Unconventional roles for librarians in the age of IT
Sunday, 12 August 2007
AIM Jakaria Rahman
TECHNOLOGY is for now and, thus, it is for the future. Information technology (IT) has forever changed the way the librarians serve their patrons. All indications are that the changes will continue. Librarians are adopting dramatically different roles as new services are implemented. The human resource is essential to the success of any technology-based service, and libraries are challenged to develop and implement these services while maintaining traditional services, often with no increase in staff. The support of electronic services requires special skill sets and in many cases more, not fewer, staff hours.
The university library professionals do their job as administrative and supervisory work in administering the university library services. Work involves directing operational activities of the university library that includes planning, organising and directing library programmes and services, liaison duties with university departments, other libraries, campus organisations and external groups and agencies. Works include serving as spokesman for the university's library programme, representing it at budget hearings both on campus and, when requested, as well as at national meetings of library organisations. Supervision and administrative direction are primarily exercised through the heads of major departments within the library in relation to professional library services. Also reporting directly to the university librarian within the administrative structure of the library is administrative and library specialists responsible for internal operations, programme, planning, and direction of the library's various collections. Works entail considerable attention to attendance in meetings of committees and organisations .
University libraries are being swept along with the currents of rapidly changing technology. While continuing to provide many traditional information services, librarians are developing new skill sets and growing into the new roles that are necessary to support technology-based services. Technology has impacted nearly every facet of university library work. Library materials selectors must now deal with providing user access to digitised resources without "owning" the resources. Cataloguers must make these new resources accessible. Reference librarians still assist patrons in the library, but most now have an additional clientele of remote-access users.
The mission of the university librarian -- providing excellent information service to patrons -- has not changed, but technology has added several new dimensions to this task. Fulfilling this enhanced mission can be difficult. Most university libraries are not positioned for rapid change. Budgets are relatively fixed with little accommodation for special endeavors. Funding for additional positions is usually difficult to obtain. Adding technology-based services usually increases, rather than decreases, the number of staff hours required to develop and maintain effective patron services.
It is in this context that libraries must develop individual solutions that are appropriate for our country's circumstances. Several basic elements are common to most libraries and can be applied in many combinations as resources and management options dictate. The appropriate mix of these change management strategies can help university libraries to address current user service needs while laying a foundation for continuing support of technology-based service into the future.
Librarians in Bangladesh still select and purchase books and traditional journals, but they also must deal with many "access without ownership" issues involving leased electronic databases, full-text journal article access services and other services that are acquired only virtually. With these new resources comes a potential minefield of licensing issues. University Library personnel cannot and should not function as attorneys, but the analysis provided by them are essential in ensuring that electronic product license agreements are appropriate for Bangladeshi circumstances and anticipated patron use patterns.
Library personnel are also moving into new roles as they attempt to provide enhanced access to the new resources. They now process not only books, but also CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs and multi-format items. Library automation systems have grown in sophistication. Library personnel must make informed decisions on matters such as linking to electronic journals and managing holdings "hooks" to various databases. Today, they create records that accommodate multiple means of accessing a particular resource. Users are coming to expect records that include print holdings, and direct links to an electronic version of the item. Records must successfully interact with not only the library OPAC (Online Public Access Catalogue), but also with a growing variety of indexes, full-text services and browsers.
The ubiquitous web site has become a standard tool for many university libraries, and its use has created several roles for librarians that do not have direct corollaries in the past. Librarian's input is necessary to develop a well-designed web interface and a page-linking structure that facilitates efficient use. Once created, a continuing commitment of staff time is needed to maintain, modify and update the web site. Links come and go, URLs change, and the mix of resources served through the web site is often in flux. Automation can carry some of the load, and technicians can do some tasks, but in many university libraries the bulk of web site development and maintenance falls to librarians.
Thus, libraries are faced with the need to effectively apply limited staff resources to meet the growing number of technology-driven challenges. Rethinking existing staffing patterns and assignments, recruiting new staff to change the mix of skill sets and the use of creative supervision can help libraries to develop solutions that solve current problems but are flexible enough to accommodate future changes.
Experienced librarians can be a significant resource in managing change. Most university libraries are not able to recruit a significant number of positions to accommodate new roles, so it is essential to include senior librarians in any plans for the support of new technology. Senior librarians, with their knowledge of organisational history, play an important role in placing technology in perspective with traditional patron services. As fast as change is occurring, a balance between change and stability must be maintained to ensure the best patron service, avoid burnout and keep staff focused.
Experienced librarians may be viewed as being inflexible, but after having spent extended periods of time in a position, they may respond quite positively to the challenge of a revised mix of responsibilities that includes new roles created by technology. New work assignments involving new technologies can be motivating to experienced librarians and an excellent means of avoiding stagnation and burnout. Experienced librarians can also serve as an important mentoring function when new librarians join the staff. Mentoring can be a key to success when considering another factor in managing change -- the new librarians who have recently finished library education with training in new technology skills.
Technology is moving university librarians into new roles -- some welcome, some uncomfortable. In most cases these new roles are an addition to, not a replacement for traditional duties. New services will continue to develop, but many traditional library services will continue in some form for the foreseeable future. Libraries are challenged to meet the increasing demand for service with limited staff and budget, but change can be managed by making use of several elements common to most libraries. Each library can develop an individualised change management programme that takes into consideration the basic elements of experienced staff, new hires and creative supervisory practices. Each library must develop individual solutions to this dilemma.
