Introduction: The
definition of competencies is continuing to become more common in Library and
Information Science (LIS). It is used for describing the library positions and
the means of assessment. The main object of study was to determine the skills
and knowledge that the academic medical librarians required for the emerging
roles of medical librarianship in Iran and to find out their education and
training needs. Methodology: A survey method was used for gathering data. A structured
questionnaire, listing 60 competency statements, which covered six areas, was arranged
after an extensive literature review. The structured questionnaires were sent
to all academic medical librarians in Iran, those who had at least an
undergraduate or Master’s degree in Library Science throughout the country. A
total number of 165 questionnaires were returned and went under analysis. Results:The results of study
indicated that the essential competencies which were expected from Iranian
academic medical librarians with Bachelor’s degree qualification were “general-and personal competencies”. In addition, “health science reference and information services
competencies” were recognized as the second most important
competencies for academic medical librarians with Bachelor’s degree
qualifications. However, the priority for academic medical librarians with a
Master’s degree qualification was “management
theory and techniques competencies”. The
other priorities were “Health
sciences reference and information services competencies”. Conclusion: The study concluded that the confirmed competencies can be
used for the assessment and adjustment of the curricula of formal education
programs of medical librarianship in Iran.
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