Coverage of the competencies required by special librarians at three different levels of Library and Information Science curricula

Abstract

This paper is the second part of a two-part research project that considers to the extent to which the competencies required by special librarians are addressed in the existing Iranian Library and Information Science curricula. For this purpose, a survey was conducted by using a questionnaire with a dichotomous scale (Yes/No), involving Library and Information Science departments in Iran. The results revealed that, overall, the Associate curriculum is helping students to acquire 18 (32.72%) of the 55 required competencies, the Bachelors curriculum is helping them to obtain 77 (63.11%) of the 122 necessary competencies, and the Masters curriculum is helping students gain 83 (68.03%) of the 122 required competencies. The results also demonstrate the strengths and weaknesses of the current Library and Information Science curricula in terms of providing graduates with the necessary competencies to work in special libraries.