The writer is a library professional and may be reached at jakaria@gmail.com
TECHNOLOGY is for now and, thus, it is for the future. Information technology (IT) has forever changed the way the librarians serve their patrons. All indications are that the changes will continue. Librarians are adopting dramatically different roles as new services are implemented. The human resource is essential to the success of any technology-based service, and libraries are challenged to develop and implement these services while maintaining traditional services, often with no increase in staff. The support of electronic services requires special skill sets and in many cases more, not fewer, staff hours.
The university library professionals do their job as administrative and supervisory work in administering the university library services. Work involves directing operational activities of the university library that includes planning, organising and directing library programmes and services, liaison duties with university departments, other libraries, campus organisations and external groups and agencies. Works include serving as spokesman for the university's library programme, representing it at budget hearings both on campus and, when requested, as well as at national meetings of library organisations. Supervision and administrative direction are primarily exercised through the heads of major departments within the library in relation to professional library services. Also reporting directly to the university librarian within the administrative structure of the library is administrative and library specialists responsible for internal operations, programme, planning, and direction of the library's various collections. Works entail considerable attention to attendance in meetings of committees and organisations .
University libraries are being swept along with the currents of rapidly changing technology. While continuing to provide many traditional information services, librarians are developing new skill sets and growing into the new roles that are necessary to support technology-based services. Technology has impacted nearly every facet of university library work. Library materials selectors must now deal with providing user access to digitised resources without "owning" the resources. Cataloguers must make these new resources accessible. Reference librarians still assist patrons in the library, but most now have an additional clientele of remote-access users.
The mission of the university librarian -- providing excellent information service to patrons -- has not changed, but technology has added several new dimensions to this task. Fulfilling this enhanced mission can be difficult. Most university libraries are not positioned for rapid change. Budgets are relatively fixed with little accommodation for special endeavors. Funding for additional positions is usually difficult to obtain. Adding technology-based services usually increases, rather than decreases, the number of staff hours required to develop and maintain effective patron services.
It is in this context that libraries must develop individual solutions that are appropriate for our country's circumstances. Several basic elements are common to most libraries and can be applied in many combinations as resources and management options dictate. The appropriate mix of these change management strategies can help university libraries to address current user service needs while laying a foundation for continuing support of technology-based service into the future.
Librarians in Bangladesh still select and purchase books and traditional journals, but they also must deal with many "access without ownership" issues involving leased electronic databases, full-text journal article access services and other services that are acquired only virtually. With these new resources comes a potential minefield of licensing issues. University Library personnel cannot and should not function as attorneys, but the analysis provided by them are essential in ensuring that electronic product license agreements are appropriate for Bangladeshi circumstances and anticipated patron use patterns.
Library personnel are also moving into new roles as they attempt to provide enhanced access to the new resources. They now process not only books, but also CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs and multi-format items. Library automation systems have grown in sophistication. Library personnel must make informed decisions on matters such as linking to electronic journals and managing holdings "hooks" to various databases. Today, they create records that accommodate multiple means of accessing a particular resource. Users are coming to expect records that include print holdings, and direct links to an electronic version of the item. Records must successfully interact with not only the library OPAC (Online Public Access Catalogue), but also with a growing variety of indexes, full-text services and browsers.
The ubiquitous web site has become a standard tool for many university libraries, and its use has created several roles for librarians that do not have direct corollaries in the past. Librarian's input is necessary to develop a well-designed web interface and a page-linking structure that facilitates efficient use. Once created, a continuing commitment of staff time is needed to maintain, modify and update the web site. Links come and go, URLs change, and the mix of resources served through the web site is often in flux. Automation can carry some of the load, and technicians can do some tasks, but in many university libraries the bulk of web site development and maintenance falls to librarians.
Thus, libraries are faced with the need to effectively apply limited staff resources to meet the growing number of technology-driven challenges. Rethinking existing staffing patterns and assignments, recruiting new staff to change the mix of skill sets and the use of creative supervision can help libraries to develop solutions that solve current problems but are flexible enough to accommodate future changes.
Experienced librarians can be a significant resource in managing change. Most university libraries are not able to recruit a significant number of positions to accommodate new roles, so it is essential to include senior librarians in any plans for the support of new technology. Senior librarians, with their knowledge of organisational history, play an important role in placing technology in perspective with traditional patron services. As fast as change is occurring, a balance between change and stability must be maintained to ensure the best patron service, avoid burnout and keep staff focused.
Experienced librarians may be viewed as being inflexible, but after having spent extended periods of time in a position, they may respond quite positively to the challenge of a revised mix of responsibilities that includes new roles created by technology. New work assignments involving new technologies can be motivating to experienced librarians and an excellent means of avoiding stagnation and burnout. Experienced librarians can also serve as an important mentoring function when new librarians join the staff. Mentoring can be a key to success when considering another factor in managing change -- the new librarians who have recently finished library education with training in new technology skills.
Technology is moving university librarians into new roles -- some welcome, some uncomfortable. In most cases these new roles are an addition to, not a replacement for traditional duties. New services will continue to develop, but many traditional library services will continue in some form for the foreseeable future. Libraries are challenged to meet the increasing demand for service with limited staff and budget, but change can be managed by making use of several elements common to most libraries. Each library can develop an individualised change management programme that takes into consideration the basic elements of experienced staff, new hires and creative supervisory practices. Each library must develop individual solutions to this dilemma.
The writer is a library professional and may be reached at jakaria@gmail.com