ASSESSMENT OF STAFF DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES IN COLLEGE AND POLYTECHNIC LIBRARIES IN ANAMBRA AND ENUGU STATES

ABSTRACT

This research work assessed staff development programmes in college and polytechnic libraries in Anambra and Enugu states. The main objective was to assess the availability and practice of staff development programmes in the five libraries under study. Five research questions guided the study. These include: What are the training and development needs of library staff? What staff development programmes are available in college and polytechnic libraries? To what extent do staff development programmes meet training and development needs? What are the perceived hindrances for effective implementation of staff development programmes in college and polytechnic libraries? What are the strategies for improving staff development programmes in college and polytechnic libraries? Descriptive survey method was adopted for the study involving 142 respondents. Out of this figure 129 responded to the questionnaire distributed to elicit information for the study. The findings from the study indicate that college and polytechnic library staff value training in ICT more than other aspects of librarianship; performance appraisal of staff is available in all the libraries studied; management staff benefit from development opportunities more than other categories of library staff; the most frequently used criterion in selecting staff for developmental programmes is relevance with regard to service area; objectives of staff development programmes suit organizational aims and objectives; lack of fund is the greatest problem for effective implementation of staff development programmes. To remedy the situation of staff development programmes in these libraries, the respondents indicated that the whole process should be transparent. Other recommendations put forward by the respondents include: more funding by the parent institutions; college and polytechnic library administrations should show more commitment to staff development programmes;  the junior cadre library staff should be given more opportunities to benefit from staff development programmes; emphasis should be on ICT application and opportunities should be given to apply new learning on the job.