The Competency Requirements for Academic Librarians of Medical Universities in Iran

The major objective of library and information science education is to train skilled human resources for medical libraries. This study aimed to explore the competencies required for librarians in medical universities, and their conformity with library and information science syllabi in Iran.
This applied survey, was conducted in 2016-2017. The population of the study consisted of all faculty members of library and information science departments, the librarians and library directors of medical universities from among whom a total number of 240 persons were randomly selected. A questionnaire was used for collecting data which were then analyzed using SPSS version 22.
According to the findings, searching information, managerial and personal and ethical competencies were considered as the most important competencies from the perspective of faculty members, library directors and librarians, respectively. The results also indicated that research competencies were considered as the least important competencies by the three groups. The conformity of required competencies for librarians with library and information science syllabi at undergraduate postgraduate levels was 60 and 66%, respectively.
Medical librarians are required to acquire necessary abilities to enhance their professional knowledge and skills. The competencies presented in this study can be helpful for medical library and information profession.