Shaping the future academic librarian in response to the ever-changing information services sector: A practioners view point - Ms Z. Maya & Mrs ...

Shaping the future academic
librarian in response to the ever-
  changing information services
 sector: A practioners view point

        Ms Z. Maya & Mrs Bokwe

PRESENTATION OUTLINE
•   Introduction
•   Literature review
•   Data collection
•    Findings
•   Recommendations

INTRODUCTION
•   Evolving landscape in libraries need librarians with the skills and competencies to
    cope with such changes
•   New technologies and innovation , information and communication technology
    (ICT) requires academic librarian to develop new skills, while at the same time
    maintaining their traditional skills
•   Institutional strategic plans
•   Partnerships and collaborations(SEALS ,MSU)
•   Global trends
•   User profiles ( young, digital natives) now just on time info
•   Libraries have to demonstrate value to their institutions

LITERATURE REVIEW
The literature focuses on the four following themes:
     Competencies and skills
     Teaching pedagogical skills,
     New technologies
     LIS curriculum need to respond appropriately to knowledge and
       skills demand of the market.

•
         COMPETENCIES                       AND        SKILLS
    The changing landscape of information services in which librarians are
  working in requires a certain level of professional competencies and
  diverse skills.
• In addition to professional competencies are the following set of and skills
  that are essential:
        Research skills
        Interpersonal skills like communication
        Generic skills like Approachability, Listening
        Adaptability / flexibility
        Comfort with instruction / teaching
        Self-motivated

TEACHING SKILLS
• There is a need for librarians to acquire pedagogical,
  assessment and teaching skills such as :
       Curriculum design
       Curriculum integrated IL training
       Conduct online training using programs like
        Camtasia, Moodle, and/or Blackboard
                     (Chanetsa & Ngulube, 2017; Raju,2017)

NEW TECHNOLOGIES
• The scholars noted that the line between the librarian and computer
  technology is some kind of blur (Raju ,2014) . There is a demand for
  librarians to acquire new technological skills that will enhance their
  performance such as ,
     graphic design
     web design;
     virtual referencing;
     online chats;
     use of mobile technologies,
     use of social media and web 2.0/3.0 tools,

CURRICULUM
• LIS curriculum need to respond appropriately to knowledge and skills
   demand of the market.
• There is a need for specialization in the curriculum.
(Raju, 2017; Malone &Burke, 2016; Chanetsa & Ngulube 2017,
Whitmell,2017)

DATA COLLECTION
• Document analysis ( job adverts, conference
  call of papers and webinar invites
• Focus groups: LIS 3rd & 4th year students from
  the experiential learning fieldwork years
• UFH Library staff

FINDINGS
• The current global trends requires a professional librarian
  to have competencies and skills like IT (digitization, library
  carpentry), knowledge of social media, teaching skills,
  active participation in research, (research support, research
  data management, and date carpentry).
• Some librarians who have been in the field for 10 years and
  above do not possess the new skills.
• There is a disconnect between the LIS School curricula and
  the skills requirement in the modern libraries.

RECOMMENDATIONS
• Reading circles to get an understanding of the new
  skills, trends and field activities
• Continuous professional development ( Conference&
  webinar attendance, participating in consortium
  activities e.g. SEALS)
• Partnership and collaborations (skills sharing and
  exchange)
• Standardization of experiential learning duration
  period.

REFERENCES
•   Chanetsa, B & Ngulube, P .2017 Qualifications and Skills of Subject Librarians in Selected
    African Countries, International Information & Library Review, 49:3,
•   Chawner, B and Oliver, G . 2013. A survey of New Zealand academic reference librarians:
    Current and future skills and competencies. Australian Academic & Research Libraries, 2013.
    Vol. 44(1) pp 29–39,
•   Malone, T. and Burke, S. 2016. Academic librarian’s knowledge of bibliometric and almetrics.
    Evidence based of library and information practice, Vol 11(3)
•   Raju, J. 2017.To teach or not to teach? The question of the academic librarian’s pedagogical
    competencies in the digital age : South African Journal of Higher Education Vol.31 ( 2) pp
    251‒269
•    Whitmell, V. 2017.Building Research Competencies in Canadian Academic Libraries: The CARL
    Librarians' Research Institute, International Information & Library Review, Vol (49)3 pp 230-236,

THANK YOU
ybokwe@ufh.ac.za
 zmaya@ufh.ac.za

Appendix

Appendix

•   The organisers of UNILISA 2019 call for the submission of abstracts that deal with any of the
    following broad themes:

   Open data movement
   Open access
   Data curatorship
   Digital preservation
   Bibliometrics,biometrics and bioinformatics
   Cloud and grid computing
   Green computing
   Libraries and digital libraries
   Organisational semiotics
   Intelligent information systems