Librarian2.0

Please explain…market researcher and librarianship.

Uncategorized

I should be so happy…so why am I rather uneasy?

I’m not looking for another job…but I’ve been watching to see when Australian Libraries will start incorporating full time Library 2.0 positions. Now it looks like the University of New South Wales Library has restructured, with an eye to possible future library services, and is recruiting for some interesting positions. Finally there is a full time position advertised in Australia for someone to look at emerging technologies and suggest ways that a library can use them…hooray….but….

It’s time to play “what’s wrong here”. Here’s some extracts from the job description for the Information Service Industry Researcher. The first bit sounds really exciting…although the dry and obsfucating management-speak did have me wondering a bit…..

The Service Innovation Unit of the UNSW Library Information Services Department is an innovative response to the changing environment in which the Library operates. Through the integration of market intelligence and data analysis, the Unit investigates emerging trends in technology and specifies Library service innovations and enhancements which demonstrate best practice in support of research and learning & teaching.

JOB PURPOSE
Provide input to the specification of novel and innovative UNSW Library services by sourcing, analysing and evaluating high quality market intelligence and best practice exemplars relevant to the development of world class information services in an academic environment.

DUTIES

    • Working in a small team of experts, provide input to the development of detailed proposals for innovative information service provision.
    • Consider a range of market intelligence to contribute to the identification of the most appropriate information services (current or potential) to be offered by UNSW Library.
    • Communicate nationally and internationally with other libraries, consortia and commercial service providers in order to gather relevant information and benchmarking data.
    • Contribute expertise and knowledge to UNSW Library planning processes.
    • Proactively provide current and trend data to facilitate planning and resource allocation.
    • Take part in the UNSW Workplace Planning and Career Development Scheme.
    • Other duties as required appropriate to the level of this position.

    …
    REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS
    This is one of two positions reporting to the Manager, Service Innovation, the other being
    1 x Statistical Analyst (HEW 6)

OK..so even if it’s a bit dry..I think they are asking for someone to keep up with new trends, make some suggestions about new technology, do some collaborating and communicating with other librarians and help plan new services. Sounds like they need the type of librarian I’d like to be.

So….if Iwas interested, where would I flash my Librarianship qualifications?…..hold on…let’s read more….

SELECTION CRITERIA
Essential criteria
Degree in market research with relevant experience, or an equivalent level of knowledge gained through any other combination of education training and/or experience.
Proven ability to effectively analyse, evaluate and report on market intelligence, and qualitative data and to relate it to the needs of stakeholders.
Demonstrated ability to understand statistical information and statistical concepts
Excellent communication skills and an ability to communicate with internal and external stakeholders at all levels.
Demonstrated ability to successfully explain complex concepts to non-experts.
Proven ability to work in a small team of experts to deliver concrete outcomes
Demonstrated ability to seek and evaluate a range of innovative service options
Proven ability to contribute effectively to policy and planning
Capacity and willingness to take part in the UNSW Workplace Planning and Career Development Scheme
Knowledge of OHS responsibilities and commitment to attending relevant OHS training.
Knowledge of EEO/AA principles.

I’m sure you spotted the M word there instead of the L word. Even without this, I’m really disturbed by the tone and wording of the advertisement. It looks like they are trying to justify funding from library administrators, rather than attract applications from switched on, enthusiastic, knowledgable librarians.

I see a request for “experience with market intelligence”, but not a passion for serving clients or the interest and skills in new technologies. Libraries are now seeking to be more user driven, so maybe this is one way of finding out what users want without existing biases from practitioners getting in the way.

Maybe they will ask that the supervisor, the “Manager, Service Innovation”, has the passion and the library experience. I can’t see it coming from the other member of the unit, the “Statistical Analyst”. Maybe they have a super-duper fantastic person already in mind, and they wrote the job descrition to fit that person’s specific skill set.

So…is there anyone out there with a friend of a friend at the University of New South Wales Library (where I will probably now never be able to get a job) who can enlighten me about where this positon fits with the other changes happening in library services …and where it fits into the new social nature of libraries ?

New job descriptions for libraries

Uncategorized

When people ask me “what do you work as?”, I can easily say “Reference Librarian and Philosophy Subject librarian”. The other bit of my job, which is looking at emerging technologies and how we can use them in our library, doesn’t have an official label or job title.

Back in June, when thinking about what Librarian 2.0 jobs would look like for Australian libraries, I said:

I suspect Librarian 2.0 positions will be created as people in existing positions redefine their jobs and add a bit here, drop a few responsibilities there.

I’m really excited by a trend in the US, one that I hope will hit here. Entire postitions are being created for librarians to do tasks that didn’t even exist 2 or 3 years ago. I’m encouraged by the Emergent Technology Librarian at East Michigan University Library and the ten (yes, ten!!) new positions being funded at the Albany Library at the State University of New York.

