Competencies of Librarians in CICM Higher Education Institutions: Towards A Proposed Capacity Building and Continuing Professional Development Plan

This study investigated the competency level of the librarians in the four CICM Higher Education Institutions using quantitative and qualitative research approaches. The subjects of the study are 40 librarians of the four CICM HEIs. The main source of the data is a researcher made questionnaire adapted from the study of Fernandez and Buenrostro (2014) and patterned from the National Competency Based Standards for Filipino Librarians. To describe the profile of librarians, frequencies and percentages were computed and to describe the level of the self-assessed competency of the librarians, means and standard deviation were computed. Results show that the respondents’ levels of competency range from being proficient to being advanced. Also the self-assessed level of competency of the respondents on the four categories of professional competencies in the light of the emerging trends in Library and Information Science is proficient. Some problems and issues identified by the librarians in relation to emerging trends in Library Information Science are slow internet connectivity, IT skills, e - resources, research, budget, preservation and cataloguing. Hence, these are factors to be considered in crafting a plan for capacity building. In addition the priority areas for capability building in line with the four categories of the professional competencies of librarians as encountered in the work place are on information technology skill, information literacy, research and e-resources. All librarians of the four CICM HEIs are willing to undergo training to upgrade personal competencies such as : (a) oral and written communication, (b) customer service that focuses on the study of user feedback, evaluation of the effectiveness of current services and adjusting services and practices to meet user demands; (c) on leadership capacitation, it must add anticipation and adaptation to changes and challenges; (d) in terms of ethics and values, it must focus on understanding privacy issues and protection of user confidentiality and providing equitable services to all users; (e) for interpersonal relationship, it must include understanding that organizations are inherently political (including libraries) and developing strategies to become an effective player; (f) in line with cultural competencies, it must focus on the participation in the institutionalization of cultural knowledge. In terms of professional competencies, the area on managing information resources must focus on preservation, collection management and cataloguing with the integration of RDA standards. In terms of managing information sources, topics such as information literacy, public service/ outreach and management information sources and services must be included. In the management of information tools and technologies, IT skills such as access to electronic resources to enhance computer skills must be considered. Another is to focus on software application and troubleshooting. In line with managing information organization, marketing and promotion, research skills/ project management and personnel management are seen as important.

Keywords: Library Competency, Capability Building, Continuing Professional Development.