Abstract:

The change in innovative technologies, its impact on the access and use of electronic information and the complexity of library users are forcing librarians to majorly change their skill set. There is no longer request for physical information from patrons. Academic institutions now have to train their librarians to meet the changing needs of their patrons. With the recent pandemic and ever-decreasing budget, innovative learning technologies are paving way for workplace training. One such technology is Microlearning, which allows learners to complete learning anywhere at any time through small bursts of training materials that learners can comprehend in a short time and according to their preferred schedule and location. This paper explores the potential of using microlearning for training librarians on the use of the ABCD library management system. Following a needs analysis conducted from 138 librarians from six Tanzanian universities that identified the most important competencies and skills needed by the librarians and the barriers to librarians training, eleven microlearning video-based/text-based units were developed from a basic librarian’s profile that shows step-by-step use of the circulation module in the ABCD system alongside quizzes that determine clear understanding of the system use. Identifying librarians’ training needs augmented and framed the training required for the librarians based on needs. This allowed for the development of the microlearning intervention according to their context. The design and development team comprised of context experts, IT personnel, designer personnel, and librarian’s representatives. These videos were produced using the QuickTime player software for screen recording and the TechSmith Camtasia software for video editing. Since the circulation module has two main brackets; the transactions bracket and the databases bracket, the videos were produced based on the two brackets. The intervention is expected to bring forth a decrease in recurring training needs by the librarians on the use of the system, bring awareness to the academic institutions' management on the use of technology for workplace training and increase experts of the ABCD system in Tanzania. Increasing training and learning efficiency is paramount if these academic libraries are to maintain relevance and continue to meet the needs of their users.

Keywords:

Workplace training, learning technologies, microlearning, librarians' training, Tanzania.