Research Knowledge and Skills of Academic Librarians in Northern Philippines

The study utilized quantitative method of research to determine the level of knowledge and skills of academic librarians in Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines on the five domains of research and the challenges they encountered relative to research writing. It also employed non-parametric Friedman test to determine the significant difference of librarians’ knowledge and skills across the five domains of research. Results revealed that the academic librarians had proficient knowledge in conceptualizing research problems, reviewing related literature and studies, and summarizing and formulating conclusions and recommendations while their level of knowledge in identifying appropriate research and writing analysis and interpretation of data was found to be developing. The academic librarians had proficient skills in reviewing related literature, and in summarizing and formulating conclusions and recommendations; and developing skills in conceptualizing research problems, identifying appropriate research, and writing analysis and interpretation of data. The topmost challenges encountered by librarians in research writing were financial problem, time and stress management, difficulty in choosing a research topic, difficulty in designing questionnaire, and insufficient print and non-print materials. The study concluded that the level of research knowledge and skills of academic librarians vary across the five domains. There is a need for trainings and workshops to enhance the research knowledge and skills of academic librarians and to address the identified challenges they encountered in research writing