LIBRARY A TRAINED PROFESSION:

VANUATU LIBRARY ASSOCIATION WORKSHOP

 

 

Do we need trained people to work in a library? It was the ice-breaking question poised to the nineteen participants and members of the Vanuatu Library Association (VLA) at the afternoon workshop held at USP Emalus Campus Farea on Friday, 21st October 2011.

 

 

The workshop is one of the annual activities coordinated by the VLA President, Ms Sylvie Tapasei, Library Assistant at USP Emalus Campus. The purpose of the workshop is twofold: first, to inform the participants of the importance of having trained people working in libraries. Second, to assist participants in knowing the proceduresinvolved in certain technical areas of operation, in particular Acquisitions – formulation of a selection policy, budgeting and purchasing.

 

The workshop presenter was Ms Vilimaina Vakaciwa, Librarian Regional at USP Library, Laucala Campus. Vilimaina stresses the need to have trained people in libraries. She adds, increasing information demand and need, ICT development dynamics in which ICT emerging trends are rapidly changing and the global thirst for new knowledge and learning will require advanced set of information literacy abilities, skills and competencies.

 

 

Those of us working in library and information services institutions whether these are Public, School, Academic or Special Libraries and information Centres, ought to be equipped with the relevant expertise so we can effectively deliver and meet the growing information needs and demands of those we serve. Having the appropriate training, library people are able to deliver and impart quality information and knowledge which will result in the creation of a learned, informed society.

 

A power-point presentation on the USP Library and Information Studies Certificate and Diploma Programmes supplemented the challenges and issues of the library profession covered in the first half of the workshop. Equally important is the group discussions revolved on theme 2 – Acquisitions procedures in which the four groups depicting the four types of libraries – School, Academic, Public and Special discussed and formulated a Selection Policy for their library, a resource budget distribution pie chart and strategies for books purchasing.

 

Out of the nineteen participants, seven have indicated their interest to commence the USP Library Studies from 2012.

 

VV

27/10/11