Assessment of staff training needs for Supporting Off-Campus Teaching at Selected University Libraries in Kenya
Keywords:
Staff training needs, Off-Campus Teaching, University librariesAbstract
Kenya’s university libraries are deficiently prepared to launch and operationalize full-fledged off-campus information products and services; hence, wavering support for off-campus learning and teaching. The purpose of this study was to determine staff training needs for supporting off-campus teaching at selected university libraries. A descriptive survey research design was employed and target population was 127 university library staff and 491 faculty members from business, education, information technology, and graduate studies departments. A census of all the library staff was done, while a sample size of 220 faculty members was selected using a stratified sampling technique. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. Validity and reliability tests were conducted on the data instrument. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation, and thematic analysis. The findings revealed that staff training needs had a positive and significant relationship with off-campus teaching at selected university libraries in Kenya. The key aspects of staff training needs noted by this study included digital knowledge, competencies, skills, and regular training. The study recommended that library management needs to strengthen their staff training needs.
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