Current and required competencies of university librarians in Pakistan

Farooq, Muhammad; Ullah, Ahsan; Iqbal, Memoona; Hussain, Abid

doi:10.1108/lm-03-2016-0017

Cited by 31 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…The report explains, in depth, all steps involved in the life cycle of electronic resources some of them being technical knowledge, communication skills, analytical mind and personal skills (www.nasig.org). Such kind of guidelines is needed, especially in the context of Indian scenario (Sreekumar, 2012;Khan and Bhatti, 2017;Farooq et al, 2016).…”

Section: Review Of Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Current practices of management of online databases at university libraries in Maharashtra state of India

Wadekar

Nagarkar

2018

Library Management

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Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to know-how the university libraries are managing online databases, especially from the Maharashtra state of India. The focus is to study the difficulties and challenges faced by the university librarians. Design/methodology/approach -In this descriptive research, survey of 15 university libraries was conducted. Seven universities are subscribing online databases apart from databases accessible under national consortia. A comprehensive questionnaire comprised of 16 sections and total 47 questions was designed for data collection. Personal contacts helped to a great extent to get back the questionnaire. Findings -The study revealed that the university librarians are trying to cope up with the management of electronic resources. Major challenges are unawareness about the life cycle of electronic resources, lack of standard procedures, collection development and preservation policies, failed to conduct user information need surveys, negotiation skills, competencies of staff and so on.Research limitations/implications -The scope of the present research was to study the current practices of management of online databases subscribed by the university libraries in Maharashtra. Other types of electronic resources were not considered in the present study. It was found that out of 15 universities only seven universities subscribe the online databases apart from the databases provided by UGC-INFONET. Therefore, the data from these seven libraries were considered for analysis. Practical implications -This study will provide the guidelines for managing online databases in academic libraries. Originality/value -Very few studies are conducted to study the management of online databases by university librariesin India.

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Section: Review Of Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Current practices of management of online databases at university libraries in Maharashtra state of India

Wadekar

Nagarkar

2018

Library Management

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“…A later study at the same university (Anwar and Warraich, 2013) revealed that entry-level librarians were interested in expanding their "digital literacy" by undertaking a range of options through continuing professional development. Farooq et al (2016) have recently discussed the competencies required of university librarians in Pakistan in general; however, IL is not discussed specifically in any detail. Ahmed and Rehman (2016) have reported on information and communication technology (ICT) competencies among public sector university librarians in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (heavy focus on IT).…”

Section: Information Literacy In the Pakistani Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Workplace information literacy skills

Ali¹,

Richardson

2018

ILS

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Purpose -The purpose of this study is to investigate the level of information literacy (IL) skills competency among university library professionals in Karachi, Pakistan, and to address areas of concern.Design/methodology/approach -An online survey was designed, using Google Forms, to collect data from 77 academic librarians working in 25 universities in Karachi, Pakistan. Questions covered 6 generic attributes: library systems, information resources, searching techniques, research support, information literacy, and generic / personal. Findings -The results indicate that the librarians who were surveyed had good IL skills in information searching and locating information resources. However, the average of all survey responses was 54.17 per cent, with 12 of the 24 competencies receiving scores of less than 50 per cent, thus indicating a generally overall low level of IL competency in the workplace.Research limitations/implications -As the study was limited to universities in Karachi, it would be useful to apply the same methodology to other administrative units within the country. Further research is indicated on the potential impact of gender on aspects such as level of IL skills and motivation to enhance workplace competencies.Practical implications -The authors have suggested a number of strategies, which would be applicable globally to any university library wishing to improve the IL skills competencies of its staff.Originality/value -There have been no previous published, non-discipline-specific, research studies on the IL skills competencies of academic librarians in Pakistan.

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“…Marketing of electronic resources. These four functions require high-level skilled trainers with diverse capabilities (Farooq et al, 2016). Libraries arrange technical and vocational training for professionals and students on the cataloging of electronic resources, database management, and web designing.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Technology integration for students’ information and digital literacy education in academic libraries

Rafi

Zheng

Ahmad

2019

IDD

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Purpose Digital literacy has become a widely studied topic for connecting people, participation in government and public affairs. It encourages library professionals to train students and effectively acquire, preserve and disseminate knowledge. Academic libraries involve using digital technology improved the students’ level of digital literacy and technological skills. This paper aims to understand the students’ technological competence in using database resources and searching for online information. In addition, to evaluate the training contents and designated instructors on digital literacy education, the study also focuses on digitally exposed students’ learning behavior, the library management and students’ academic interaction on new technological trends. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a quantitative method for which primary data were collected from university students using a structured research questionnaire. Through targeted random sampling techniques, 1,500 printed questionnaires were distributed among students, and 1,266 (84.4%) responses were received. The authors applied descriptive statistics to analyze the demographic information of male and female students. The statistical technique Chi-square test (χ2) was applied using SPSS to determine the association between variables. Moreover, Bonferroni correction for the new a value [modified = 0.05/number of possible comparisons/analysis for each question shown in Tables (II-IX)] was also used to avoid a family-wise error. Findings The results inferred a strong association between students’ technological skill with using digital tools, utilization of database resources and browsing networked information on the Web. The association between universities in terms of recruiting designated instructors on digital literacy education, introducing ICT based curriculum and the association between library management in maintaining a regular training program on digital literacy demonstrated a negative association. Besides, the findings disclosed that student’s digital exposure is not the forcing factor in developing technological competence, but found to be a more encouraging factor. It was also concluded that library technological involvement significantly improves student technology-based learning skills. Practical implications The results obtained after the analyzed data may help library management in providing long-term strategy for improving digital literacy education and training for students in the effective utilization of technology for better academic performance and social integration. Originality/value The study was based on quantitative methods using a questionnaire. Extensive database coverage and digital literacy skills based on coach input can improve student performance and academic quality.

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Current and required competencies of university librarians in Pakistan

Cited by 31 publications

References 37 publications

Current practices of management of online databases at university libraries in Maharashtra state of India

Current practices of management of online databases at university libraries in Maharashtra state of India

Workplace information literacy skills

Technology integration for students’ information and digital literacy education in academic libraries

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