Assessment on the status of continuing education among staff in public libraries in Tanzania; a case study of central library and Morogoro regional library
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Date
2017
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Publisher
University of Dar es Salaam
Abstract
This study assessed the status of continuing education among staff in public libraries in Tanzania. Specifically, the study focused on training needs in public libraries by assessing the level of access to continuing education among staff in public libraries and the effectiveness of continuing education practices in public libraries. It also sought to ascertain the challenges hindering the effectiveness of continuing education practices in public libraries in Tanzania. The study involved the Tanzania Central Library and Morogoro Regional Library in Dar es Salaam and Morogoro Region respectively. Data collection was through questionnaires, face to interviews and observation. The findings of the study revealed that training needs revolved around activities that the respondents did on a continual basis, such as cataloguing and classification, data entry, library software skills, communication skills as well as Information and Communication Technology. The majority of staff needed training to improve their performance. However, such opportunities were limited due to various reasons, the major one being insufficient or lack of funds for professional development. The findings also revealed that the skills and knowledge acquired did not always reflect the training needs or the gaps in staff skills and knowledge in relation to their activities although training was positively related to improvement in job performance and provision of services. One of the major explanations for this deficit was a lack of effective guidelines or policies related to staff development and continuing education. The study also revealed various challenges hindering the effectiveness of continuing education at the surveyed libraries, namely lack of funds to support staff development, lack of time to attend training, inadequate staff and mismatch between training and needs. This study recommends increasing of budgetary allocation to support staff development, employment of more staff, seeking more support from donors, and basing training on training needs assessment.
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Available in print form
Keywords
Library education, In service training, Public libraries, Central library, Morogoro regional library, Tanzania
Citation
Kimaro, A. R. (2017) Assessment on the status of continuing education among staff in public libraries in Tanzania; a case study of central library and Morogoro regional library, Masters’ dissertation, University of Dar es Salaam. Available at (http://41.86.178.3/internetserver3.1.2/detail.aspx)