LIBRARY DEVELOPMENT AND FUTURE TRENDS IN ...myrepositori.pnm.gov.my/bitstream/123456789/1816/1/...LIBRARY DEVELOPMENT AND FUTURE TRENDS IN MALAYSIA - COUNTRY REPORT * by SHAHAR BANUN

LIBRARY DEVELOPMENT AND FUTURETRENDS IN MALAYSIA - COUNTRY REPORT *

by

SHAHAR BANUN JAAFAR**

ABSTRAK

Kertas kerja ini membincangkan trend masa depan dan pembangunan perpustakaan diMalaysia. Ianya meninjau sejarah pertumbuhan dan peranan yang dimainkan oleh kelima-lima jenis perpustakaan yang ada di samping latihan untuk profesion perpustakaan.Menurut penulis, perkembangan semasa di peringkat antarabangsa dan kebangsaanmempunyai impak yang besar terhadap pembangunan perpustakaan di Malaysia. Diperingkat kebangsaan beberapa strategi telah disarankan oleh penulis dalam usahamemenuhi keperluan maklumat negara menjelang tahun 2020 dan seterusnya. Automasiserta pewujudan perkongsian dan rangkaian maklumat di antara perpustakaan membawaimplikasi yang mencabar kepada profesionalisma kepustakawanan, Di sinilah perlunyaPustakawan sentiasa sensitif dan responsif terhadap keperluan perkhidrnatan maklumatyang sentiasa berubah sejajar dengan keperluan persekitaran pada masa itu.

INTRODUCTION

alaysia consists of Peninsular Malaysiaand the states of Sabah and Sarawak on

the Borneo Island. It is located at the heart ofSoutheast Asia, to the north is Thailand, to thesouth are Singapore and Indonesia, to the east isthe Philippines. Malaysia has a total area ofabout 330,434 sq. km. and a population of about18 million. Malaysia is a member of ASEAN(Association of South East Asia Nation). Someexamples of library cooperation among libraries

Paper presented at Consal IX, Bangkok, 1-8 May 1993

Deputy Director General, Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia

in ASEAN countries are, ASEAN-COCI, JointCongress of Library Association of Singaporeand Library Association of Malaysia andConference of Southeast ASEAN Librarians(CONSAL). At the same time, many librariesespecially special libraries, have establishedbilateral linkages with their counterparts inSoutheast Asian countries based on mutualinterests.

Hak Cipta Terpelihara © 1994 – Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia


LIBRARIES IN MALAYSIA

1) The National LibraryThe National Library of Malaysia wasestablished in 1966 as a Unit within the NationalArchives and its primary function then was toimplement the Preservation of Books Act, 1966and to publish the Malaysian NationalBibliography, The National Library Act waspassed in 1972. Its Reference Division was firstopened to the public in the same year. ThePreservation of Books Act was repealed and anew act named the Deposit of Library MaterialsAct was enacted in 1986. This Act, named theNational library as the National DepositoryCenter for library materials published in thecountry. Library materials as defined in the Actincludes printed as well as non printed materials,such as cinematograph films, microforms,phonorecords, video and audio recordings andother electronic media. The Act requires allpublishers to deposit 5 copies of printedmaterials and 2 copies of non-printed materialsin the National Library,

The National Library is one of the major librariesin Malaysia, which has its powers and rolesclearly defined in the National Library(Amendment) Act, 1987, Presently the NationalLibrary is managed by the Director General andassisted by the Deputy Director General. Thereorganization of the National Library'sorganizational structure was recently approvedby the government. The National Libraryconsists of 15 Divisions, headed by 9 Directorsand 6 Senior Librarians. The role of the NationalLibrary as the coordinator responsible for thestrengthening of information infrastructurewithin the nation is stipulated in the 1987 Act.The Act empowers the Director General of theNational Library "to advise the Minister onnational policy on all matters pertaining tolibraries and all other matters relating tolibraries" and "to advise and assist in the nationalplanning and development of libraries".

