Librarianship in Papua New Guinea

Matheson Library, PNG University of Technology

Librarianship is a dynamic and interesting career, which focuses on information and the management thereof. It includes the collection, organisation and distribution of information, according to international principles and standards, in different formats for education, general use, research, and recreation. It is also the facilitation of access to information so that people find and use information effectively for personal and professional purposes. The latest information and communication technology (ICT) developments, including social media such as Facebook and Twitter, e-books and mobile technology offer wonderful new opportunities in the delivery of information services and the way libraries are managed. Librarianship forms the basis of specialization and diverse career opportunities including document management, knowledge management, children’s librarianship, research librarianship and electronic resources management. However, for far too long there is a common misconception in Papua New Guinea (PNG) that librarianship is a dying profession. But, the facts remains and it will always be true that even in these vast technology advances, we still need librarians who are professionals in areas of information collection, organization, distribution and content management and control to effectively manage information content, information authenticity, information filtering, as well as reference and bibliographic services. The biggest challenge now for Librarians in PNG is to keep up with the rapid change in the ICT. A new wave of interactive web technology called "Web2.0" has also revolutionized library and information services delivery globally which also presents a break-through for librarians in PNG.The knowledge of ICT or "ICT Literature" is now a necessity for all professional librarians to actively involve in the global network of information via web2.0 platforms. Librarians need to have the necessary skills and knowledge on how to use Web2.0 technology applications to create, share and communicate useful information with the vast number of information seekers and contributors in real time. A tailored Web2.0 training provided by PNG University of Technology's Matheson Library for library professionals in PNG is an ideal learning pathway for those who wish to keep up with the changing technology and ICT systems that affects library service delivery. The trend now is that, there is a continuous shift from the traditional library management practice to a modern library management practice where ICT takes over much of the work done to manage a library. Nevertheless, there is now a new term that is called "Library Management System", which usually comes as software packages and are operated as databases with different specific functions all integrated to perform correlated activities. Modern librarians today are the only experts in navigating online databases, doing online searches, doing information filtering, providing online reference and bibliographic services etc. Thus, it is fair to say that, librarianship in PNG deserves proper recognition and respect as a technical profession and hence librarians need all the necessary support they require in keeping up with the latest developments and trends in their area of expertise.