New librarian

National Seminar on Post-Modernisation of Libraries: Challenges and Opportunities, Thane, India Nov. 25, 2011

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New Librarian:

Changing Roles, Skills, & Techniques

Mrs. Chandrakala N Pai* Mr. V. Sriram

Librarian, Prin. KMK College of Pharmacy Chief Librarian, KNRaj Library

Plot no. 23 Jote joy Building Centre for Development Studies

R. S Marg, Cuffe Parade , Prasanth Nagar, Ulloor,

Colaba, Mumbai -400005 Thiruvananthapuram-695011

email: [email protected] email: [email protected]

Abstract: The librarianship has undergone a radical change in the last two – three decades. The advent

of information technology has accelerated the development and innovation of new systems and methods

of information collection storage and retrieval. For a Librarian in this digital age, to survive, and become

successful, timely updation of skills and techniques are necessary. Also Librarian is expected to perform

range of roles that was unheard or unbelievable during the bygone decades. In every area, activity in the

Library change has crept in and has made the life of librarian easy, fast, systematic and accurate.

However to be effective he has be aware of changing roles, skills, & techniques.

I Introduction

Libraries play an important role in providing information. The period 1980s and 1990s has seen

that the student and researchers depended on library for their information. Developments in the

information and communication technologies have completely changed the library scenario, in

its way of the collection development and services. The transition of traditional library to digital

then to virtual library is the state of the art. The information world is undergoing transition from

a library-centered to information-centered, from paper based environment to digital environment.

The changing library and information environment has changed role of librarian from a

custodian of information to provider of information. It is therefore pertinent on the part of the

librarian to acquire new skills required for developing and managing the modern library. The

empowerment of library and information professionals with Information technology skill is

aimed at providing services as per the user expectation.


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II Aim and objective

Change is the law of life, in Library and Information Science as in any other sector; the

professionals have to face changes. The developments happening in various sectors, innovation,

technological advancement, and so on will definitely have its impact in Librarianship too. The

future depends on how we understand the changes, how we plan the transition, and how we

manage it.

The prime goal of library and information centers is user satisfaction. Any change ultimately

results in users getting the maximum benefit. A properly planned change can definitely lead

achievement of the institutional goal.

III Need

The advent of internet and digital technology has challenged the existence of librarianship

1. The crown of librarian; once considered as the information provider; is slipping and

libraries are viewed as outdated with the advent of internet based services

2. Information Explosion, Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

revolution and also the change in information seeking behavior of the clients

3. Explosive growth and usage of web resources: The internet or web is like a mountain of

knowledge, anyone can start climbing but it is easy if there is a guide. Thus librarians

can act as a guide in the mountain of knowledge.

4. Dwindling Library budgets, escalating cost of printed documents, new patterns of

scholarly publications and communication, Online Bookshops & Information Services


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IV Changing Role of librarian

Technologies are dramatically changing the accessibility of information, and librarians are

adapting to the evolving needs of the users, that emerge from new technologies. The library

profession may be distinguished depending on nature of their job, the organization the library is

affiliated to: e.g. a Corporate librarian, Academic librarian, Scientific officer, Public librarian

etc., but the basic skills required will be almost the same irrespective of the job environment.

The change from palm leaf to print-computerized-virtual library is a result of change in time and

growth in resource and technology.

Palm leaf collection > Printed Collection > Artificial intelligence

Accession Register > Computer database

Classification > Clustering

Printed catalogue > OPAC > WEBOPAC

Reference librarian > Information officer > Cybrarian

Library > Automated Library > Virtual library

V Changes in the library environment

A library’s collection is important both to the institution, to the user and to library staff who

build and maintain them. The library collection has never been static. The development in

information technology has a great impact on every aspect of library operation and information

services.

i. Print media to electronic media –In the library collection electronic books and

electronic journals are gradually occupying their position. Even these are stored

in the external storage devices. Standards reports and patent which were in print

format are available in the online format

ii Changes in access: Over the years retrieval tools have evolved from printed

library catalogue cards and indexing and abstracting journals to OPAC,

WEBOPAC, and Citations full text linking RSS Feeds, etc


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iii Change in library services: With the changes in library collection organization

and expectation of the user the library services have also changed

a. Computerized circulation of documents using various software’s

b. OPAC and WEB OPAC

c. Document delivery system through Internet

d. Resource sharing through consortia

e. Links to web resources through library portals and electronic resources

f. Digital archiving, institutional repositories

g. Change in information seeking behavior of the user

iv Change in the library activity: With the change in the technology, the day to day

activities performed by Librarian have also undergone a change. E.g:

a. Acquisition > Content Access

b. Classification > Organization of Contents

c. Cataloguing > Metadata description

d. Abstracting > Content creation

e. Organization > Website management

f. Inter Library Cooperation > Electronic Document Delivery

g. Shelving -> Links Management

h. Preservation -> Digitization

i. Administration -> Negotiations

VI Role of Librarian

In this technological age the librarian can no longer be simply a custodian of knowledge. The

technological changes and use of electronically stored and retrieval of information systems has


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changed and its access has also drastically changed. A librarian or information professional must

be able to participate actively in the professional activities of generating information rather than

collecting and disseminating the available information.

a. Librarian as information broker: Today information has become a major economic

commodity. The work of librarians is increasingly varied as it expands to keep up with the flow

of information. The librarian is responsible for locating, acquiring, disseminating and tracking

information resources of many types for efficient retrieval by the user. In such a scenario it is

imperative for the traditional librarian to acquire necessary skills in the effective use of modern

gadgets and associated software to locate and retrieve the widely spread information.

