Workplace information literacy skills: Library professionals’ competency at university libraries in Karachi, Pakistan

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the level of information literacy (IL) skills competency among university library professionals in Karachi, Pakistan and to address areas of concern. Design/methodology/approach: An online survey was designed, using Google Forms, to collect data from 77 academic librarians working in 25 universities in Karachi, Pakistan. The questions covered six generic attributes: library systems, information resources, searching techniques, research support, IL and generic/personal attributes. Findings: The results indicate that the librarians who were surveyed had good IL skills in information searching and locating information resources. However, the average of all survey responses was 54.17 per cent, with 12 of the 24 competencies receiving scores of less than 50 per cent, thus indicating a generally overall low level of IL competency in the workplace. Research limitations/implications: As the study was limited to universities in Karachi, it would be useful to apply the same methodology to other administrative units within the country. Further research is indicated on the potential impact of gender on aspects such as level of IL skills and motivation to enhance workplace competencies. Practical implications: The authors have suggested a number of strategies, which would be applicable globally to any university library wishing to improve the IL skills competencies of its staff. Originality/value: There have been no previous published, non-discipline-specific, research studies on the IL skills competencies of academic librarians in Pakistan.