An Investigation into the Level and Development of the Public Service Library Staff's Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Skills

Abstract

ICT developments and internet technologies have changed the way public libraries serve their community. The volume of information found via the internet has grown enormously, there is increased use of internet enabled communication methods and librarians are becoming involved in the creation and preservation of material in a digital format. For the public libraries of New Zealand to meet the needs of its users and support Government strategies to create digitally literate communities it is important that the public service library staffs have the ICT skills and are in a position to take advantage of internet technologies. This study investigates the development of public service library staffs ICT skills, exploring attitudes towards the adoption of new technologies and highlighting ICT barriers and enablers. A self administered postal questionnaire was used to gather both quantitative and qualitative data. 440 questionnaires were issued with a response rate of 31.6%. Results showed that the majority of staff have a positive attitude regarding the usefulness of internet technologies. It was found that the distribution of adopter categories within the public library closely resembles Rogers (1995) normal adopter categories, indicating that new innovations have a positive diffusion and adoption potential. The research found that perceived skill and experience levels of internet technologies were low in some areas requiring increased training and development opportunities. Barriers to perceived skill levels were found to exist within the typical New Zealand public library staffing structure, where a relationship was found between gender, length of service, educational background and perceived internet technology skill levels.