Examining the ICT skills of university librarians in a developing country: a study from the University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.

Authors

Memoona Iqbal, Lecturer and Director Libraries Govt Fatima Jinnah College for Women Chunna Mandi Lahore, Pakistan.Follow
Arif Khan, Research Librarian and Course Coordinator in Pakistan Academy for Rural Development, Pakistan.Follow

Date of this Version

Fall 10-5-2017

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the awareness level of librarians about various ICT applications in University of the Punjab (PU) and to examine the constraints and issues they are facing in acquisition of modern ICT skills.

Methodology

A questionnaire was developed and administered to 80 professional librarians having graduate and postgraduate qualification. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 19.0).

Findings

Data analysis revealed that 99% of the participants are computer literate, having good knowledge of library automation and digitization. The knowledge of web based services such as e-mail, search engine, chatting, e-resources search, knowledge of OPAC/Web OPAC, etc by professionals is quite encouraging. However, majority of them have less knowledge of programming languages, whereas, HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) is comparatively more popular programming language. Lack of training culture, poor infrastructure, and tight working schedule have been among the most common constraints in the acquisition of ICT skills identified by the participants of this study.

Key Words

University Librarians, ICT Skills, Library Automation, Digitization, Web Services, Web OPAC, HTML, Developing Countries, Pakistan.