Changing Roles of Librarians and Library Technicians

James, Norene; Shamchuk, Lisa; Koch, Katherine

doi:10.21083/partnership.v10i2.3333

Cited by 14 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Background to the library paraprofessional In school libraries, as well as other forms of libraries such as public and academic, the library paraprofessional role is increasing in responsibility and complexity and in some cases, assuming the tasks previously the domain of the professional librarian (Dinkins & Ryan, 2010;James, Shamchuk, & Koch, 2015;Oberg, Mentges, McDermott, & Harusadangkul, 1992). We see this happening in Canadian school libraries where it is becoming common for school libraries to be managed independently by the library paraprofessional.…”

Section: Review Of the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

I may not be a librarian, but I’m running the school library

Erickson

2019

iasl

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Work identity is defined as ones’ sense of purpose, value and belonging in the workplace (Saayman & Crafford, 2011). It is a useful construct in which to investigate how identities are influenced and developed through personal characteristics, relationships, and work activities. This study sought to understand the ways in which school library paraprofessionals’ work identities are formed. Seven library paraprofessionals in Alberta, Canada were interviewed as to their experiences working in a school library. It was discovered that, despite experiencing some misconceptions about their ability, sometimes feeling disconnected with others in the school and lacking a voice to direct their own work, these paraprofessionals experienced a sense of purpose, value and belonging at work. This study demonstrates that even if library paraprofessionals are not qualified Teacher-Librarians, they still are deeply committed to making a difference in the lives of young students.

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Section: Review Of the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

I may not be a librarian, but I’m running the school library

Erickson

2019

iasl

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“…Variance of responsibilities exists due to the librarians' professional job descriptions, experience held, and/or populations served, but also due to the intrinsic variety of tasks that necessarily occur for academic libraries to function. James, Shamchuk, and Koch (2015) conclude that in Canada "[i]t is clear both librarian and library technician roles and responsibilities are perceived to be growing in scope and complexity"(p. 14). The evolving multifaceted roles of academic librarians are well described especially in health sciences librarianship.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Canadian Librarians as Research Ethics Board Members: An Exploratory Case Study

Lacroix

2021

Partnership

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Very little is known about Canadian librarians who sit on Research Ethics Boards (REBs) or Institutional Review Boards (IRBs). There is some background information on various roles of librarians on REBs, but that is usually from the perspective of one or two authors and often relating to the health sciences. Librarianship continues to evolve, especially in the areas of research data management, research support, and scholarly communication. It is, therefore, important to understand the changing expectations and responsibilities that librarians may have in Canada in order to encourage and support them as they meet institutional needs. This exploratory case study will document the reasons that motivate Canadian librarians to sit on REBs, the training they have received, the benefits achieved, and their overall experience.

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“…The profession of the library technician has also had an evolving history. In Canada, in order to work as a library technician, one must be qualified through an applicable 2-year college degree [13]. In 1961, there was 1 library technician diploma program in Canada, which grew to 29 programs in the 1990's.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As of 2020, 17 colleges offer a library technician degree in Canada [14,15]. In the United States, the education requirements to work as a library technician are less rigid, and the education level of individuals working as library technicians vary widely [13]. Therefore, while 'library technician' is the appropriate title for an individual qualified with a library and information technology diploma in Canada, other job titles may include library assistant, information technician, paraprofessional and others [13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the job, there are many roles that library technicians typically fill in libraries. In a 2015 survey examining the changing roles of both librarians and library technicians, library technicians noted that their roles were evolving to include increased levels of responsibility such as management of other staff, technological expertise, and research related tasks like data management [13]. To meet the increasing and changing demands of library work, library technicians continue to search for new skills to enhance their skill set and provide opportunities for career growth [17,18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Library technicians collaborating with librarians on knowledge syntheses: a survey of current perspectives

Bradley-Ridout

Epworth²

2020

J Can Health Libr Assoc

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Introduction: Though it is well recognized that librarians bring value to knowledge synthesis teams, library technicians have largely been excluded from this process. This study was designed to determine the extent to which library technicians are currently participating in knowledge syntheses, to investigate where these two professional groups, librarians and library technicians, see opportunities for future collaboration, and to identify the challenges and successes perceived by both groups. Methods: An electronic survey, consisting of multiple choice and short answer queries, was distributed to targeted listservs. The target audience for survey participants was librarians, or library technicians, who worked in a library with any scale of knowledge synthesis service. Responses were collated, coded, and organized by themes. Results: 170 responses were received and evenly represented librarians (n=84) and library technicians (n=79), including 7 incomplete responses. 31% (n=50) of respondents stated that they currently collaborate or have collaborated in the past on knowledge synthesis projects with the other professional group. Tasks completed by the library technician included article retrieval, citation management, retrieving reference lists, and database searching. The major challenge reported with collaboration on knowledge synthesis projects was the library technician qualifications. Major successes included time efficiency for librarians, and the opportunity for technicians to develop new skills.

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Changing Roles of Librarians and Library Technicians

Cited by 14 publications

References 5 publications

I may not be a librarian, but I’m running the school library

I may not be a librarian, but I’m running the school library

Canadian Librarians as Research Ethics Board Members: An Exploratory Case Study

Library technicians collaborating with librarians on knowledge syntheses: a survey of current perspectives

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