Recruiting quality business librarians in a shrinking labor market

Abstract

The library field is projected to grow in the next decade, albeit modestly, so the need for professionals will rise. Combined with large‐scale retirements predicted to begin in 2010, the result may be a shortfall of library professionals. Although no concrete evidence exists to substantiate a claim that this trend may be more pronounced for subject specialists, such as business librarians, the authors of this article were motivated to conduct their research by the apparent shortage of business librarians reported by their colleagues within the American Library Association, specifically in the Reference and User Services Association’s (RUSA) Business Reference and Resources Section (BRARS). This article reports on a survey of job postings from March 2000‐March 2001 and assesses employer satisfaction with the labor market for business librarians and information professionals.

The Orientation and Training of New Librarians for Business Information

“…In the U.K. context, Considine (2005) discussed the shortage of business expertise in public libraries and the consequent need to train librarians in-house to provide business services. O'Connor and Marien (2002) provided further evidence on the recruiting dilemma for business librarians.…”

Growing Our Own: Mentoring Undergraduate Students

“…As for finding a business student interested in becoming a librarian, several students employed in our library had attended the Information School at the University of Washington while working for us, but none so far had come from the business program. I decided that if the field of business librarianship wants to increase the number of business librarians who have degrees in business (O'Connor & Marien, 2002), maybe we need to start mentoring our own. In the summer of 2006, Charlene McCormack, my first Library business intem, appeared.…”

“…It also became a learning and teaching tool for myself as well, for I am one of the majority of business librarians who do not possess a business degree (Liu & Allen, 2001 ;O'Connor & Marien, 2002). My master's degree in administrative leadership proved advantageous for designing and presenting the 30 or more in-class research instruction sessions I do each year on campus.…”

A New Look at the Background and Work Experience of Business Librarians

“…In a survey examining the process of hiring business librarians, O'Connor and Marien (2002) found that 70% of employers were dissatisfied with the business librarian applicant pool and that 40% of the respondent's searches had to be reopened because of a lack of qualified applicants. An updated study demonstrates some improvement; only 44% of employers were dissatisfied, however 59% of employers surveyed still describe the process of finding a qualified business librarians as "difficult" (O'Connor & Marien, 2008).…”