Training and development issues: Evidence from polytechnic libraries in Ghana

Abstract

This study sought to assess training and development issues in Polytechnic Libraries in Ghana. The mixed method approach was used as the research design for the survey. Questionnaire and interview schedules were used for data collection. Out of one hundred and forty-four copies of questionnaire distributed to the Librarians/Directors and Library Staff, one hundred and ten were retrieved, representing 76.4%. All the Librarians /Directors of the Polytechnic Libraries were also interviewed. The study revealed that all the Polytechnic libraries did not have their own training and development policies. The study brought to light that, majority of the staff of Polytechnic libraries required skills in Information Communication Technology (ICT) to enable them meet the changing needs of the profession. Besides, the study also revealed that training and development affects productivity but the pivot was motivation. Training and development was not systematic because the frequency was low especially in-house training. The study made some recommendations among which are: educating and orienting library staff on training and development policies, providing staff with adequate training in Information Communication Technology (ICT) especially library management software to enable them meet the changing trends in the profession, and providing adequate budgetary allocation for training and development of Polytechnic libraries in Ghana.