Effectiveness of staff professional development programmes among librarians in Academic Libraries: A case of Mzumbe University Library and Sokoine University of Agriculture Library

Abstract

This study assessed the effectiveness of staff development programmes in academic libraries of Tanzania. Specifically, the study focused on the effectiveness of staff development practices in academic libraries. It also sought to ascertain the challenges hindering the effectiveness of staff development practices in academic libraries in Tanzania. The study involved Mzumbe University Library and Sokoine University of Agriculture Library respectively. Data collection was through questionnaires and interview. The findings of the study revealed that training needs revolved around activities that the respondents did on a continual basis; such as cataloging 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 work 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 reflect the training needs or the gaps in staff skills and knowledge in relation to their activities, training was positively related to improvement in job performance and provision of services. The study also revealed various challenges hindering the effectiveness of staff development programmes at the surveyed libraries, including lack of funds to support staff development, lack of time to attend training, inadequate staff and few times 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.