DefinePK

Abstract

Purpose: This study “Assessing the ALA core competencies of professional librarians working inpublic libraries of central Punjab” was conducted to examine the library professionals’ competencies.The main objective of the study was to find out the gap in the competencies of professional librariansin the light of ALA core competencies standards. The first four competencies of ALA were disused inthis study.Design/methodology/approach: The research was conducted by adopting quantitative researchmethod. The population of this study was professional librarians working in public libraries of centralPunjab. There are 53 library professional working in public libraries of central Punjab. Thequestionnaire was sent to 53 library professionals. Among them 45 library professionals returned thequestionnaire correctly, with a response rate of 84.9%.Delimitation: only public libraries in central Punjab were the population of the study.Key finding(s): Data collected through questionnaire was arranged and entered for analysis and SPSSwas used to analyze the data. Descriptive statistics were applied to calculate the mean, percentage andfrequencies. The findings reveal that the participants’ perceived competencies were at intermediatelevel. The major problem of public libraries was the lack of professional staff.Practical implication (s): The findings of the study indicate that there is a need to revise the LIScurriculum under the light of ALA core competencies standards. It is recommended that there shouldbe proper recruitment policies for the selection of public libraries’ staff.Paper type: Research