An investigation of the continuing professional development practices of Indonesian academic libraries

Purpose ‐ This paper reports on ongoing research examining the present and desired state of academic library staff education and professional development in Indonesia. The long-term goal of the research is to determine ways in which Indonesian academic libraries and their staff can be supported in order to assist universities in producing high-quality research, teaching, and learning outcomes. The paper seeks to address these issues. Design/methodology/approach ‐ A survey was delivered to managers of libraries serving Indonesian public universities. The survey instrument used in this research was based on that used in the neXus2 survey distributed to Australian library managers in 2007. The paper includes a comparison of survey results on key outcomes for Indonesian and Australian library managers. Findings ‐ The paper reports on the library policies and practices regarding the current level and type of continuing professional development and work place training; and the management, funding and prioritisation of continuing professional development in Indonesian academic libraries. Practical implications ‐ The results have implications for the planning and implementation of continuing professional development in Indonesian academic libraries. Originality/value ‐ This paper reports the results of one of the few major studies of library staff development undertaken in a developing country.