English language needs of the library staff: A study on university libraries in turkey

Abstract

As a part of information society, libraries have to keep up with the recent developments and changes in the field. In this regard, library staff have to obtain various skills for their profession. One of the most important skills is to know a foreign language. This needs assessment study focused on English language needs of people working in university libraries in Turkey. Within the scope of this study, we tried to find out why it was necessary for the library staff to know English. To ensure if library staff need to acquire English language knowledge, we conducted a needs assessment survey consisting of three parts. To begin with, respondents were expected to answer the questions in the first two sections entitled institution and demographic knowledge. They went on to answer the questions related to English language needs in the last part. This part included opinion questions asking about foreign language needs of the library staff. Through these questions we attempted to discover the relationship between the positions of the library staff and their language needs. Moreover, we aimed at identifying the current situation in terms of English language needs in university libraries in Turkey. As a result, all the participants agreed that library staff had to know at least one foreign language, especially English in order to supply quality service in university libraries. The ultimate goal of this study is to make the library staff and universities aware of to what extent English is needed for professional development.