Attitudes towards continuing education needs among librarians in the Southeast

The primary objective of this study is to identify the attitudes of librarians in eight, Southeastern states towards their continuing education needs, and to identify influential factors which motivate librarians to engage in continuing education activities. , An assessment of needs is the first step in the continuing education process, and data such as that provided by this study may be useful as a basis for planners of continuing education programs (academic institutions, state library agencies, library associations, and employing institutions).

Data collection was accomplished by means of a six-page questionnaire. The population consisted of 18,153 librarians in eight, Southeastern states defined as Region IV by the U.S. Office of Education (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee). The instrument was mailed to a sample of school librarians (N=300), public librarians (N=203), academic librarians (N=203), and special librarians (N=150). The response rates for librarians, by type, were: school librarians, 25.4%; public librarians, 36.0%; academic librarians, 60.4%; special librarians, 35.6%. Response rate for the total sample was 37.6%.

The data are displayed in terms of frequency distributions and percentages for 254 variables. The respondents are divided into four groups for the purpose of comparative analysis; i.e., school librarians (N=75), public librarians (N=7l), academic librarians (N=110), and special 1ibrarians (N=48).

The survey results indicate that a particular problem appears to be a lack of co-ordinated planning and a lack of communication between and among organizations responsible for planning. There is a need for planned, quality programs, with continuing education offered close enough to the respondents' homes to make attending practical.

The findings indicate there are both differences and similarities in library-related course needs within the four types of librarians. Only one course area, Human Relations, appears as a selection of all four categories of librarians. Program planning; administration and general management of libraries; and materials selection and acquisitions; are course areas with a high priority for school, public, and academic librarians. For special librarians, information retrieval systems, specialized information sources, and automation/computer applications (reference), are of the highest priority. Audiovisual materials and services course areas are ranked number one by school librarians. For non-library courses, business management and computer science are the most important choices for academic, public, and special librarians, while school librarians prefer education as a first choice, followed by sociology.

The data provided evidence that significant barriers to librarians' participation in continuing education activities are: (1) location of continuing education courses, (2) hours when courses are conducted, and (3) financial limitations.

Respondents' participation in continuing education activities is strongly affected by the quality of courses (content, relevance to needs), the opportunity to be exposed to new or creative ideas, and the possibilities to obtain new knowledge relative to employment.

vii As important as Southeastern librarians consider continuing education to be, these needs are not being adequately met. Of the total sample of librarians, only 13.0% consider local opportunities to be "most adequate." From the findings of this preliminary, exploratory study certain recommendations are made. As a means of dealing with the issues of inadequate planning and difficulty of communication, a cooperative effort or multistate program is suggested. A plan to implement such a program--with its key objective that of finding efficient ways to deliver quality continuing education for library personnel--is suggested.