Comparing polarized perspectives: librarians' professional skills and development

Abstract

Purpose -The main aim of the research conducted was to identify whether the particular country environment of today's professional librarian impacts upon his/her skills capabilities as well as upon his/her access to opportunities for continued development. Design/methodology/approach -Data was sourced by means of a survey administered to professional librarians mainly from the developing Caribbean Region and the developed North American countries. Firstly, the satisfaction level of librarians with regard to six recommended skills and characteristics was measured. These areas are detailed as follows: communication; training; information technology (IT); managerial; commitment and subject knowledge/profiling. Secondly, professional development opportunities were measured via skills, services and attitudes, key areas also recommended for staff development and training. Findings -Findings demonstrated that librarians' perceptions showed noteworthy similarities and fewer differences than expected between the respective country categories. Both perspectives reflected similar zones of "skills insecurity". Research limitations/implications -The greatest challenge faced by the researchers was to source a sample size that could yield meaningful results in relation to the hypotheses. Originality/value -A comparison of librarians from a geo-economic position (i.e. in relation to geographic location and world economic order) appears to have been largely unexplored. The study is intended as well to encourage key players from both country contexts to unite for the enhancement of librarians' professional development.

Continuing professional development and special librarians in Jamaica

“…Tyrell (2015) looked at the CPD activities of academic librarians at two Jamaican universities and their motivation to engage in CPD. Gosine-Boodoo and McNish (2005) compared the perspectives of librarians from developed and developing countries on their level of skills satisfactions. Gosine-Boodoo (2006) sought to present a demographic profile of special librarians in the Caribbean region based on a survey of participants at the 2004 Annual ACURIL conference.…”

Continuing professional development of academic librarians in Trinidad and Tobago

“…It is noteworthy, that the literature revealed that there is a dearth of CPD research as it relates to academic librarians in Trinidad and Tobago. The studies to date are Gosine-Boodoo and McNish (2005), which examined the geo-economic position of librarians in the attainment of their professional development; and Hosein, Y. and Bowen-Chang, P. (2014, 2011) and Bowen-Chang, P. and Hosein, Y (2009) on cataloging training at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine.…”

“…Corcoran (2014, p. 176) recognized that “the availability of relevant and accessible continuing professional development opportunities has never been more urgent for librarians, and the survival of the profession depends on the willingness of its members to engage with these opportunities during their working lives and to keep ahead of the curve, as technological developments continue to transform research and scholarship practices”. However, Gosine-Boodoo and McNish (2005, p. 365) cautioned that the library profession “must purposefully engage in instilling relevance into skills preparedness programs and in creating continuous development opportunities”.…”

Professor—Librarian Team-Teaching: Online Lifelong Training in the University

“…Library and information science professionals have exhibited an interest in keeping up-todate in order to respond to trends in new technologies, information sourcing, and user needs (Ramaiah & Moorthy, 2002). An obvious demand for such professional training has arisen to fill the void between university pre-service education and dynamic work environments (Gosine-Boodoo & McNish, 2005).…”