Authors:
Willian S. A. Frias, De La Salle University, Philippines
Kriezel Joy R. Daria, University of the Philippines, Philippines
Email: willian.frias@dlsu.edu.ph
Published: July 27, 2020
https://doi.org/10.22492/ijl.9.1.05
Citation: Frias, W. S. A., & Daria, K. J. R. (2020). Legally Bound: Advancing the Competencies of Academic Law Librarians in the Philippines. IAFOR Journal of Literature & Librarianship, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.22492/ijl.9.1.05
Abstract
Law librarianship, in and of itself, is a particularly challenging field within the profession of librarianship. When law librarians must catch up on trends and developments necessary to perform well in the academic library setting, the challenges intensify. This research aims to develop the field of academic law librarianship in the Philippines by analyzing the competencies and training needs of these specialist librarians in the country. The results of this study indicate that academic law librarians are highly competent in performing tasks under core competencies, library management, reference, research and client services, collection development, and cataloging. But these same professionals are just competent in tasks related to information technology. The respondents perceive that continuing professional development and benchmarking are necessary to the furthering of their careers. Recommendations are made here to prioritize training programs on the following topics: (1) basic understanding of relevant legal systems and areas of law, (2) library instructional materials design, and (3) knowledge and navigation of legal information sources. It is these skills that are the most pressing competencies, for upskilling, identified by the librarians participating in this research. This study gathered data using a survey questionnaire, with the results analyzed using descriptive statistical tools, such as extracting means and percentages, and the use of Pearson’s Correlation
Keywords
academic law librarians, competencies, training needs analysis, library standards