Competencies For Science Librarians

This book explores the expectations and resources available to develop a set of important core skills needed for this profession. Leading authorities in the field of librarianship offer their extensive experience and insight to help beginners to understand precisely what actual measurable skills are required to become a successful career science librarian. Librarians currently working in the area will gain the data they need to be able to effectively collaborate with more experienced people. Topics include reviews of key concepts, basic skills, terminology, ACRL instruction competencies, teams, and assessment of services. It also provides the latest knowledge on trends, standards, terminology, professional associations, and a brief literature review, and recommended readings for familiarizing librarians with their job responsibilities. Besides job competencies, the book reviews collection development, reference issues, in-depth research assistance, cataloging and metadata, faculty liaison and outreach, career development concerns, continuing education tracks, and issues in collaboration assistance. This source also provides extensive references and tables and figures to clearly present information. This book is a valuable resource for beginners who wonder what they need to know as they start their careers or are considering this as an area of concentration, and as a refresher and professional development track for current librarians working with more experienced people in the area. This book was published as a special issue of Science & Technology Libraries.

Librarianship is both an art and a science. Librarians study the science of information and how to work with clients to help them find solutions to their information needs. They also learn quickly that there is an art to working with people, to finding the answers to tough questions using the resources available and knowing which information resources to use to find the information being sought in short order. But, what technical skills do librarians need to be successful in the future? How can library managers best develop their staffs for success? Developing Librarian Competencies for the Digital Age explores questions such as: What is the composition of a modern library collection? Will that collection look different in the future? What are the information sources and how do we manage those? What are the technical skills needed for a 21st century librarian? How will reference services change and adapt to embrace new ways to interact with library patrons or clients? What kinds of library skills are needed for the librarian of today to grow and thrive, now and into the future? How will service models change to existing clients and how will the model change going into the future of librarianship? What kinds of budgeting challenges are there for libraries and the administrators who oversee these libraries? What do the library professional organizations see as the core skills needed for new graduates and those practicing in the profession going into the future? In answering those questions, the book identifies specific digital skills needed for success, ways of developing those skills, and ways of assessing them.

To determine the current and future competencies required by librarians and information professionals, a project was undertaken to meet the following objectives: set forth an idealized framework to be used by the librarian and information professional community; determine a first set of competencies which are validated in the workplace to some extent; establish initial education and training requirements; initiate a process for communication among the principal librarians and information professional participants which can be continued after project completion; and describe steps that can be taken in the future to ensure continuation of the competency achievement cycle. To meet these objectives, substantial input was obtained from a large number of organizations, educators, employers, professional societies, and individual professionals. The study results are presented in a six-chapter report and five appendices. Report chapters comprise: Overview of the Project; A Framework for Describing Librarian and Information Professional Competencies; Methods; Information Workers and Librarians and Information Professionals; Librarian and Information Professional Competencies; and Educational Requirements and Implications. Appendices include a literature review; secondary analyses (including analyses of information professional and librarian vacancy announcements); an example of the relationships between competencies, performance, effectiveness, and value in three special libraries; a bibliography; and an annotated bibliography. Twelve supplementary volumes provide detailed descriptions of competencies for the following positions: (1) Academic Librarian; (2) Public Librarian; (3) School Librarian; (4) Special Librarian; (5) Database Producer; (6) Database Distributor/Service; (7) Information Center/Clearinghouse; (8) Records and Information Manager; (9) Archivist/Museum; (10) Information Analysis Center; (11) Information Service Company; and (12) Library System Supplier. (THC)

Ideal for public and academic libraries, Core Technology Competencies for Libraries provides an excellent starting point for you to define and evaluate the right inventory of technical skills and management attributes for yourself and your staff. Lita experts share their experience on technical competencies expected of all libraries and library staff; technical competencies needed by specialists like technology managers, or systems and IT librarians, and success stories about meeting performance standards that will show you how major libraries have demonstrated best practices in technology competency. Employing the skill enhancement tools in this book will help staff that work hard to also ¿work smart¿, and take advantage of technology to improve collections and service.

With the increasing use of information communication technology in education, new skills and competencies among library science professionals are required for them to effectively disseminate necessary information to users. It is essential to equip educators and students with the requisite digital and information literacy competencies. Literacy Skill Development for Library Science Professionals provides emerging research exploring the roles and applications of information literacy and technology within library science and education. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as electronic resources, mobile learning, and social media, this book is ideally designed for librarians, information and communication technology researchers, academicians, and graduate-level students seeking current research on the ability to find, evaluate, use, and share information in library science.

"Provides information about librarianship as a career, including types of libraries, types of jobs within libraries, professional issues, and educational requirements"--Provided by publisher.

Since the 1950s there has been a persistent shortage of sci-tech librarians, and as more librarians retire or change positions, the prospect looms that the profession will only depopulate further. Tackling this difficult challenge, Recruiting, Training, and Retention of Science and Technology Librarians gathers together into one source the perspectives of top library administrators and managers as well as front-line librarians who present the latest research and practical strategies to find, train, and keep those valuable specialized professionals. This book explores in depth timely issues and presents creative perspectives and innovative solutions to this persistent problem in subject-specialized libraries. As the baby-boom generation of science and technology librarians begins to retire, training and keeping sci-tech librarians will become even more crucial. Recruiting, Training, and Retention of Science and Technology Librarians discusses the “replacement gap” problem in libraries, including who should be recruited, how they should be trained, and how to retain them once hired. Several authors address the field’s long-standing specialist vs. generalist debate, bringing new data and experience-driven perspectives to this challenging issue. Topics in Recruiting, Training, and Retention of Science and Technology Librarians include: updating the cultural image of librarians to make the profession more appealing a comprehensive literature review how to cultivate candidates who are dedicated to service and love research and learning practical approaches to improve the visibility and attractiveness of science librarianship the skills and support needed to become a successful science librarian an innovative program to recruit undergraduates an in-depth survey of practicing science and technology librarians the challenges of science librarianship in Africa library and information science educators as recruiters for sci-tech librarians creative strategies to recruit and retain librarians adapting aspects of first-year student retention programs as a model for library retention programs how professional competencies can be used for recruitment, training, and retention and more Recruiting, Training, and Retention of Science and Technology Librarians is a timely, important resource for college and university administrators, and public, special, academic, and government librarians.