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Dunn and Wilson scholarship project 1999 Changing roles, changing goals: transferring library technician skills beyond the libraryNewspaper job analysisScopeThe third stage of the study was aimed at providing an identification of how the broad skills and knowledge listings could be applied in the process of job location. To achieve this a two-month survey of job advertisements in key national newspapers was carried out between July-September 2000. MethodologyFive national newspapers were chosen based on the following selection criteria:
The five papers selected were:
All employment listings in each of the Saturday editions of these papers were assessed with criteria for ad selection based on a seventy-five per cent minimum match to:
Positions assessed were not traditional library roles, although positions within libraries were included if they offered non-traditional responsibilities. Limitations with this component of the study were the inability to follow an ad through to a successful outcome, including application, interview, and appointment. The result of this is that any indication of suitability in regards to these roles is purely hypothetical. What is available should be used as a data source of potential possibilities for consideration. An approach was made to employers to discuss the positions advertised, and the potential for library technicians to be considered as suitable applicants. There was negligible response to this and the feedback was insufficient to develop verifiable data. Future research into this area could perhaps focus principally on this area in order to gain valued insight into employers' perceptions. Collected ads were collated into broad occupational categories:
As this was a qualitative analysis of available job ads, where there was duplication of ad types, and this was particularly so within the administrative and customer service areas, key ads were selected to indicate type of roles available. Appendix 4 provides a full listing of all selected ads identifying key responsibilities, and skills and knowledge requirements. Where available pay rates are also supplied. Further sourcesIn addition to the job ad analysis, alternative role titles have also been sourced from the literature search and from recruitment agencies. In the case of the latter this included information gained from 9 months personal experience as a Consultant with a specialist Library and Information recruitment firm (Zenith Management Services) in 1999 - 2000. These sources do not identify key responsibilities or knowledge and skills requirements but are simply offered as a further resource of job titles. In May 2000 at a tri-state Library Technician workshop in Mildura, NSW, I presented a session on the job market for library technicians. This session offered a list of alternate roles that Zenith Management Services had been involved with in the previous twelve months: April 1999 - April 2000
Similarly, at a 'Successful Job Interviews' workshop, held in October 1999 by the ALIA NSW Library Technician group, Library Locums (a specialist Library recruitment agency) indicated the following non-library roles that had been handled by the agency.
The relevance and importance of this lies in the fact that employers used these specialist library and information agencies to locate suitable candidates for the diverse positions. Library technicians are qualified and capable of filling any of these positions but often do not consider applying, perhaps because the position does not have an identifiable title that enables them to link their library specific skills and knowledge to the requirements of the position. In 'Extending the Librarians Domain', (Horton 1994) Horton reflects on this in relation to professional librarians 'The positions themselves are not formally and explicitly titled 'librarian' or even 'information professional' but rather are described and characterized in broader, functional terms not tied to classic librarianship positions, or even to modern information professional positions. Nor are the positions located in traditional library settings such as public libraries, school libraries, academic libraries or special libraries whether in the public or private sector. ' Horton continues to identify potential barriers, including the writing style, language, and keywords used which do not reflect traditional library terms, higher salaries and the fact that the ads are run in channels that lie outside those traditionally sourced by librarians looking for employment. Fear of failure, intimidation and the perception that they are not worthy of the role and/or the salary are all also contributory factors to job limitations. A report titled 'Information professionals in Australia: Expanding Horizons' by J Michael Brittain (1996) also offers a review of available literature, skills listings and a quantitative analysis of job advertisements. In his report Brittain also utilised job categories that were originally established in a British report (Moore 1987). The aim was to identify the range of employment skills markets as this offers a method for thinking broadly across the information market rather than within the traditional 'library' sector.
(Brittain 1996 p21)
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