The Training of Academic Library Staff on Information Technology within the Libraries of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System

Abstract

There is much discussion in the literature of library and information science on the need for training, and it is generally recognized that libraries do not devote as much time and energy to training their staff as they should. However, the surveys of training practice that are common in the private sector seldom are done in the library world. The purpose of this study was to survey academic libraries within the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) system to find out what the current training practices are within these libraries. Seventeen out of twenty-three libraries responded to a survey that attempted to determine (1) the types of technologies on which staff receive training, (2) the methods being used to train staff on technology, and (3) whether any differences exist in the training that professional and paraprofessional staff receive.