPD activities (Alkatheeri, 2019; Corcoran and McGuinness, 2014; Ma, 2017; Moonasar and Underwood, 2018; Namaganda, 2019; Nguyen, 2008; Robinson, 2019); the lack of employer commitment to a formal staff development programme (Alkatheeri, 2019; Nguyen, 2008); and the reluctance of management to allow staff time off due to the inability to find colleagues to cover duties (Moonasar and Underwood, 2018).…”

“…Although Varlejs (2016) observes that due to technological developments, geographical and financial barriers are no longer hurdles to undertaking CPD activities, many previous studies demonstrate otherwise. The lack of IT and digital literacy has been seen as a key barrier to learning, as well as performing effectively at work (Alkatheeri, 2019; Moonasar and Underwood, 2018; Nguyen, 2008; Rafiq et al, 2017; Robinson, 2019; Warraich and Ameen, 2015). The importance of acquiring IT skills is also underlined in the ‘IFLA school library manifesto’ (IFLA, 2021), which states that school library employees need to be competent in teaching IT and digital literacy.…”

“…The findings reveal a shortage of training providers and the non-existence or lack of CPD opportunities, which may also be repetitive, restricted to traditional topics and often not meet the real needs of library employees. These are common concerns that the LIS profession in many other countries faces (Alkatheeri, 2019;Chan and Auster, 2005;De Alwis Jayasuriya et al, 2021a;Ma, 2017;Maesaroh, 2012;Nguyen, 2008;Rafiq et al, 2017;Robinson, 2019).…”

Exploring library management support for enhancing self-directed learning: narratives from research-support librarians

“…Lastly, librarians also mentioned the challenge they faced related to the management's role in handling financial constraints or lack of funding which later leads to a restricted programme of professional development for librarians. Thus, the issue of financial difficulties is not new since it was previously highlighted in the literature on librarians' professional development studies by Sambo et al (2014), Corcoran and McGuinness (2014), and recently by Robinson (2019).…”

“…As such, findings are similar to opinions raised that enhancing librarians' development must be based on an informal adult approach such as discussion, sharing sessions, professional meetings, conferences and conventions, in-house staff meetings and informal discussion with colleagues (Parson, 1988;Chan and Auster, 2003) and positively linked to librarians' degree of professional competence (Schambach, 1994). In fact, it was previously mentioned that as an adult, a librarian must be prepared with a programme based on delivery methods that are suited to their needs and which entails more discussions and sharing ideas and knowledge such as seminars, conferences and discussions which stress the practice of knowledge-sharing (Robinson, 2019;Sambo et al, 2014;Maesaroh and Genoni, 2009;Corcoran and McGuinness, 2014;Namaganda and Walter, 2020). In fact, it was mentioned by Abrigo and Abrigo (2016) that, despite the proliferation of technologybased learning, librarians are more likely to prefer traditional face-to-face programmes.…”