Human Resource Management in North-Easter Hill University Central Library : A Case Study

Human resource management plays a crucial role in ensuring the effective functioning of libraries. As libraries continue to evolve and adapt to the changing needs of their communities, the role of library personnel becomes increasingly important. To provide the best services, it is essential to have well-trained and highly motivated employees who can effectively utilize the library’s resources and meet the community’s demands. The present study outlines several objectives for analyzing library staff and their roles. These objectives include assessing the services offered by library staff, understanding their status and position, examining their working conditions, determining the necessarystaff numbers, and identifying the challenges library staff faces. The study utilizes a survey method through the use of a questionnaire with 19 respondents among the professional staff working in the North-Eastern Hill University Central Library, Shillong. The studyreveals that majorityof library staffs are dissatisfied with their job and the working conditions. There is shortage of staff, due to non- recruitment, resulting in heavy workload for existing employees. Many staff members struggle with new technology and meeting user demands due to a deficiency of Information Technology experts and training. Despite these challenges, the library offers online and offline services, maintains a special collection, and provides inter-library loan services. New staff members receive orientation, and recruitment policies, including interviews and written assessments, are generally satisfactory. The library also offers in-service training to enhance staff efficiency and grants leave for professional courses. Finally, most respondents agree that the library should be fully automated and establish a network.