At present the National Library has a totalcollection of approximately 900,000 items, anincrease of approximately 45,000 itemsannually. About 48,000 items of its totalcollection consist of multi media materials whichincludes video tapes, cassettes, microforms andCD-ROMs. Its new building which has a totalarea of about 22,700 sq. meters has modernfacilities, including a multimedia resourcecentre, a computer centre, a computer traininglaboratory for training of library personnel todevelop skills in managing informationtechnology, a Computer Assisted ReferenceService (CARS) Centre and a Computer AssistedInstruction (CAI) Centre for the public to learnto access its databases through its Online PublicAccess Catalogue (OPAC). Its children's librarywill be equipped with hypermedia services toenable children to learn within an ITenvironment. This Centre will be made possible,by the donation of Syarikat Esso (M) Bhd, whichis celebrating its 100 years anniversary this year.We believe that the children of today who willbe our future leaders, will be active users oflibrary and information services of the future,

2) Academic LibrariesThere are 7 university libraries in Malaysianamely the Universiti Malaya (University ofMalaya), Universiti Sains Malaysia (Universityof Science), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia(National University of Malaysia), UniversitiPertanian Malaysia (University of AgricultureMalaysia), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia(University of Technology Malaysia), UniversitiIslam Antarabangsa (International IslamicUniversity) and most recent the UniversitiMalaysia, Sarawak, The university libraries'collections are of varying sizes ranging frommore than 1 million to less than 100,000 librarymaterials. The Universiti Malaysia Sarawak'slibrary is in a developmental stage. Except forthe two newer libraries, all university librarieshave their own network outside their main



campuses. Most of the major universities havecomputerized and have built up a number ofdatabases and have access to foreign databases.Coordination among university libraries and theNational Library is formalized through PERPUN(Conference of Chief Librarians of Universitylibraries and the Director General of the NationalLibrary) which meet 3 to 4 times a year. Otherforms of cooperation are in the area of documentdelivery services, microfilming activities SCOM(ie. Sub-Committee on Microfilming whichinvolves sharing responsibilities in microfilmingprojects), planning for bibliographic networks,organizing training and conferences.

There are about 70 academic libraries in variousinstitutes of higher learning either as governmentowned or as a private organizations. In recentyears, there are a number of private colleges thathave been set up with twinning programmes withforeign universities. These colleges have theirmini libraries of various sizes, some are managedby professional librarians whilst others aremanaged by a non professional staff.

3) Special LibrariesSpecial libraries were the earliest librariesestablished in Malaysia mainly to supportresearch in related areas. The oldest libraries inMalaysia are the Institute of Medical ResearchLibrary (1901), the Rubber Research Instituteof Malaysia (1925) and the Forest ResearchInstitute (1929). Today there are more than 300special libraries of varying sizes attached tovarious research institutions, Ministries,Government Departments and privatecorporations.

Special libraries in the Ministries and the FederalGovernment Departments are administeredunder their respective Ministries and Heads ofDepartments, while special libraries in researchinstitutions and private corporations areadministered under their respective Directors of

institutions or Chief Executives of Corporations.However, librarians and library assistantsworking in the Ministries and the FederalGovernment Departments fall under the purviewof the Common User Scheme for librariesadministered by the National Library ofMalaysia. Whilst there are 256 libraries underthe Scheme, only 45 libraries are headed byprofessional librarians. There are about 156special libraries in research institutions, privatecorporations and associations. Most speciallibraries in research institutions or semigovernment institutions such as in the Bankingsectors, are headed by professional librariansor information specialists.

As head of the Common User Scheme forlibraries, the National Library is responsible forthe recruitment, placement, transfer,confirmation and promotion, training andprofessional development of all librarians andlibrary assistants in the Ministries and FederalGovernment departments. The National Libraryconducts regular training programmes as wellas examinations, for the purpose of confirmationof newly recruited librarians and libraryassistants in the scheme. However, trainings andseminars organised by the National Library,especially in the area of new disciplines, wherelocal and foreign experts are invited to conductthe training programmes or seminars, are openedto all library professionals in the country. TheNational Library provides advisory services toany institution intending to set up new librariesor to upgrade its library services.

