Status : Verified
| Personal Name | Valdez, Jonathan A. |
|---|---|
| Resource Title | A study on the behavioral performance of LIS paraprofessionals in delivering reference services in Quezon City Public Library branches |
| Date Issued | June 2016 |
| Abstract | Since the beginning of modern libraries, reference service is regarded as one of the most important library functions as it directly addresses the information needs of the library clientele. However, this library work is delegated to LIS paraprofessionals or non-licensed library workers, whose lack of LIS academic and professional background might jeopardize the quality of reference service the public library delivers. Yet because of the lack of qualified staff, public libraries in Metro Manila are dominated by LIS paraprofessionals. This thesis investigated the actual reference work performance of LIS paraprofessionals in public libraries. Using the Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information Service Providers by ALA-RUSA as main criteria, the goal of this research was to determine the behavioral performances of LIS paraprofessionals in delivering reference services, and to analyze the relationship of behavioral performance with regards to client satisfaction and the degree of correctness of the outcome of reference transactions. The findings show that all of the reference staff in the sample Quezon City Public Library branches are LIS paraprofessionals, and that they lack the ample academic and professional training to do reference work. Their demographics also affirmed that most of the respondent reference paraprofessionals did not have an LIS academic background and did not attend any training, seminar, or workshop on reference service. Despite this inadequacy of professional development, the respondents stated that they deliver reference service to their library clientele on a regular basis. Furthermore, the findings also showed that most of the reference paraprofessionals are welcoming and accommodating, but they lack skills in facilitating reference interviews and in searching accurately for the library resources to answer the formulated questions. Hence, client satisfaction ranges only slightly above satisfactory and that the reference services they deliver is almost always inaccurate or that the transactions are prematurely dismissed. Based on all these, it is advised that the respondent reference staff undergo reference training or workshop to improve the quality of their reference work. |
| Degree Course | Bachelor of Library and Information Science |
| Language | English |
| Keyword | Library technicians; Public libraries; Reference services |
| Material Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
Preliminary Pages
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