Jeffrey G. Coghill - Developing Librarian Competencies for the Digital Age

ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD

Lanham Boulder New York London

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Available

ISBN 978-1-4422-6443-4 (cloth : alk. paper)

ISBN 978-1-4422-6444-1 (pbk. : alk. paper)

ISBN 978-1-4422-6445-8 (ebook)

TM The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

Printed in the United States of America

Change is inevitable. Libraries, librarianship, and the expectations of library users seem to be in a continual state of change. Predicting future changes with accuracy is nearly impossible. We can, however, identify trends that help us understand what the future might bring. Current trends hint at profound changes and more. Other factors, such as changes in funding models for higher education, changes in publishing, the uncertain future of the tenured faculty model, and the aging of the librarianship as a profession, all compound with emerging technologies to create an environment ripe for substantive change. The trends suggest that there are more opportunities than ever before for librarians and for those with other degrees to expand traditional roles into new areas of work and expertise in libraries.

Emerging technologies in higher education have shifted student usage trends in libraries.

Librarians are devoting great amounts of time, effort, and funding to tracking and interpreting transformative trends. In May 2014, the American Library Association, the largest library-focused organization in the world, announced the launch of the Center for the Future of Libraries. Other such organizations are likewise transfixed by the prophetic prospects of reading the trends. What does the future hold for libraries and user experience, makerspaces, and delivery of mobile content? What do trends in virtual and augmented reality such as the development of libARi and digital-print interface technologies like FingerLink and Nimble mean for libraries? How might trends in open education resources, research data management, open access publishing, and data visualization change libraries? What can trends in library design and library leadership tell us about our future? This book focuses on what it means to a librarian in the twenty-first century. It is divided into ten chapters. Chapter 1 focuses on the foundations of librarianship and the move toward the new librarian. Chapter 2 covers the sources of information and collections found in the modern library. Chapter 3 examines the organization of knowledge and information. Technical knowledge and skills is the theme of chapter 4. Chapter 5 examines reference and user services in the twenty-first century. Chapter 6 concentrates on the research abilities necessary for librarians to thrive in the library. Chapter 7 relates to the marriage of continuing education and new ways of teaching that have changed library services to clients both on and off campus. Chapter 8 analyzes new ways that library administrators are adapting to managing a library in the twenty-first century. Chapter 9 examines core competencies across the profession as outlined by professional organizations such as the Medical Library Association (MLA), the American Library Association (ALA), and Special Libraries Association (SLA), to name a few. Finally, chapter 10 examines who library patrons of the future might be and how library services could change to meet their needs. The intended audience for this book is library professionals at any stage in their careers or in any library setting to become proactive in coping with the near-constant state of change affecting all libraries and all library users in the modern era.