4) Public LibrariesAll State Public Libraries in Peninsular Malaysiaare under the administration of the State PublicLibrary Corporation Boards except for the SabahState Library which is a State Department underthe Ministry of Social Services, while theSarawak Public Library is under the Ministry ofEnvironment and Tourism. The Enactments of



State Public Library Corporations, were passedby their respective State Legislations, in the yearsbeginning from 1969 to late 1980s.

The State Public Library of each state isresponsible for developing state-wide librarynetworks which include setting up branchlibraries, village libraries and reading rooms invarious districts and towns and providing mobilelibrary services in the rural areas. At presentthere are 13 state libraries, 76 branch libraries,145 village libraries and 75 mobile libraries inMalaysia. In 1993, the government allocatedfunds for the National Library, to set up anadditional 21 village libraries and 10 mobilelibraries. The Kuala Lumpur City Council hasset up 3 city libraries and a mobile library unitto provide library services in urban centerswithin the Federal Territory. There are also statelocal authorities such as Johore Bharu, PulauPinang, Kuching and Ipoh that have set up theirown city/town libraries managed by theirrespective local authorities. In addition, thereare about 473 mini rural libraries or readingrooms under the management of localauthorities, Community Development Divisionof the Ministry of Rural Development(KEMAS), the Rubber Industry Small HoldersDevelopment Authority (RISDA) and theFederal Land Development Authority (FELDA).

The National Library provides developmentgrants to the state authorities to assist the statein the development and strengthening of publiclibrary infrastructure within the state. Thisdevelopment grant is for building of newlibraries, renovation of library premises,purchase of mobile buses, library equipment,books and non book materials for collectionbuilding and provision of launching grant.Under the Sixth Malaysian Plan a total sum ofRM19.948 million has been allocated for thestate public library development. The DirectorGeneral of the National Library sits in all StatePublic Library Board Meetings. Professional

meetings with the state public libraries organizedby the National Library of Malaysia, are heldtwice a year, mainly to coordinate professionalmatters and to monitor development projects.

5) School LibrariesThere are resource centres or libraries of varyingsizes in most secondary and primary schools inMalaysia. The Technology Division of theMinistry of Education is responsible forpromoting and facilitating the establishment ofresource centres in all schools. School librariesare managed by teacher librarians with speciallibrary training. The Specialist TeachersTraining Institute in Kedah provides specialcourses for teacher librarians in the country.

6) Training of Library ProfessionalThere are 2 library schools in Malaysia, namelythe Mara Institue of Technology, which providesdegree and post graduate diploma courses andthe International Islamic University whichprovides a Masters programme in InformationManagement. The Library Association ofMalaysia also conducts courses and organizesseminars on library management andorganization.

CHANGING PATTERN OF LIBRARIESIN MALAYSIA

The developments that are taking place at thenational and international arenas have a majorimpact on library development in Malaysia.

At national level, there are government policiesand programmes introduced recently that willhave major impact on all libraries in Malaysia.Plans for future library development should takeinto consideration some of these policies andprogrammes, namely, the Malaysian 30-yearplan or Malaysia the way forward commonlyknown as Vision 2020: the 10-Year Plan orSecond Outline Perspective Plan (OPP2) andthe 5~Year-Plan (Sixth Malaysia Plan). These



policies will provide the major thrust for librariesin Malaysia to move ahead towards the twentiethcentury. Other policies which are equally asimportant for library development are theNational Policy on Library and InformationServices, the National Book Policy (Dasar BukuNegara), the National Science and TechnologyPolicy, the Industrial Master Plan and theNational Agriculture Policy.

The National Development Policy hasformalised the vision 2020, which sets the pacefor Malaysia to become a fully industralized anddeveloped nation by the year 2020 and to be aninformation rich nation. Its main objectives isto build a progressive, prosperous and unitednation. In order to be a successfull nation bythe year 2020, there are 9 strategic challengesthat should be overcomed by all Malaysian.These nine challenges are: (a) establishing aunited Malaysian Nation; (b) creating apsychologically liberated, secure and developedMalaysian society; (c) fostering and developinga mature democratic society; (d) establishing afully moral and ethical society; (e) establishinga mature, liberal and tolerant society; (f)establishing a scientific and progressive society;(g) establishing a fully caring society; (h)ensuring an economically just society, in whichthere is a fair and equitable distribution of wealthof the nation, and; (i) establishing a prosperoussociety with an economy that is fullycompetitive, dynamic, robust and resilient. Tomeet these challenges, information become acritical factor, in order to excel and to have anedge over others. Thus libraries as the majorinformation providers in the country, should playits strategic role as an agent of change, towardsmeeting the information needs of the future.

