A study on the IT literacy amongst librarians in Government-supported special libraries in Malaysia

Abstract

This dissertation presents the study on the level of information technology (IT) knowledge and skills of librarians in Malaysian government-supported special libraries. The study using the questionnaire survey method, was conducted with a sample of 100 professional librarians selected from among the government-supported special libraries in the state of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur. Results were analysed based on 62 valid responses. Eight research questions and 11 null hypotheses were formulated and tested using the Chisquare test. The study revealed that majority of the special libraries surveyed indicated the use of IT Computer network terminals were available in most libraries besides CD-ROMS, microcomputers and computer databases. The librarians also indicated heavy use of computers for word processing and the Intemet. The analysis on the level of IT literacy of the librarians showed a moderate level of knowledge in IT and the majority were more literate in areas of basic computer application such as word processing and use of e-mail. The statistical findings revealed that three null hypotheses were rejected, indicating that there were significant relationship between the level of professional qualification, the perception on the importance of IT skills and the number of IT courses attended with the level of IT literacy.