Dunn & Wilson scholarship project 1995

Summary

There were some obvious institutional differences in that the library at the University of Western Sydney, Macarthur was much smaller than that at the University of Melbourne, in regards to both collection size and the staffing establishment. The organisational structure in which the participants operated was quite different and whereas the two library technicians at the University of Melbourne were in the information resources division, the library technician at the University of Western Sydney, Macarthur worked in client services.

The experience of the participants was somewhat different in that John had worked in libraries for 22 years whereas Sandra and Wilma had both worked in libraries for 12 years. However, Wilma had four years public library experience whereas John had two years as a storeman in a special library and Sandra had purely academic library experience. Before taking on the interlibrary loans co-ordinator's position, Wilma also gained copy cataloguing and bibliographic searching experience. Sandra had gained enormous expertise in serials work by progressing through the ranks from junior library assistant to serials manager. John had gained experience at different levels within reader and technical service areas in academic libraries. Whereas Sandra's appointment had been for approximately three years, John and Wilma had both been working at HEW Level 6 for twelve to eighteen months prior to the study. All participants had studied on a part-time basis and had completed their library technician qualification in 1989/90.

My observation of the participants mainly reflected the different requirements of their respective positions. John, as acquisitions manager, was primarily taken up with managerial functions in relation to personnel and projects, and some detailed aspects of acquisitions work, such as financial matters. Two aspects of John's managerial approach were highlighted: firstly, his determination for the staff to be a self managing group, and secondly the use of his project management skills for cross sectional work. Sandra, as a member of the INNOPAC implementation team, was required to develop the serials and acquisitions modules and I observed her working towards this goal through documentation, committee membership, liaison and information sharing. Sandra's commitment to planning was highlighted in her documentation of the activity plan and subsequent discussions about same. Wilma, as co-ordinator of the interlibrary loans unit, was observed as combining activities associated with interlibrary loans processing work and supervision of staff. Aspects of Wilma's work that were highlighted were her expertise in relation to interlibrary loan processes and her capacity to co-ordinate a number of staff mainly drawn from other areas of the library.

The interviews revealed some common themes, however, in addition to similarities between the individual there were some very evident differences. They all considered that work experience and skills development had contributed significantly to their appointment but whereas there was no conscious effort on the part of John or Wilma, Sandra had deliberately determined her progress to attain the position. John and Sandra emphasised the importance of mentors and role models to their development whereas Wilma identified the importance of the associate diploma. Reactions to their appointments was one aspect of their experience of being in the position and was varied. All participants identified personal qualities used in the position, however, John mainly spoke of these, such as his willingness to take risks in his relations with other section leaders and the division head and his weakness in his 'professional knowledge'. Work relationships were only minimally touched upon. Minimal attention was paid by the participants to values and beliefs as part of their experience of being in the job, however, I did articulate some which I thought were more explicit. All participants identified their ability to reflect on their practice. Of course a major theme, shared by all participants, was that of management particularly as it related to human resources and their different styles of approaching this was evidenced. Other shared aspects were their experiences of the stresses and demands of the positions and their involvement in making contributions to the broader community. Support was part of the experience for all participants but the degree of same was variable. Only Wilma spoke of the constraints attached to her position and she was the only participant with which I raised the issue of job satisfaction; lack of opportunity had contributed to her developing dissatisfaction.

All participants had been and were involved in some continuing professional development but the focus of further (formal) study differed greatly. This latter was clearly related to their individual aspirations: Wilma moving back into the public library sector in charge of a small library but with the aim of applying for a librarian's position once she had qualified; Sandra interested in the possibility of a degree in adult education; and John more interested in seminars and workshops linked to his focus on human resource management, rather than a degree.

The participants had varied opinions about the implications of their being in the position. The implications for library technicians were viewed against the 'best person for the job' principle held by all participants. Wilma expressed some pessimism about the future for library technicians in the position. Sandra hoped that library technicians would consider their potential and although she did not see herself as a benchmark, expressed a willingness to share her experience with other library technicians. John thought there was a possibility that he might be viewed as a role model but this was expressed hesitantly because of his concern about disenfranchising those library technicians who were more interested in process work rather than promotion.

In the main, the participants held similar views about the implications for the respective libraries of their holding the positions. Wilma thought that library technicians would continue to have to compete with librarians for the position and Sandra hoped that the administration would continue to make appointments on the basis that the librarian qualification was not imperative. John hoped the administration would continue to appoint the best person.

Their views about the implications for library and information services generally were varied. Whereas John thought that total experience and performance outcomes warranted greater consideration than qualifications, Sandra hoped that the potential and value of library technicians operating at a higher level would be acknowledged, and Wilma considered that the interlibrary loans co-ordinator's position had the potential as a benchmark for library technicians. In addition, Wilma believed that it had demonstrated an extension of the role of library technicians beyond the ALIA definition, and John spoke of the implications in relation to the education of library workers: were there too many different courses?