Librarian 2.0

Librarian 2.0 The future of library education and the 2.0 organization Meredith Farkas Norwich University

What is the purpose of LIS education?

“The mission of the LIS Program is to educate individuals for careers as librarians and information specialists and to undertake instruction, research and service programs that meet current and emerging library, information and technology needs.” -University of Hawaii, Manoa

So, how are we doing?

Do you feel your LIS curriculum prepared you for your work in libraries? Yes No 60 45 30 15 0 This question was asked of librarians who graduated from 1998-2008

“One of the big indicators on library education was that I felt I had to take an MPA to get the required skills to do work in a public library.”

What topic do you think should be taught as part of the LIS curriculum that wasn’t in your program? Management Web 2.0/Emerging Tech Instruction Web design/Programming Conflict Mgmt/Customer Service Project Management Hands-on Tech/Troubleshooting Marketing Assessment Futuring/Keeping Up 0 7.5 15.0 22.5 30.0

“I think there should have been more emphasis on library instruction and teaching ... The majority of my day-to-day library work is related to instruction and I’m basically going on my instinct.”

What topic do you think should be taught as part of the LIS curriculum that wasn’t in your program? Management Web 2.0/Emerging Tech Instruction Web design/Programming Conﬂict Mgmt/Customer Service Project Management Hands-on Tech/Troubleshooting Marketing Assessment Futuring/Keeping Up 0 7.5 15.0 22.5 30.0

“Customer service. Everyone comes into the ﬁeld being smart, excited at the thought of uncovering information, loving books, etc. But too few professionals come in wanting to help people. I think MLS students need the ability to see the library through their patrons' eyes rather than through a librarian’s eyes.”

“I think the more serious threat to our profession is the poor job we’ve been doing in the last decade or so about getting our message out.”

Being a Librarian in a 2.0 World

So what is library 2.0?

Web 1.0: Democratized Access to Information

Web 2.0: Democratized Participation

Revolutionary or evolutionary? http://www.davidleeking.com/2007/08/24/library-20-ripples-another-go-at-the-graph/

What is different now?

Technology has enabled us to do so much more

but we’re no longer the only game in town.

Library 2.0 is a state of mind •Working to meet changing user needs •Trusting our users (radical trust) •Getting rid of the culture of perfect •Aware of emerging technologies and opportunities •Looking outside of the library world for applications, opportunities, inspiration

Skills of Librarians 2.0

Understand their users

Keep Up

Aren’t afraid of taking risks

Are Agile

Question Everything

Able to look at new technologies and services with a critical eye

Don’t give up easily

Market Ideas and Communicate Effectively

Build their Networks

Create Partnerships

If this is what librarians need to be successful, shouldn’t they be taught in library school?

What skills and competencies are most important for librarians to have today? Technology Skills Customer Service Skills Openness to Change/Flexibility Commitment to Continuous Learning Curiosity/Creativity/Innovative Management Skills Teaching Skills Search Skills Marketing Skills 0 12.5 25.0 37.5 50.0

“It’s not so much speciﬁc skills as a way of looking at things, a lack of fearfulness about trying different tools... For me, it’s just as important, if not more, to have the librarian mindset as to have the individual skills.”

Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills • Customer service • Technology skills skills/people skills • Management skills • Openness to change/ ﬂexibility • Teaching skills • Commitment to • Search skills continuous learning • Marketing skills • Curiosity, creativity, innovative spirit

How do you teach the “soft skills?” • Integrate them into already existing classes. • Make it clear that these are critical skills for success in the profession. • Methods for teaching soft skills • hands-on activities • role-playing • case study analysis

You can’t cover everything in a 36 - 43 credit-hour program.

“I answered yes because the internship required by my program is what was most useful by far. So it was not really the academic part of the program that prepared me but that practical part.”

“We will never attract innovators to the profession if we don’t offer them the sort of work environment where they can satisfy their need for experimentation and creativity.”

Thanks! mgfarkas@gmail.com AIM: librarianmer Slides available at http://meredithfarkas.wetpaint.com

Photo Credits • Digitage Web 2.0 http://flickr.com/photos/oceanflynn/315385916/ by ocean.flynn • Library 2.0 Meme Map http://flickr.com/photos/gbierens/ 178568449/ by Gerard Bierens • Gold Coast Marathon 018 http://flickr.com/photos/ tk_five_0/680775822/ by Michael Dawes • Dewey or don't we? http://flickr.com/photos/scampion/ 1500054745/ By scampion • Self Portrait with Glass http://flickr.com/photos/ 45097561@N00/439046462/ By Jacob Whitaker • RISK #2 http://flickr.com/photos/tollaksen/967960/ by Bjornar • Don’t Give Up http://flickr.com/photos/gokrzy/372381525/ by K0P • IMG_2016.JPG http://flickr.com/photos/stevenjude/848723658/ by stevenjude • sunny day http://flickr.com/photos/iamthebestartist/2226165685/ by jessamyn

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http://ratodebiblioteca.blogspot.com	44
http://ratodebiblioteca.blogs.ua.sapo.pt	11
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Librarian 2.0

by Meredith Farkas

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