The status of college Librarians: a case study of Tanzania.
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Date
2002
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Publisher
University of Dar es Salaam
Abstract
The purpose of this research was to find out why College Librarians in Tanzania are accorded low status and how this impacts on their job performance and satisfaction. The significance of information is described including the functions of the college library and librarians. The impact of new Information Technologies on the roles of college libraries and librarians is also discussed. A Review of the Literature shows that most college librarians have no academic status. Ideas held by different schools of thought on the issue are expounded. Vroom's Valence Instrumentality-Expectancy Theory and Adam's Equity Theory are used in this study to explain why academic status for College Librarians is important. A combination of methods was used to collect data for this research including a questionnaire, direct observation and face-to-face interviews. 75 randomly selected respondents from three selected institutions participated in this study. They included librarians, lecturers, administrative staff and students. Data was analyzed using multivariate description and statistics using SPSS computer statistical package. While librarians play dual roles both as educators and information specialists in supporting the mission and objectives of colleges, however, they are marginalized and are accorded low status. For example, findings of this research revealed that there are several factors that contribute to the low status of College librarians, including lack of training and lack of understanding of the role played by librarians. Findings also revealed that most librarians who participated in this study were highly dissatisfied with their jobs and conditions of services. As such the study concluded that there is need to motivate librarians in order to increase their performance and efficiency. The study further concluded that training for librarians is crucial in order to enhance their status and improve their image in colleges.
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Keywords
Librarians, Information scientists, Academic status, Tanzania
Citation
Matefu, R. O. (2002). The status of college Librarians: a case study of Tanzania. Masters dissertation, University of Dar es Salaam. Available at (http://41.86.178.3/internetserver3.1.2/search.aspx?formtype=advanced)