So, we kicked off the m25 Consortium of Academic Libraries event “Study Library and Information Science ... and Beyond” one-day conference with Stephen Pinfield (Sheffield University). Considering the growing demand for technology affecting traditional librarianships, it is no wonder Stephen decided to highlight these trends to potential library students.
A good place to collectively look at changing trends is IFLA’s “Riding the Waves or Caught inthe Tide?” trend report and ACRL Top 10 trends in Academic libraries. There points overlap over the following issues I am about to mention.
Due to new technology, information is more readily accessible than ever before but the cost is the increasing limitation such as
licensing, subscriptions and polices being put in place. Many could
argue that more technology has attributed the move to open access and
online education within universities but it also means that librarians are now expected to become “intermediaries” to
guide users on how to use the new technology. Furthermore, with the growing demand by students to access material online we have this growth development in digitalisation. I argue it a good thing until you think of things such as digital preservation. There is an uncontrol risk of lack of leadership in ensuring digital content is preserved because as it is on the "cloud", so it is out of the universities hands. However, it is the complete opposite. More knowledge is needed to understand network systems and cloud technology within the new generation of librarians.
So this clearly, conjure up the question of, "what information is retained on the cloud when retriving information?". Surely, when leaving being such a digital footprint there is an increasing risk of data protection and need to redefine privacy policies in collection management and storage. The practice of allowing your users (students in this case) to tailor collections within patron driven e-book acquisitions, maybe good for library usage statistics and service delivery but the cost is the simple question of, "is there really a need for an acquistions specialist or librarian altogether?". Which leads to the longest trend of all - reduction in staffing levels.
With all of these points there are some clear discussions for debate but the current trend that really appeals to me from listening to Stephen, is the one of data curation. There is now more of an opportunity for librarians to move away from typical roles as more is being invested into researching data management and creating space within librarians. Libraries now have to battle against other libraries to demonstrate their user value to the ones making financial budgeting decisions. With us being hyper-connected societies where social media such as Facebook and Twitter, blogs and mobile environments can give librarians a voice to adovate for libraries, we have truly become part of the global information economy that relays data to deliver content.
So, what does this
mean for the average hopeful pursue a librarianship? There needs to be more a
focus on new roles in the current economy such as clinical librarians, systems
librarians, digital curators, information literacy educators and
informationists. Quite simply if you want to concentrate on rare books
modules and cataloguing, well good-on-you but you are going to need to gain
other skills to stay within the job market. For example, learning about research data management, project management,
relationship/supplier management and marketing. Conservely, there is also a need for soft
skills such as problem solving, counselling, teaching, teamwork and the "mindset" to demonstrate your competency for being proactively
flexible with a global perspective in getting involved within the sector.
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