A Study of ICT Competencies among University Library Professionals of Punjab, Pakistan

The main objective of this study was to assess the status of ICT competencies of LIS professionals, methods of acquiring ICT skills and suggestions to survive in this digital era. A quantitative method was used and a self-administrated questionnaire distributed among 206 university library professionals working in Punjab through google form, and email. Collected data was analyzed through the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The findings reveal that most of the LIS Professionals had advance level competencies in library management systems, simple searching techniques, proficiency in social media and search engine usage. They also possessed moderate skills in basic hardware and software installation, office management, and required computer programming skills, Linux OS and cloud computing. The majority of the university library professionals preferred personal practices, workshops, seminars and conferences for the acquisition of ICT competencies along with the role of LIS Schools. The results of this study will be useful for LIS schools, professional associations and groups for future planning and policy making to inculcate ICT competencies in the LIS professionals in the Punjab, Pakistan

Attitude of Library Professionals towards Professional Development in Public Sector Universities of Pakistan

The study aims to measure the librarians’ opinions about different professional development activities, and investigates the attitude towards learning outcomes of Professional Development Courses PDCs. Quantitative research approach followed by survey design was adopted to meet set objectives of the study. The population of study was consisting upon university library professionals working in public sector HEC recognized universities of Lahore. Census sampling technique was applied. Professional librarians from 15 different universities participated in the study. Questionnaire was shaped to assess attitude of the participants towards PDCs. A total of 67 participants responded the questionnaire. Gathered data was analyzed through Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) Software. Findings of the study reveal that respondents had positive attitude towards HEC digital library resources, information retrieval techniques, training on research methods and information literacy programs Results showed that the PDCs developed new skills enhanced IT skills; satisfied users’ needs), and increased expertise in management. Significant differences were found in attitude of the respondents related to different statements of professional development based upon gender, designation, professional qualification and experience. This study is a valuable addition in body of literature and a benchmark for the university authorities to adopt PDCs for the implementation of user centered services

Bio-bibliometric Study of Dr. Khalid Mahmood’s Contributions to LIS Field in Pakistan

This paper presents bio-bibliometric analysis of the contributions of Dr. Khalid Mahmood in the field of Library and Information Science through his publications. The analysis includes geographical and year wise distribution of publications; collaboration for publication; publications by type; language and journal preferences for the publication; and coverage of different subject areas. Results of the study indicate that Dr. Khalid Mahmood is a prolific writer in the field of library and information science. He contributed 115 items including 99 articles, six books, eight conference papers and two papers in newsletters till December 31, 2011. Research work by Dr. Khalid Mahmood is well accepted in developed countries like United Kingdom and United States of America. He used English language to disseminate majority of his research work. He believes in teamwork and about two third of his research work was result of collaboratio

Common Problems of Library and Information Science Education in Asian Developing Countries: A Review Article

Education of Library and Information Science (LIS) has several problems that are caused by the changing nature of the discipline and the social, economic and cultural contexts in which LIS departments function. The aim of this article is to enumerate and discuss some of the common problems of LIS education in developing countries of Asia and suggest solutions. We show that as Asian developing countries share some of the social, economic and cultural elements, they have similar problems in LIS education. Therefore, the same solutions could be recommended such as setting up limited number of independent LIS schools, establishing or empowering accreditation agencies, flexibility in educational systems, more emphasis on research, developing in-service training, relocating the departments in new faculties, equipping the departments with new facilities, employing new and skillful staff, encouraging collaboration among faculty members and departments, diversifying courses and degrees, updating syllabi in an ongoing manner, taking advantage of IT, and creating and publishing LIS literature in native language

Towards an improvement of LIS graduates ICT skills and employability needs in Kuwait

The aim of this research was to explore the ICT skills of LIS students in Kuwaiti HE that are potentially defined by the job market. These skills are deemed essential for the employment of LIS graduates in different job market sectors. As a result, the ICT skills of current LIS students, the needs of employers, and the LIS curriculum in Kuwait were all investigated. In addition the factors that had an impact on students ICT skills were also investigated. To fulfil the research aim and objectives, mixed research methods were employed. The research subjects were employers, LIS students, and teaching staff. Their views were sought through qualitative and quantitative methods that included: 54 semistructured interviews; 225 self-administered questionnaires; these were supplemented by three focus groups; and content analysis of relevant web sites, reports, and LIS syllabus to provide further documentation and analysis. The main findings of the research were: (1) overall the students had knowledge and basic ICT skills, but they lacked advanced searching and internet navigation skills. 85% of the students did not have enough ICT skills; their ICT skills level was selfrated as intermediate or beginner ; (2) the research investigated negative factors such as: unsuitable teaching and learning environment, negative attitudes, social influences, and lack of resources; (3) the students most preferred teaching and training method was group training ; (4) the employers identified further ICT skills and non-ICT skills that LIS graduates should possess for employability; (5) gaps were found in the curriculum and in teaching and training the ICT courses such as: course content was inconsistent; did not reflect the needs of the job market and were outdated; an imbalance between theory and practical training, courses had different outline and little use of the English language hindered the students ICT skills improvement and ICT use. In addition, work placement needed careful consideration. Recommendations based on the research findings and conclusions were made to the DLIS in Kuwait and stakeholders. Future ideas were identified for further research