b. Librarian as an Educator: Creating awareness of information has been the prime role

of librarian in the present day. Librarian’s skills in the area of technology, educational design

and teaching technique are crucial in their new re-educational role. The librarian in an

organization trains the user to perform their searches more effectively. However, no matter how

sophisticated interfaces and search engines are, the user still requires training or guidance in their

usage. Thus librarian thus plays an important role as a trainer or an educator.

c. Librarian as a researcher: Librarians are highly skilled in the research process and

possess unique knowledge of the breadth and depth of information resources in various subject

specialties. Librarians study to keep themselves up to date on the expanding trends and paradigm

in the library profession They need to understand the changes in the technology and different

sources of information, by facilitating access to information -- finding it, delivering,

summarizing it -- librarians will move to the beginning of the information production cycle,

playing a more substantial role in the information creation process.

VII Key skills required for the new generation of LIS professionals

Skill is a practical ability, a facility in carrying out an action. In the present day environment,

professional owe greater responsibility to be effective information professional. A closer look at

the existing skills of the professionals reveals that for facing the challenges of today and

tomorrow, they not only need to acquire wider range of skills but also need to keep themselves

up-to-date. The personal skills required for a new generation of LIS professionals include being


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analytical, creative, technical, flexible, reflective, able to deal with a range of users, detective-like,

adaptable, responsive to others’ needs, enthusiastic and self-motivated to library work

1 Analytical: skilled in analyzing user need

2. Creative: having the ability or power to create

3. Technical: related to technique or proficiency in a practical skill for instance

acquisition, classification, cataloging, management, services, etc.

4. Flexible: capable of being changed; able to adjust readily to different conditions.

5. Reflective: be devoted to matters of the mind; “the reflective type".

6. Detective-like: services to the variety of user groups.

7. Adaptable: able to solve a mystery, generally through a process of discovery.

8. Responsive to others needs: capable of adapting to a particular situation or use answering,

replying or responding; able to receive and respond to external stimuli.

10 Enthusiastic: having or showing great excitement and interest.

11Self –motivated: be motivated to achieve something due to one's own interest.

Generic skills:

It is important to note that library professionals serve many roles: a helpful facilitator in

searching and evaluating required information; an effective communicator with commands in

speaking, writing and presentation; a critical thinker updating the fast pace of digital era; a

collaborative practitioner in problem solving with leadership qualification. This calls for several

generic skills on the part of the Librarian.

1. Information literacy : a mean to “empower people in all walks of life to seek, evaluate, use and

create information effectively to achieve their personal, social, occupational and educational

goals.” (Horton & UNESCO, 2008, p 18)


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2 Communication: “the ability to exchange feelings, ideas and information with others in an

appropriate manner. Communication consists of the two key aspects of oral and written skills.

Oral communication involves using the human voice to effectively articulate a message to an

intended audience. Written communication involves using text or graphics to effectively transmit

a message to an intended audience.” (Partridge & Hallam, 2004, p. 19)

3 Critical thinking: “The ability to reach conclusions through reflection and evaluation by

applying independent thought and informed judgment.” (Wolinski, 2010, p. 20)

4 Teamwork: “the ability to work effectively with others in a group with a view to achieving

defined goals. Two distinct roles necessary for teamwork are the team member and the team

leader. A team member makes a productive contribution to the collaborative effort of the group

by participating in the pursuit of group goals under the guidance of the team leader.”

5. Ethics and social responsibility: “an awareness of the need for and commitment to the

maintenance of high professional standards and social justice.”

6 Problem solving: “the ability to find effective solutions to problems through creative

reasoning.” (Partridge & Hallam, 2004)

7. Leadership “a relationship that involves the mobilizing, influencing, and guiding of others

toward desiredgoals.” (Wolinski, 2010)

VIII Conclusion

The librarian acts as a catalyst that helps to enhance information flow. The task has changed for the

librarian in the present era. Now he keeps track on current information, distills this and make it available

to the needy client. These multiple roles that a modern librarian is required to perform, is very interesting

yet challenging. It is therefore pertinent on the part of the librarian to acquire new skills required for

developing and managing the modern library.


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REFERENCES

1. Chad, Ken, Paul Miller. “Do Libraries Matter? The rise of Library 2.0”. A white paper. P. 1-11. Nov

2005. www.talis.com.

2. Horton, F. W. & UNESCO. (2008). Understanding information literacy: A primer. Paris: UNESCO.

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(www.alibnet.org)

4. Partridge, H. L. & Hallam, G. (2004). The double helix: a personal account of the discovery f the

structure of the information professional's DNA. Paper presented at ALIA 2004 Biennial Conference,

Gold Coast, Australia. Retrieved from http://eprints.qut.edu.au/1215/

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6. Robert M. Braude, Ph.D. Impact of information technology on the role of health sciences librarians,

Bull Med Library Assoc 81(4) October 1993 pp 408-413

7. S.P. Singh, Pinki New Skills for LIS Professionals in Technology-Intensive Environment, ICAL 2009

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8. Tapaswi, M. P. Be on top of the tide: Content management for effective information dissemination.

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http://klanationalseminar2011.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/tapaswi_kla_keynote_14jul20118.pdf.

9. Wolinski, S. (2010). Leadership Defined. Retrieved from

http://managementhelp.org/blogs/leadership/2010/04/06/leadership-defined

http://www.talis.com/

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001570/157020e.pdf

http://www.alibnet.org/

http://eprints.qut.edu.au/1215/

Education

New librarian