New Article: Bronstein, Library and Information Science Professional Skills and Personal Competencies

Bronstein, Jenny. “An Exploration of the Library and Information Science Professional Skills and Personal Competencies: An Israeli Perspective.” Library & Information Science Research 37.2 (2015): 130-138.

 

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2015.02.003

 

Abstract

The skills and competencies required of library and information science (LIS) professionals working in libraries and information centers have been greatly affected by rapidly evolving information and communication technologies. To understand the effects that change has brought to the LIS profession, a typology of skills and competencies required of LIS professionals in Israel was developed. This typology resulted from the analysis of three different sets of data: job advertisements, course descriptions from LIS departments, and data collected from a survey administered to directors of libraries and information centers in Israel. The content analysis resulted in a typology of 49 skills that were divided into four different clusters: provision of information services, organization of information, technological skills, and personal competencies. Job listings were found to emphasize skills related to the provision of information services as well as personal competencies, while results from the survey revealed that skills related to the organization of information were perceived as essential by library directors. Data collected from course descriptions suggested that LIS departments prepared students to work in advanced technological environments but they did not develop their personal competencies. Traditional LIS skills that support design and provision of information services and making information accessible are still relevant today, while being flexible enough to adapt to changing information environments based on user-centered philosophies of service.

Highlights

• A typology of 49 LIS skills and competencies was developed using content analysis.
• Job listings looked for information provision skills and personal competencies.
• Library directors emphasize the need for skills related to the organization of information.
• Course descriptions focus on the acquisition of technological skills.

New Article: Greenberg and Bar-Ilan, Comparing Virtual Reference Services in an Israeli Academic Library

Greenberg, Riki and Judit Bar-Ilan, “‘Ask a Librarian’: Comparing Virtual Reference Services in an Israeli Academic Library.” Library & Information Science Research 37.2 (2015): 139-46.

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2014.09.005

Abstract

This study considered two Web-based virtual reference services (VRS) at an academic library in Israel: chat (116 interactions) and email (213 exchanges). The contents of a set of questions and answers in both VRS services were analyzed, along with an open-ended questionnaire administered to the library’s reference team (n = 16). Differences were found in the question and answer distributions. Face-to-face reference is preferred by the librarians although they acknowledge that the best fitting service is dependent on the users’ preferences and their information needs.