At the international level, the developments thatare taking place will certainly affect libraryservices in Malaysia. As the world economy isbecoming more competitive, information too isbecoming a major asset to any nation that is

committed toward change. For any country tohave a competitive advantage, it must have agood information system that can deliverinformation fast for decision makers.Advancement of computer technologies havemade it possible for libraries to utilize itspotential as working tools to create variety ofdatabases that are pertinent to library users.Future direction of library development inMalaysia should take into consideration theexternal environment i.e changes that are takingplace globally especially within the Pacific rimas well as the future development in Malaysia,taking into consideration government policiesand programmes. This is a challenge for all ofus librarians in Malaysia.

In line with the above policies and theglobalization that are taking place, all librariesin Malaysia have a major role to play in thedevelopment and strengthening of library andinformation infrastructure within the nation. Inorder to meet the future challenge of becominga developed industrial nation, all libraries inMalaysia, be it academic, special, public orschool libraries, should became an integral partof the nation's information system that provideresearch and reading materials to the publicthrough its services. The collections of all theselibraries are part of the nation's major resourcesand assets which should be shared by all. AllMalaysians be they, in the urban or rural areas,should have access to research and readingmaterials, in order to forge ahead as a productive,innovative and skilled labour force. To developan information-rich society, Malaysia needs aPlan of Action for the development of libraryand information services within the country.Some of the strategies for the development oflibrary and information services in Malaysia,includes:

a) strengthening of library andinformation infrastructure in the country bysetting up more libraries in the cities, townsand villages so that all Malaysian will be



able to enjoy library facilities and services;

b) reducing imbalance of librarydevelopment among the states by providingadditional financial assistance to the stateauthorities responsible for public librarydevelopment, in order to enable all states toprovide effective library services and toestablish state-wide library networks. Inadition to the development grant given tothe states, beginning from 1992, the Federalgovernment, through the National Libraryis subsidising half of the annual budget ofthe state public libraries, on a 50:50 ratio.Thus, it is envisaged that a balanced librarydevelopment within the states will prevailin the near future;

c) ensuring all public libraries in thecountry achieve minimum standard ofservices, so that it can function as a one stopcommunity information centre for localinformation, and functions as state referenceand referral centres. Thus, the state librarieswill develop as "centre of excellence" forthe state information system. PublicLibraries should be the major learning centerfor the youth to upgrade their living skillsand to improve their standard of livingthrough continuous education and selflearning;

d) facilitating the development of speciallibraries and specialised information centresin the Ministries, Federal Departments,Research Institutions and privatecorporations, both in the areas of science andtechology and the areas of social sciences,so that they would be a specialised centre ofexcellence in their respectives relateddisciplines, as part of the nationalinformation system.

e) ensuring that all libraries within thecountry have access to computer facilities

in order to build up bibliographic as well asnon-bibliographic databases pertaining totheir local environment. These databasesshould be made accessible to the publicthrough online library services and networks.Thus libraries will become an intermediarybetween its users and different types ofdatabases;

t) establishing a national bibliographicdatabase and national bibliographic networkin a distributed environment. This is in linewith the governments' policy to have an"open system" environment for all publicsector computer systems;

g) ensuring national availability ofpublications to the researchers and the publicwho will have access to the collections ofall libraries in the country through effectivedocument delivery services. With theassistance of the Syarikat Telekom MalaysiaBhd, the National Library is planning to linkup all libraries that have signed the"Memorandum of Understanding" fortelemail services;

h) all libraries will be actively involvedin reading campaigns and user educationprogrammes, in order to ensure that libraryusers will be able to exploit information tomeet the challenges of a new industrialsociety. The National Library's mission isto instill the culture of excellence amostMalaysians, by encouraging them tocontinuously acquire knowledge throughlibrary services. As a secretariat of theNational Reading Campaign chaired by theMinister of Education, the National Libraryis coordinating and assisting relevantauthorities to organize and campaign for thereading programme. A National ReadingMonth will be observed annually.

