‪It’s out!!! I’m so excited to see the LibParlor Online Learning curriculum about #librarianresearch finally out! I’ve been looking forward to this. I think it leans towards #academiclibrarians and #libraryschool students, but it seems pretty good for for all current and future library workers https://libparlor.com/lpol-curriculum/

Library school graduation party on Friday. Free wine and pizza. Finally my chance to reclaim some of the money I've spent on tuition.

At first I thought that meant I needed to drink $50,000 of wine, but on second thought I really only need to drink $25,000 of wine if I balance it with $25,000 of pizza. That sounds much more doable.

#Graduation #LibrarySchool

While this research project was conducted to improve and inform the MLIS program at Valdosta State University (right here in Georgia), results will be useful to many folks in the LIS world who are interested in demonstrating or gaining the skills needed by employers. It will also be useful to folks interested in supporting new and early career librarians, particularly in managing expectations for what new graduates should arrive knowing, and what they may gain in the first five years on the job.

If you’d like to read the full paper, it can be found at:

Colson, L. M., Alemanne, N. D., & Most, L. R. (2023). Exploring Stakeholder Priorities for Recent MLIS Graduates and Early Career Librarians. Georgia Library Quarterly, 60(3). Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/glq/vol60/iss3/9

This post summarizes a Georgia Library Quarterly article (Colson, Alemanne, & Most, 2023) reporting the initial results of an ongoing multi-phase research project conducted to understand the future staffing and leadership needs of libraries and how the Valdosta State University (VSU) MLIS program can prepare our graduates to meet those needs. The first phase of the project investigated challenges Georgia libraries will face in the next five years and the skills MLIS graduates will need to help address those challenges. The second phase of the research surveyed VSU MLIS program stakeholders to prioritize competences detailed in a draft update to the American Library Association’s (ALA) Core Competences for Librarianship (2023). The results, in concert with other ongoing activities, will inform program planning by shining a bright light on employer and other stakeholder priorities while also including a thorough review and update of the MLIS program’s mission and curriculum. 

In phase one of the project, we collected three tranches of qualitative data using convenience samples of Georgia public library directors (first tranche) and Georgia Libraries Conference (GLC) 2020 attendees (second and third tranches) using a brainstorming activity in which participants considered the two questions detailed above regarding challenges their libraries will face and the skills new MLIS graduates will need to help meet those challenges. The two largest categories of phase one findings are related to the mission of the library (22.22%) and funding issues (18.52%). Some examples of mission-related challenges include relevance of libraries, community expectations, changing roles of public and academic libraries, and changing natures of the communities served. On funding, participants primarily wrote “funding” on the sheets, but they also mentioned discrete issues like database prices, physical collections versus e-book collections, staff salaries, school library defunding, and competition for resources. The other large categories are staff skills, hiring and retaining staff, technology, marketing, operations and policies, and outreach. Infrastructure, digital inclusion, and social issues finish the list.

The top identified needed skills for new graduates are technology (12.50%), marketing and outreach (11.18%), professionalism (9.87%), management and leadership (9.21%), people skills (9.21%), financial skills (7.89%), and communication skills (7.24%). Technology skills required include basic information technology knowledge; ability to work with multiple platforms, devices, and types of equipment; technology and data literacy; data manipulation and analysis skills; coding and web skills; and adapting to changing technology needs. The marketing and outreach categories include skills related to working with library boards and Friends groups, advocacy and cultivating advocates, community building, community relations, and the ability to develop creative marketing approaches.

In phase two we began to collect program stakeholder opinions through an online survey of a purposive sample of VSU MLIS program stakeholders (including but not limited to deans/directors and librarians from public and academic libraries, current students, and alumni), to inform decision-making for course program requirements. The highest priorities were given to skills and basic knowledge. Organization of Recorded Knowledge and Information is the highest ranked competence, and over 50% of respondents prioritized

• Foundational Knowledge;
• Reference and User Services;
• Social Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility;
• Research and Evidence-based Practice,
• and Technological Knowledge and Skills.