1. EMERGENT TECHNOLOGIES LIBRARIAN at the East Michigan Univeristy Library

I chuckled when the ad posted on Web4Lib said they were looking for an applicant with “mad skillz”. Made me feel about 100 years old and terribly unhip.

Position Description:

The Eastern Michigan University Library seeks a proactive, creative, service-oriented individual to play a key role on its Information Services Team. The Emergent Technologies Librarian will serve as an explorer of and advocate for the use of emergent technologies to support online learning and enhance the effectiveness of library information and instructional services . The Emergent Technologies librarian will coordinate virtual/chat reference initiatives and provide scheduled reference assistance (face-to-face, email, telephone, virtual/chat).

Responsibilities:

  •  
    1. Social Networking Support Librarian
    2. Collaborative Publishing Librarian
    3. Multimedia Publishing Librarian
    4. Coordinator of Student Participation
    5. Programming Risk Taker
    6. OPAC Transformation Librarian
    7. Testbed Technologist
    8. Remote User Librarian..
    • Explore, evaluate, and encourage the deployment of emergent technologies to engage library users and staff in new ways
    • Provide training and support for other librarians on emergent technologies
    • Explore and develop opportunities to integrate library resources and services into course management, online learning, and other campus software initiatives
    • Collaborate with other librarians to develop online learning initiatives
    • Coordinate, assess, and work with other librarians to evolve virtual/chat reference initiatives
    • Provide scheduled reference desk and virtual/chat reference service, including some evening and weekend hours

    • 2.Ten new postions at SUNY

    Laura Cohen’s library has just received “huge, anonymous donation to fund ten new positions for as long as we want them”. (Yes, Virginia, there is a Library Santa Claus). They’ve set aside one position to use later. With the other positions, they are dreaming big, and realise that there is overlap between the positions:

    and the one that really caught my fancy…. After 38 years, I finally know what I want to do when I grow up!!

    9. Exploration and Training Librarian:

    Does what all librarians should do but wlll get to do it full time: read, experiment, play, develop skills, listen to conference and training broadcasts, imagine and ruminate. Will develop a seminar program to present colleagues with the results of these efforts. Will assist colleagues in determining new ways of doing things based on these explorations. Will recommend readings, Web sites, podcasts, RSS feeds, etc., to assist in staff education. Establishes a culture of fun-loving, beta-craving, humorous attitude toward change.

    TODAY’S HIPPIE CARD Let go of the past

    UPDATE: A couple of hours after I wrote this, into my aggregator popped an article from Michael Stephens on ALA Techsource that nicely summarises the last year of Librarian2.0 job descriptions in the US. Desperately seeking the adaptive librarian: on the 2.0 job description (part 3) .

    UPDATE AGAIN: 1 January 2007: Alas, There is no Library Santa Claus, please see Laura Cohen’s comment below. I could pretend that I wasn’t taken in, but instead I’ll admit to being very sloppy and not reading carefully, and say I’m very sorry that I didn’t pay closer attention to what she wrote. She did actually list 10 positions, including “Digitization Librarian”. On her blog, Library 2.0, And Academic’s Perspective, you can see more of Laura’s thinking about how we need to reformulate all library job descriptions to meet the demands of Library2.0.

Librarian 2.0 Manifesto and videocasting

Uncategorized

Read the book? Now see the movie.Kingrss has creatively turnedLaura Cohen’s excellent “A Librarian’s 2.0 Manifesto” into a videocast at YouTube.

It’s great to see the free and meditative form used, and the shots from Burning Man. Along with David King‘s “Are you blogging this?” clip, and the St Joseph County Public Library’s “Ray of Light” clip, it’ s giving me an idea of what’s “allowed” in library videocasts (that would be…. personalised, creative, artistic, captivating, free form and alternative visions).I’ve written the main points of my screencast for 5 weeks to a Social Library onto Post It notes and shuffled them around in my exercise book. Tomorrow night at work, I start turning them into slides using Captivate, to create a draft storyboard and something I can build into a fully fledged screencast.

The wonderful L. from our Teaching and Learning Centre is very experienced with shooting video and interviewing, so she has offered to slot in some “vox pop” micro-interviews with staff who participated. I just need to tell her what I want asked. We’ll experiment in changing the video to the right format, compressing it, then dropping it seamlessly into Captivate.

Not sure where I should draw the line for my screencast between a “professional” feel and a “fun” feel. If I’m alert, I guess I could aim for both…but I don’t want to confuse everyone with anarchy.

TODAY’S HIPPIE CARD: Service

Imported from the earlier version of my blog that used Blogger. Commenter’s email and URLS will not show up.