i) all libraries will work with other



institutions to formulate the National Planof Action to produce more reading andresearch materials for the Malaysian readingsociety;

j) establishing within the NationalLibrary a National Reference and ReferralCentre for local imprints, as well as, sourcesof information on Malaysia. This willinclude an online system which will allowthe public and the publishers to access theMalaysian National Bibliography database,thus acting as the "national focal point" fora Malaysian information system;

k) library services may not be purelybibliographic but include textual, graphicand statistical information. Library serviceswill include repackaging of information inaccordance to the users needs. A marketingapproach to the library services will beemphasised. The corporate culture oflibraries as a knowledge-based institutionshould be customer driven i.e libraries existto satisfy the information needs of users;

1) in line with the government policy ofpromoting, the excellence culture amongstall government departments, library servicestoo should achieve services par excellenceby providing timely and quality informationrequired by decision makers, researchersand the public. All libraries should developcorporate plans with short term and longterm plans for the future, in order to forgeahead to the year 2000 and beyond.

m) establishing standards for all libraryactivities and services of libraries in orderto upgrade the quality of library services.A Total Quality Management approachshould be practised by all libraries inMalaysia;

n) intensifying in-service training for

professionals librarians and non-professionals staff in order to meet newchallenges, especially in terms of exploitingand harnessing global information by usingnew technologies and developing subjectspecialization among librarians.

LIBRARY AUTOMATION

Automation among libraries in Malaysia beganas early as 1978 when the MALMARC projectwas started. The MALMARC project was acentralized batch processing system for copycataloguing and for building up a unioncatalogue database among consortia librariesconsisting of the Universiti Sains Malaysia,Universiti Pertanian Malaysia, UniversitiMalaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia,Universiti Utara Malaysia and the NationalLibrary. The successful output of MALMARCwas the creation of one of the largestbibliographic databases, consisting ofapproximately 480,000 records of a unioncatalogue of consortia libraries. The institutionalfiles from the MALMARC database can beloaded into any integrated library system withminor customization thus facilitating theimplementation process of the computerizationprogramme of consortia libraries. In 1990 thisproject was discontinued and currently plan forthe future bibliographic network is underway.

Since the 1980s, libraries especially academicand special libraries began to acquire their owncomputer systems. Currently there are a varietyof computerized library systems being used indifferent libraries in Malaysia. The UniversityScience library and Universiti KebangsaanMalaysia are using the DOBIS/LIBIS system,the University Malaya library the ATLASsystem, the University of Technology Malaysiais using Dynix system, the Universiti UtaraMalaysia is using SISPUKOM, the Universityof Agriculture and the National Library are usingVTLS. Some special libraries are using VTLS,



such as MINISIS and CDS/ISIS for simple textretrieval systems. For the last three years, theNational Library has developed 5 majordatabases namely BINAR consisting ofapproximately 171,440 records on libraryholdings; PANCARAN consisting ofapproximately 3,310 indexing records ofconference/ seminar proceedings; MENTARIconsisting of approximately 39,480 indexrecords of Malaysian periodical/journal articles;SURIA consisting of approximately 109,830records of index to Malaysian major newspapers.

The first phase of library networking is to allowlibraries with similar systems to be connectedand be able to access each other's databases.The second phase is to consider the introductionof "disc spinder" i.e. an independent computersystem either to be installed at the NationalLibrary or by appointing a commercial bureaufor the establishment of centralized unioncatalogue of library holdings. The method wasintroduced by Dr John Ashford, who undertookthe consultancy study for bibliographic networksin Malaysia, under British Council sponsorship.

