An integrated understanding of librarian professional identity

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review literature on librarian professional identity to develop a more integrated understanding of this topic. Design/methodology/approach Literature was retrieved and analysed with no date or geographic limit from nine databases on the subject of librarian professional identity. A combination of keywords and database specific controlled language was utilized to increase retrieval, as well as inspection of reference lists. Exclusion criteria were applied. Findings The review found 14 characteristics or themes relevant to librarian professional identity formation and development, understood as process over time. This process is in part defined by benchmark events, such as critical incidents, as well as highly personal aspects, such as perception of these incidents. This review also introduces an original conceptual model of librarian professional identity formation and development. Research limitations/implications A limitation of this review was that only English-language literature was considered. A further limitation is the omission of works that have not been formally published. Additionally, the model introduced is untested. Originality/value By reviewing librarian professional identity literature, this paper offers an integrated understanding of this topic and introduces a new, original model to understand the process of librarian professional identity and development. It further offers an examination based on a sociological lens to examine this identity.

Metaphors and critical incidents: introduction to a methodological approach derived from expressions of librarian professional identity

“…This includes emphasis of the impact of critical incidents on identity development and that perception of this impact informs the course of identity development. This perception additionally influences self-and worldview and is bounded by the dynamics of the Librarian Professional Identity Continuum model developed by the authors (Pierson et al, 2019). It was inductively derived, providing specificity, flexibility, and offering economies of scale according to the research objectives.…”

“…This paper presents a methodological approach using only the qualitative data elicited through the questionnaire in Phase one. Questionnaire format was chosen to operationalise aspects of the Librarian Professional Identity Continuum (Pierson et al, 2019), for purposeful selection of interview participants based on responses to open-ended questions, and to maximize reach to potential participants across the country. It also tested the feasibility of the elicitation of this kind of qualitative data through a questionnaire.…”

“…These anchors are: socialisation, social interaction within the professional context and the processes in which professional norms and values are internalised; contextuality, outlining the circumstances of the practitioner and their practice; outside perception, indicative of the view non-practitioners hold of the profession and practitioners in a cultural-temporal context, including stereotypes; and individual perception, indicative of the practitioner's view of self, profession, and outside perception in a cultural-temporal context. For a full discussion, see Pierson et al (2019).…”

In Search of Shifting and Emergent Librarian Identities

“…The circularity of some of the methods employed in the search for our professional identities may be in part responsible for our continual search for a shared, concrete librarian identity; the search for this seemingly elusive concept has been ongoing since at least the 1950s (e.g., Attebury, 2010;Bennett, 1988;Cravey, 1991;DeWeese, 1970;Ennis, 1961;Gorman, 1990;Martell, 2000;Plutchak, 2005;Prins, de Gier, & Bowden, 1995;Salamon, 2015;Shera, 1956) and continues in many library journal issues to this day (e.g., Pierson, Goulding, & Campbell-Meier, 2019). Nevertheless, the search for the properties that identify us as librarians desperately continues.…”

Critical Incidents and Librarian Professional Identity in LIS Pedagogy: Research Methodology as Pedagogical Tool Embedded in Reflexive Practice

“…For many entrants, professional identity development begins in professional education. This early developmental phase presents the first opportunity for many entrants to initialise an understanding of librarian professional identity and begin embedding it within self-perception (Pierson et al, 2019). Formal education provides opportunities for profession-specific socialisation and initial conceptualisation of individual relationship to the broader profession (Pierson et al, 2019).…”