A Study of the Competencies Needed of Entry-level Academic Health Sciences Librarians

The purpose of this study was to identify the professional and personal competencies that entry-level academic health sciences librarians should possess from the perspectives of academic health sciences library directors, library and information sciences (LIS) educators who specialize in educating health sciences librarians, and individuals who serve as both LIS adjunct faculty and practitioners in the field of health sciences librarianship. the first six research questions focused on the identification of professional and personal competencies, and the last two research questions focused on comparing and contrasting the three perspectives on the professional and personal competencies. the eight research questions were addressed through four rounds of the Delphi method. Three panels of experts, initially composed of 13 academic health sciences library directors, 8 LIS educators, and 8 LIS adjunct faculty adjunct faculty/health sciences librarianship practitioners, participated in the study, and most participants were female, white, in the age range of 45-64, had less than 20 years of experience in their respective careers, and were members of the Medical Library Association. the data collected from the rounds of the Delphi method were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including measures of central tendency, and non-parametric statistics, including the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests. Two major conclusions that can be drawn from the findings of the study are: (1) personal competencies are as important as professional competencies and (2) the professional and personal competencies developed by the LIS educators who specialize in health sciences librarianship education were preferred over the ones developed by the academic health sciences library directors and LIS adjunct faculty/health sciences librarianship practitioners. Experts in the field of health sciences librarianship have created a comprehensive inventory of both professional (knowledge and skill) competencies and personal (self-concept, trait, and motive) competencies that can be used in professional practice as well as educational planning

Work-Family Conflict: a Case Study of Women in Pakistani Banks

Despite a plethora of empirical evidence on the work-family interface in 'the West‘, very little research has been carried out on the experiences of women in the context of Pakistan. Gender inequalities persist in the Pakistani labour market and women‘s employment is skewed towards agriculture and 'respectable‘ professions, such as academia and medicine. However, following the privatisation of the banking industry, women have been gaining visibility in this profession despite societal pressures to either conform to the homemaker role or remain in 'women‘s work‘. What makes the Pakistani context unique is the interplay between gender, culture, religion, class and family structure. This affects reconciliation of work and family roles among working women. This thesis contributes to an understanding of the experiences of working women in a gendered, patriarchal, Muslim society. It offers an indigenous conceptualisation of the contours, causes, consequences and coping strategies (Four C‘s) of work-family conflict (WFC) among women working in Pakistani banks through a multi-layered, feminist, intersectional approach that gives voice to women. The study foregrounds women‘s experiences at the individual-level; however, it also considers the broader structures such as the extended family system, the male-dominated banking industry and the contradiction of Islamic teachings with the societal norms regarding women‘s paid employment. Consequently, the conceptual model of Four C‘s of WFC offers a systematic and coherent categorisation of the causes, consequences and coping strategies of WFC in a context-sensitive, multi-level, intersectional, feminist approach framework. Such indigenous manifestations of WFC in the Pakistani context can inform research in similar contexts. Based on a mixed method approach the fieldwork collected empirical evidence through 280 scoping questionnaires and 47 in-depth, semi-structured, face-to-face interviews in four different banks in Punjab province of Pakistan. The study reveals the most extreme, yet masked, forms of oppression and the subtleties of agency in the context of religious, patriarchal and cultural understandings of 'work‘ that also impact the salience of other social categories, e.g. class and family structure. In the main, the findings suggest a gendered culture of silence in Pakistan in which women working in Pakistani banks lack opportunities to vocalise their subjugated positions in the work and family spheres. More specifically, the thesis points to the fact that these women are subject to, sometimes conflicting, organisational and societal pressures to conform to the respective images of 'ideal worker‘ and 'good woman‘ simultaneously. This, of course, has implications for the intensity. In doing so the study extends the existing WFC theoretical framework to include and consider not just the Four C‘s of WFC but the intensity, duration and types experienced by women in particular contexts. However, the research also revealed that women in Pakistani banks are not passive victims, but active agents, making context dependent constrained choices to prevent or cope with WFC. For policymakers, the findings suggest the need for the formulation of context-specific initiatives to address work-family issues in patriarchal Muslim societies