Since 1985, libraries in Malaysia began to haveaccess to commercial databases such as Patentand Standards databases or SIRIMLINK andLIVEBASES as well as international databasessuch as Dialog Information Services. Mostlibraries in Malaysia are now beginning to buildup their CD-ROM collections. In future, libraryonline services should not limit to accessingbibliographic databases, but should also consideraccessing textual, and statistical databases,directories, financial data, communityinformation services, and many other databasesin order to repackage the information retrievedfrom different databases, in accordance withspecified users needs. Thus there is value addedto the information we deliver to our users. Thisis a challenge for all librarians. How do wedevelop the required skills among us to accessdifferent databases with different kinds of search.

IMPLICATIONS TO LIBRARYPROFESSIONALS

We are living in an information age wherepublications and databases which contain allforms of information proliferate in differenttypes of media. Information published inmultimedia and hypermedia should be anintegrated part of our library collection andlibrary services. Libraries of the future shouldnot only be library of printed materials but alsolibrary of different databases and multimediaresources. Advancements in computertechnology has affected our life and our workplace. The convergence of computers andsophisticated telecommunication system makeit possible to exchange information world widein an instant. Thus we will be able to accessvarious form of online databases worldwidethrough different networks. As informationproviders, these developments will haveimplications for our professions. It requiresdifferent approaches to accessing and deliverinformation to our users. Accessing differenttypes of databases will be a daily routine workof any modern library. As librarians, we areresponsible for selecting information, relevantto our respective user needs, processing mem inthe most systematic manner, in accordance withnational and international standards, for thepurpose of future exchange of information,developing retrieval information systems that areresponsive to our user's needs. On the otherhand, our users, endowed with differentintellectual skills, multi disciplinary background,computer literacy and globalizated outlooks, arebecoming more sophisticated and demanding forquality and efficiency library services.

How do we librarians cope with such situations?If we librarians are to play the role as a changeagent in our society, we should be proactive inour approach in providing library services andmarketing our products and services. We shouldbe constantly anticipating changes that are likely



to occur and to position our human resources toaddress these new challenges effectively. Aslibrary managers, we should be innovative andefficient in utilizing our resources which includelibrary materials and human resources. This isan important task for librarians to undertakeespecially when we are living in a changingenvironment where rapid development is takingplace in this technological world. Librarymanagement and services should take newapproaches, namely strategic management andplanning approach in order to forecast the futureand determining various alternatives measuresto introduce innovative and quality library andinformation services. SWOT analysis approachis one way to understand our present strengthand weakness. We should analysis our librariesin term of its strengths, weaknesses,opportunities and threats, in order to makeoptimum use of our strengths, and reduceweakness so that we would be able to takeadvantage of the new opportunities ahead of us,thereby reducing any threats to our profession.Libraries should treat information ascommodities, which are marketable to libraryusers. By analyzing the internal and externalenvironment, we should strengthen ourdistinctive competence and develop expertise,as centres of excellence in our own areas ofcompetences.

The Pacific rim will be one of the fastestdeveloping regions in this part of the world interms of economic, social, scientific andindustrial development in the near future. Thuslibraries within the Pacific region cannot existin isolation but need to cooperate. Thoughcountries in Asean have varied background andin different pace of development, there is acommon need among us, that is utilizinginformation for our national development.Expertise and experiences among librarians inAsean countries should be shared throughvarious cooperation programmes such astwinning programme, strategic alliances,

networking, etc.

It has been recognized that information is a majorresource that will contribute towards thedevelopment of a progressive nation. In orderto achieve a competitive advantage in this everchanging environment, the strategic role ofinformation in national and internationaldecision-making cannot be underestimated.Information should be regarded as a commodityor a major asset for any country that has anagenda for change. It is also commonly saidthat better decision making can be achievedthrough increased availability of information.However, the key issue here is how do welibrarians deliver precise and quality informationthat is relevant to a particular user at a particulartime. An overload of information or informationinappropriately derived or combined can resultin poor decisions that might be made in a lessinformation rich environment. This will affectour image as information providers. Thus asinformation managers we should be able tomanage information effectively so that it doesnot overwhelm the decision makers and libraryusers with irrelevent information.

