Loading...
Please wait, while we are loading the content...
Similar Documents
Health Information Management Skills and ICT Staff Training Needs in a Nigerian Tertiary Medical Library
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Komolafe-Opadeji, Helen |
| Copyright Year | 2009 |
| Abstract | Introduction Information technology has permanently altered traditional librarianship and the duties of librarians and support staff. Before the advent of information and communication technology (ICT), academic libraries were the sole custodians of information, which was mostly in print (Annunobi 2008). Information technologies have also had an impact on healthcare workers. The Internet brings access and communication on an unprecedented scale (Masys 2005). Sources of information are increasing exponentially, reflected in the steady growth in the use of information technology in teaching and learning. The nature of medical knowledge and technology requires everyone in the health care sector have computer skills (Trivedi 2008). The paradigm shift from traditional to multidisciplinary librarianship through ICT has increased the quantity of information passing through the library and the health librarian's role must keep up with these changes. Health care is an information-intensive sector and ICT is important in the health care delivery. ICT offers opportunities for developing countries like Nigeria to narrow the development gap (Ajuwon and Rhine 2008). Librarians and library support staff require the skills to serve the health sector optimally (Walton &Edwards 1999). Librarians often handle queries from patrons, while support staff may find themselves providing technical assistance. All staff providing direct or indirect assistance to library users need increased technical skills (Ashcroft and Watts 2005) Walton and Edwards (1999) found a significant information management skills gap amongst information professionals in Nigeria. The research suggested collaboration and strategic management of resources as way of alleviating problems. Staff training or retraining becomes imperative, because without training, the vast amount of electronic health information resources will be underused. Studies have shown that the provision of electronic information in the health sector does not match that of the academic sector (Goulding et al. 2000). The E. Latunde Odeku Medical Library (ELOML), University of Ibadan, Nigeria, serves the student and staff community of the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, as well as the University College Hospital (UCH), Nigeria's pioneer teaching hospital. They are both situated on the same campus. Staff expressed the desire for exposure to ICT through their numerous unsuccessful applications for training outside the country. The ELOML collaborated with Lenny Rhine, the former Director of Biomedical Library, University of Florida, USA, and presently with Librarians without Borders to organize a week-long intensive workshop, called Health Librarians Information Management Skills, in July 2007. Data for this study was gathered at that workshop. The objective of the study is to assess the library staff ICT or information skills knowledge, to ascertain how they were trained and areas that would need additional training or retraining. This study investigates the use of ICT skills by librarians and support staff in ELOML The investigation also helps build training modules that would be most useful. Methodology Prior to the workshop, 24 staff were surveyed using a questionnaire with eleven questions. The survey assessed knowledge before the workshop. The training was informed by Williamson and Bannister's (2002) belief that, "effective training must be concise and interactive, interspersed with exercises and hands on experimentation." The workshop was held in the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan's Education Trust Fund (ETF) computer laboratory. The laboratory has sixty computers and, the College of Medicine graciously provided electricity from their stand-by generator whenever there was a power outage. Each participant had a desktop computer to work with, and hands-on sessions were very successful. Workshop modules were designed to suit the needs of the participants extracted from the questionnaires. … |
| Starting Page | 707 |
| Ending Page | 707 |
| Page Count | 1 |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~mbolin/komolafe-opadeji.pdf |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1292&context=libphilprac |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
