Assessment of Personnel Training Needs in the Ibrahim Babangida Library, Federal University of Technology, Yola, Nigeria

Introduction A Personnel Training Scheme (PTS) is one that seeks to improve work performance. Such a scheme may take forms such as on-the-job, informal, and formal educational training. Slee (1997:89) explains that it is a systematic approach to staff development and continuing education that is often a programme of learning opportunities, with the aim of ensuring that workers continue to acquire and adapt their skills and knowledge to a changing environment. The roles and challenges for information professionals are ever greater, what Kigongo-Bukenya (1999) describes as the need to be "contingent". This implies that their skills must be the "best fit" for the ever-changing needs of an information society. Employees require training for various purposes. Jain (1989) and Rowley (1995) assert that lack of training results in a lack of ability to use existing knowledge, which causes ineffective services, a lack of customer satisfaction, and lower productivity. Pugh (1984) maintains that training will foster an increase in professionalism and better management methods, whereas lack of training can cause frustration and lack of job satisfaction. Well-trained individuals know the scope and expectations of their jobs and will be able to add building blocks to their expertise as they progress through their careers. The library profession has become aware of the need for continuous training, because of the increasing variety of information formats and increasing dependence on automated systems. The changing nature of library users and the demand for managers with appropriate skills have added to the need for training. These developments and pressures have had a profound impact on academic librarianship. University libraries have been significantly influenced by these transformations. Abifarin (1997) opines that staff is an important factor in motivation. If we are able to engage people through training, the impact on them and the library is immeasurable. The National Universities Commission (NUC) (1996:51-52) in its draft manual on university management emphasizes the significance of staff training and development in university libraries, by stressing that: The librarian should ensure regular training development of all his staff. He should encourage illiterate staff, if any, to go for adult literacy classes to ensure their retention and progress in a 'book' institution such as the university library. The Librarian should encourage all his staff, where appropriate, to go for higher education. Library Assistants for library diploma; graduates for master's and doctorate degrees; short course for administrative and secretarial staff. Sponsorship for any training should be based on good performance of the staff. The Librarian should encourage his staff to participate in continuing education programmes. The staff should be sponsored for conferences, seminars and workshops. They should be encouraged to participate actively by presenting papers at these gatherings. The library staff seminar papers usually help the staff for these external outings. The manual also notes that: There is so much professional expertise available locally and internationally that the Librarian should tap these sources for training his staff. Through staff exchange between his staff and those of other institution, his staff should be able to gain additional experience and knowledge from hands on experience in other Library situation. The Ibrahim Babangida Library, Federal University of Technology, Yola (IBL, FUTY) was established along with the institution by the then civilian administration of Alhaji Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari (President of Nigeria at that time) in 1981. It did not inherit any material (books or journals) to start with. The library began providing services to the university community from its temporary building in April 1983. …