Competencies for Public Library Professionals in Malaysia

Competencies of the entry-level professionals for the Malaysian public libraries were defined and validated for the next five years. The exercise of competency determination was accomplished by focusing on the peculiarities of the Malaysian context by adopting a number of methodological innovations. Each competency statement was an identifiable and measurable performance unit. The top and middle managers of the ten largest Malaysian public library systems were interviewed to validate knowledge and skill competencies by indicating their perceived degree of importance of each statement. The competencies were presented in the categories of foundation core and five operational areas of cataloging, circulation, information services, collection development, and serial control. The primary thrust for the future public library professionals is on the contextual, managerial, technological, and service capabilities.