Perceived education and training needs for agricultural librarians and information personnel in the information communications technology (ICT) era; the case for Botswana, a developing country perspective

This paper seeks to look at the education and qualifications of agricultural librarians and information personnel in Botswana’s five main agricultural information sectors. It will also look at their perception of their training by their institutions and by themselves. Whether these institutions see a need to equip them with new skills for them to compete well and provide valuable information for the country’s economic development. Do the institutions and the government perceive them as an important link in the transmission of agricultural information? Botswana College of Agriculture Library (BCAL) which caters for students, teachers, lecturers, extension workers and farmers, and The Meat Inspection Training Centre (which is part of BCA and trains meat inspection personnel), Department of Agricultural Research (DAR for research scientists), The National Food Technology Research Centre Library (NFTEC), The Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Information Division which covers the ministry Library and Information Professionals, The Veterinary Science Laboratory Library (VET LAB). Using the survey research design and questionnaire and interview as the major data collection instruments, the three research institutions, one academic library, two institutional libraries are selected for the study. The findings will be presented in the form of tables, pie charts. The recommendations from the study will inform policy makers in making training decisions for agricultural information professionals as well as budgeting purposes. This can also be a wakeup call for the information professionals to realize what they need in order to serve their clientele well.