ACTive ALIA

Skills and gaps forum report

The ALIA / AGLIN information session on 'Jobs and skill gaps: what the market is looking for' was held at the National Library of Australia on 4 November 2005.

Approximately 40 people attended this event, which provided the opportunity to focus on both of the aims of the information sharing sessions

1. to increase the skills and knowledge of those attending to enable them to develop their careers, and
2. to discuss important professional issues.

Employment has been an area of interest to ACT librarians and library technicians, as we consider how we can ensure that we are able to fill current positions and ensure that we are building an environment in which there will be employment and suitable applicants for the future.

Sally Dallas, personnel consultant and technical services resource manager, Zenith Management Services Group, gave an excellent presentation. She began by challenging us to take on marketing as a critical step to ensuring that we remain vibrant service delivery agents in our organisations. She proposed four p's for marketing:

• Presentation
• Perception
• People and
• Passion.

Providing an example to demonstrate how marketing can enrich an event, she noted that the way our services are perceived can make the difference between success and failure. It is critical to know your business, market, reinforce and add value.

She argued that the keys to success for all in our profession are:

• Marketing
• Flexibility and responsiveness
• Change and
• Options.

And as Sally demonstrated, its in how you positively see and communicate. Sally also described the increasing demand for information workers with a range of titles and comment on the need for employers and potential employees to think outside the square. She challenged us to seize the moment.

Megan Curlewis, HR manager, Informed Sources described the recruitment support offered by Informed Sources which covers filling short term contracts. She noted the importance of skills in cataloguing, indexing and Kinetica/KDD. She also noted the cycle of quiet Januarys and busy May/June periods. She emphasised the importance of having experience to successfully compete for positions, and encouraged new graduates to consider volunteering with a library, perhaps the public library service, to improve their chances of gaining employment.