Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Date of this Version
12-2019
Abstract
The library is a growing micro-organism. Over time, it changes and updates its services depending on the present scenario, expectations of clients and the most “in” mode of delivery of services. There is really a great need for library researchers especially that libraries need to stay relevant to the clients. Many librarians see the importance of research, however many also experience difficulty on research. Despite these circumstances, only few consider this as starting point to study the librarians’ attitude and capabilities on research to determine areas for improvement. The study assessed the research attitude and capabilities of librarians from selected 17 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) from Manila City. It sought answers to how librarians assess their research attitude in terms of the five factors namely:1.) research usefulness in profession; 2.) research anxiety; 3.) positive attitude; 4.) relevance to life; and 5.) research difficulty. It also sought answers to how they assess their research capability in terms of research process and participation to research related activities. The researcher adapted the Attitude toward Research Scale (ATR Scale) developed by Papanastasiou (2005). The study used the Slovin’s Formula and the Stratified Random Sampling. It was revealed that librarians in general have positive attitude towards research but they harbor research anxiety and difficulty. They also perceived themselves as confident in performing the research processes. There is no significant difference in all the five factors of research attitude and aspects of research capability in terms of age, sex, length of service as a librarian and research involvement since completion of Master’s degree. Librarians who are single have significantly higher research anxiety than those who are married. Librarians with Doctorate units are significantly positive towards research and more confident in research process while those with highest educational attainment of Bachelor’s degree harbor significantly higher research anxiety and difficulty. Librarians who have conducted research since completion of Bachelor’s degree held higher confidence on research processes.