The emerging market for information professionals in Botswana, and the skills requirements

Abstract

This study investigated the status of the emerging market for information professionals in Botswana. The respondents were the Masters graduates from the University of Botswana Library and Information Studies (LIS) program from 1996 to 2003 who are currently employed, and four employing organizations – the University of Botswana (UBL), Botswana National Library Service (BNLS), Botswana Institute for Development Policy Analysis (BIDPA), and Botswana National Productivity Centre (BNPC). The study was qualitative and used interviews as the major tool to collect information. The majority of respondents (both graduates and employers) were convinced that there is an emerging market for information profes- sionals in Botswana, but that society still perceives the librarianship profession negatively, which suggests that the MLIS graduates are yet to prove the worth of their degree in society. The respondents suggested skills requirements of the graduates to effectively serve in the emerging information market.