Survey respondents were also asked to rate specific competences within the categories. Those identified as priorities for recent MLIS graduates (identified by 70% or more of respondents) connect to:

• communication skills,
• information discovery,
• ethics and values of the profession,
• identifying specific library types,
• promoting democratic principles,
• understanding the principles and goals involved in representation of knowledge and information,
• understanding one’s own socio-cultural positionality,
• reference interviews; identifying appropriate technology to support library services,
• and identifying the techniques used to describe, analyze, evaluate, and organize recorded knowledge and information.

Importantly, respondents’ priorities for competences expected of early career librarians at the five-year mark in their careers are an almost mirror version of their rankings of those expected of new MLIS graduates. Skill-based competences have a lower priority overall, and Management, Administration, and Leadership; Lifelong Learning and Continuing Education; and Information Resources take the top spots. Within the categories, the top specific competences identified for early career librarians (75+% of respondents) include:

• financial planning and decision-making,
• technology evaluation,
• project management,
• professional development to serve communities,
• contributing to the profession,
• maintain and enhance knowledge and skills,
• effective and just supervisory skills, collection development and maintenance that is informed by diverse needs of information communities,
• program evaluation and assessment.

Finally, fewer than 10% of respondents considered any of the competences to be not a priority.

While the initial findings reported here constitute the beginning of the VSU MLIS program’s comprehensive program review they are also important to MLIS graduates who are looking for professional positions and to those hiring new librarians. The analysis is directional at this point as the researchers are continuing to collect data. There are limitations to the analysis connected to both the qualitative and quantitative phases. The researchers had to interpret the meaning of respondents’ words and phrases in the first phase data, and online surveys do not give researchers the opportunity to delve into answers with respondents. There are also areas that cannot be addressed with the current data, such as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (which started between our data collection phases and is, to some extent, ongoing) and the multiple political challenges libraries face, such as the sharp increase in book challenges and other attacks on libraries and library personnel. 

A key finding is the difference between competences survey participants value for new MLIS graduates and those they value for early career professionals. The initial takeaway from this data is that stakeholders want the MLIS program to focus primarily on basic knowledge and skills, knowing that our graduates will learn more about areas like management and financial planning throughout their first five years of employment. The revised positioning of the ALACCs (ALA, 2023)–concentrating on three time periods—LIS education, on-boarding, and continuing professional development—supports flexibility for MLIS program planning. Current areas of discussion include a reconsideration of the core curriculum and the development of a continuing education program (with the possibility of offering professional development certificates).

The next phase of the project will involve qualitative discussions with a range of stakeholders (including alumni, employers, and students). These discussions will support a deep dive into the initial findings and a more holistic understanding of stakeholder positions and needs. One issue that must be considered is the literature review finding of a strong need for MLIS programs to integrate interpersonal skills and scaffold successful skill retention as their new alumni transition to the early parts of their careers.

References

American Library Association (ALA). (2023, January 28). ALA’s core competences of librarianship. https://www.ala.org/educationcareers/sites/ala.org.educationcareers/files/content/2022%20ALA%20Core%20Competences%20of%20Librarianship_FINAL.pdf

Colson, L. M., Alemanne, N. D., & Most, L. R. (2023). Exploring stakeholder priorities for recent MLIS graduates and early career librarians. Georgia Library Quarterly, 60(3). https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/glq/vol60/iss3/9

Dr. Lenese M. Colson is the Interim Program Director and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Library and Information Studies at Valdosta State University. Her research interests include exploring the information needs of the underrepresented and underserved and best practices in eLearning for graduate education.

Nicole D. Alemanne is an associate professor in the Department of Library and Information Studies at Valdosta State University. Her research interests include LIS pedagogy, best practices online education, and information behavior.

Linda R. Most is an Associate Professor and the former Department Head for Library and Information Studies in the Dewar College of Education and Human Services at Valdosta State University. She teaches in the management track of the MLIS curriculum and is currently serving as chair of the Georgia State Board for the Certification of Librarians. She has previously served on the Board of Trustees for the South Georgia Regional Library System.

https://hiringlibrarians.com/2024/03/05/researchers-corner-exploring-stakeholder-priorities-for-recent-mlis-graduates-and-early-career-librarians/

#Librarian #librarians #libraries #libraryCareers #libraryHiring #libraryJobs #librarySchool

The library school I attended (a long time ago) has just hired a faculty member whose "primary research focus is multimodal machine learning, particularly the intersection of vision and language in settings with limited supervision, and its applications in embodied AI, healthcare, and other fields" ... and I'm not at all sure what that means.