Libraries should not only function as informationand cultural centres, but should also be learningorganizations where individual library staff areconstantly learning and adapting and beinnovative to meet the changing patterns of ourusers needs. We should nurture a learningculture among library staff so that they arereceptive to change. We should not onlyencouraging our users to be learned but weourselve should be continuously learning andunderstand the globalization scenario so that wewill be able to direct our resources in accordancewith the needs of our current and potential users.As library managers we should consider the newapproach to management. The new approach ofbusiness management is flattening up of theorganizational structure. The tall pyramidalorganization is disappearing. A new form of



organization must focus on customers needs. Inproviding effective information services, the neworganization should be in a form of clusterorganizations. A cluster organization consistsof a group of people drawn from differentdisciplines/divisions, working together on a semipermanent basis with a mission to provide thebest services to the customers. The clusterdevelops its own expertise, expresses strongcustomers orientation, pushes decision makingtowards the points of action, shares informationand accepts accountability. Therefore, a clusterorganization moves people beyondresponsibility of their area and towards theperformance of the cluster as a whole. A clusterapproach of management benefits not only theorganization but also the career of the individualinvolved.

Library as an organization should allow anintegration of individual development, careerdevelopment and organizational development.Organization cannot develop if individual staffdo not acquire the appropriate knowledge, skills,competences and positive attitudes. Librariesas learning organizations should allow individualstaff members to learn new roles, taking risks,acknowledge uncertainly and expandinformation boundaries. There should be anopen communication among managers and staffas well as close networking across divisionalfunctions. As managers we should establish anenvironment that enables and empowersindividual to be productive, creative andinnovative. The creation of an effectivecorporate climate within the library environmentshould be our prime concern. The library staffwho have the necessary knowledge, skills andcompetences are our strategic resources. Thuswe should continuously develop our staff byintroducing various learning and trainingprogrammes so that our staff are constantlyimproving their knowledge, skills, competencesand adopting appropriate attitudes andbehaviours to provide efficient library services,

in accordance with the changing demands of ourusers. Strategic management of strategicresources approach should be considered in orderto make strategic investments that maximize thegrowth of human capital of librarians and librarystaff in this competitive environment. Thusstrategic management of strategic resourcesshould be part of our management style. Humanresources development for librarians andinformation personnel should provide thenecessary education and training that will enablelibrarians to play a new role in delivery of ourproducts and services, ie. information.

As librarians, our responsibilities are wide anddiverse. Our tasks include promoting andinculcating reading habit, especially among theyouths and children, inculcating reading andresearch work among our special clients,managing information sources available inmultimedia as well as in different databases,developing effective information systems for avariety of users, formulating information policiesand information standards and strengthening theinformation infrastructure within our respectivecountries. The task ahead is in reality achallenging one. However, with cooperation andstrategic alliance our objective to makeinformation available when needed will beachieved through effective resource sharing.

Demands for the future library services requirelibrarians to reassess the kinds of services thatlibrarians have provided to the user in the pastand in present time. We should develop a closeworking relationship with other professionalsoutside our own boundaries and act as a "teamplayer" with other professionals and becompetent in the management of change.

The primary responsibility of librarians is tocreate a conducive environment which acts as acatalyst for improving information infrastructurefor the economic growth of the nation.Librarians should be ever sensitive and



that provides information. All libraries shoulddevelop a strategic development plan that willcater for the information needs for the years2000 and beyond.

responsive to the changing information needsof the users who are living in this competitiveenvironment. Libraries should be proactive incharting new directions and strategies forinformation systems by forming strategicalliances among libraries and other institutions

REFERENCES

A fully developed country by the year 2020 - Malaysia : the way forward. [A working paper by thePrime Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at the Inaugural of Malaysian Business Council].New Straits Times. March 2, 1991 : 10-11.

(Gilley, Jerry W. and Eggland, Steven. Principles of human resource development. New York :Addison-Wesley Publishing, 1989.

Information analysis centres for socio-economic planning and decision making. Paris : GeneralInformation Programme and Unisist, United Nations Educational, Scientific and CulturalOrganization, 1989.



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LIBRARY DEVELOPMENT AND FUTURE TRENDS IN ...myrepositori.pnm.gov.my/bitstream/123456789/1816/1/...LIBRARY DEVELOPMENT AND FUTURE TRENDS IN MALAYSIA - COUNTRY REPORT * by SHAHAR BANUN