#LibrarySchool #LibraryScience

2nd week of the semester (remote, async program).

Went back and watched the intro video I made.

I guess i was feeling 🌶️ , cause I said:

“I don’t assign group work, and I don’t assign busy work. I take this course seriously and I want to see that you do as well. I justify the readings I assign and I encourage you to hold other instructors to similar standards if this is important to you”

#teaching #librarySchool #adjunctLife

I’m teaching #archival arrangement and description course next semester. To explain topics and to supply hands-on examples, I’ll have the students create (arrange and describe) a collection of photos of #PancakeTheDog. I’m so excited about this

#dog #dogsofmastodon #archives #librarySchool #libraries #teaching

I know end-of-semester grading can be a slog, but I’m finding #joy in my student’s work.

So many have done such a great job incorporating big new ideas and rethinking the role of #memory, #archives, and institutional #power in our everyday lives.

#teaching #adjuctLife #librarianship #librarySchool

Hi! Do I know anyone here that #teaches Intro to #Archives #classes?

If so, would you be willing to chat about the books (if any) you assign? I need to rethink my books

#academicchatter #teaching #archivalEducation #libraries #libraryscience #librarySchool

Fellow #LibrarySchool instructors, please, please reconsider using Harry Potter as an example for anything (cataloging, outreach, etc.)

This is unnecessarily stressful to our #trans students and #allies

There are so many other books.

Just please reconsider

I have an MLIS student who really wants to study abroad, but I've never heard of an MLIS student doing that during their program. Do opportunities like that exist? Alternatively, are there post-MLIS fellowships that may allow her to travel overseas? I know about the Fulbright; are there others? #mls #mlis #libraryschool #libraries

Courses I wish were offered in library school https://hacklibraryschool.com/2022/12/27/courses-i-wish-were-offered-in-library-school/ via #HackLibrarySchool

Some library school #humor.

#LibrarySchool #libraries #librarians

Taking this week's #ResearchDay as an opportunity to dive back into my #LibrarySchool notes for the Manuscripts & #Archives class.

I will be giving a short online presentation/QandA about #CityLIS MA/MSc courses in Library Science and Information Science tomorrow, November 23rd 2022 at 17.00 GMT - sign up here! https://crm.student-crm.com/events/public_bookings/choose_event/group:6347ece54d764 #LibrarySchool at City, University of London, UK

Call for Papers ##cfp --- Nordic Journal of Library and Information Studies thematic issue: Library and information studies in the climate crisis. Guest editors: @bjornekstrom Carin Graminius and me. https://tidsskrift.dk/njlis/announcement/view/1020​
#LIS #informationstudies #iSchool #InformationScience #libraryschool #research #ClimateCrisis #socialscience

Thinking about things I learned in #LibrarySchool & how I might apply them to #TTRPGs.

F'rex, #Crosswalk documents remind me of serious concerns we had in the 1980s of how to map one game system to another: "Crosswalk: A document mapping the relationships between fields of different metadata schemas. Example: the Getty Crosswalk." https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/computer-science/crosswalk

@pepperonibookmark this tweet deserves to be framed as a reflection on #LibrarySchool's continued failure to account for how networks can fundamentally change the way people related to information.

I know I need to get better about using #hashtags but you have to understand I was traumatized by discussions about #hashtags and #folksonomies during #LibrarySchool

#Librarians of the fediverse, please do share your positive experiences of #LibrarySchool!

Highlights of my #LibrarySchool program? I enjoyed my in person classes much more than my remote classes (although I always felt that the instructors did their best in the latter, remote classes have multiple deadlines throughout the week & the pace can feel fairly relentless) ...

I'm going to go out on a limb & say that I actually really enjoyed #LibrarySchool -- & I got a lot from it. I keep running into #librarians who ... well, just didn't.