21st Century Librarian Job Skills

21st Century Job Skills
Presentation to library technician students from
Victoria University, Swinburne, and Box Hill TAFE
David Feighan
Information and Library Services Manager, Mentone Girls' Grammar School
VALA Committee Member and President 2017-2018
ALIA National eBook and eLending Advisory Committee Member

Overview
• Trends
• Workforce
• Technology / Metadata
• Workflows
• Working strategically and effectively
• Delivering value
• Reporting value
• Teamwork
• Technical competence
• Library standards and workflows
• Customer service
• Under servicing and over servicing
• Applying for jobs
What’s happening and
why should you care?
http://nextchapternewlife.com/6-guides-that-help-you-prepare-for-your-future/

Who am I?
• Received my post grad library qualifications from RMIT in 1991
just in time for the recession in the early 1990s when there were no jobs.
• ALIA member AALIA (ALIA student rep at RMIT).
• Arts Degree (Newcastle) and a post grad diploma in marketing (RMIT).
• Serials Librarian Telecom Australia.
• Sales Manager Faxon.
• Regional Manager EBSCO Publishing
Introduces EBSCO Publishing and EBSCOhost into Australia and New Zealand.
• VICNET ISP Manager State Library of Victoria.
• Manager of Vic, Tas, SA and WA libraries at the Australian Taxation Office.
• Head of Library Bialik College. I took the position to build a new library building.
• Head of Library at Mentone Girls’ Grammar School. I took the position to take the library
into a 21 century learning environment.
• VALA Committee Member and VALA 2010 Conference Chair and
VALA 2016 Conference Co Chair.
• Represent the Australian school libraries on the ALIA eBook and eLending Advisory Committee.
• Run the School Library Association of Victoria (SLAV) annual eBook survey.
Having many positions and jobs across different organisations and industry sectors is the new normal.

Trends / Workforce
What’s happening
and why should
you care?
http://www.business2community.com/human-resources/5-ingredients-successful-workforce-0924921

Trends / Workforce
Workforce demographics are changing in response to increased pressure to deliver
more services more efficiently.
CASE STUDY: CAUL [Australian / NZ Universities] average staffing 2009 to 2014
• While there are fewer entry level jobs there are more higher skilled jobs.
• Observations:
• In the higher education sector there is a move from print to eContent so there is less need for
circulation staff and re-shelvers. For example, RFID means patrons can do their own loans.
• Libraries increasingly batch load metadata from vendors so the need for original cataloguing
has reduced. Therefore…
• The work has become more technical and high level, and
• The cost of purchasing content has gone up, and
• Libraries also need to respond to the fact that university funding is under pressure.
Year Professional Library Para Professional Library Support Other Professional Other Total Staff
2009 37.9 22.2 34.6 6.3 2.4 103.4
2014 42.4 21.8 25.8 7.4 1.5 98.7
11.8% -1.8% -25.3% 17.5% -37.3% -4.5%

Trends / Workforce
Workforce demographics are changing in response to increased pressure to deliver
more services more efficiently.
• In Australia (unlike the USA) wages are relatively expensive because we have a
more ‘livable’ minimum wage. As a result there is a higher uptake of technology
to streamline repetitive work process (e.g. RFID) in Australia than it is in the USA.
CASE STUDY: CAUL [Australian / NZ Universities] average staff budgets 2009 to 2014
Salaries 2009 in 2014 $ 2014 Change
Mean (Average) $7,350,129.59 $8,561,036.83 $1,210,907.24 16%
Median (Middle) $6,296,708.72 $7,238,554.00 $941,845.28 15%
Lower Quartile $3,531,168.81 $4,391,653.50 $860,484.69 24%
Upper Quartile $9,345,591.86 $11,000,800.00 $1,655,208.14 18%
Discounted cash / inflation 2.6% source http://www.rba.gov.au/calculator/annualDecimal.html

Trends / Workforce
Workforce demographics are changing in response to increased pressure to
deliver more services more efficiently.
• The trend is common across all types of libraries.
• The impact is being felt across the board, irrespective of how efficient or
effective the library is in delivering services.
Library Expenses 2014 Total Institution Salaries
Institution
Collections
Budget
Collection
Size
Lib Staff
FTE
Library
Salaries
Lib Salary /
Total Costs
Total Library
Costs
Lib / Inst.
Salaries 2014 Change 2013
6 libraries, mid size
distributed university $867,310
414,079 P
240,509 E 96 $8,613,386 78% $10,987,561 4% $246,198,000 17% $211,074,000
12 libraries, large
centralised university $17,749,971
2,942,264 P
797,953 E 230 $23,729,987 52% $45,832,118 4% $1,041,567,000 10% $946,725,000
5 branch municipal
public library $968,950
227,503 P
5,632 E 61 $570,1925 74% $7,677,540 10% $77,107,000 4% $73,825,000
5 branch municipal
public library $1,448,233
499,146 P
13,023 E 74 $5,833,587 72% $8,094,079 12% $69,842,000 8% $64,733,000
4 branch municipal
public library $703,921
247,134 P
3,910 E 39 $3,105,925 52% $6,000,218 11% $53,597,000 8% $49,687,000

Trends / Metadata, Workflows, Infrastructure
Paolo Manghi, Marko Mikulicic et. al. Realizing and Maintaining Aggregative Digital Library Systems, D-Lib Magazine, Volume 16, Number 3/4 http://www.dlib.org/dlib/march10/manghi/03manghi.html
What’s happening
and why should
you care?

Trends / Metadata: Card catalogues
So Vintage Patterns
http://persephonemagazine.com/2011/12/
grandma-had-it-goin-on-your-guide-to-vintage-fashion-of-the-1960s/
Curtin University 40th anniversary
http://john.curtin.edu.au/40thanniversary/1972-1980_operations2.html
Pre 1960sTo deliver products and services libraries around the world have moved from print based (card catalogues)
solutions to online solutions. You need to understand this ongoing change and how it effects your work.

Trends / Metadata: 1960s MARC introduced
https://mentonegirls.on.worldcat.org/oclc/979998609
1960s
The global metadata
(MARC) used by
libraries was invented
by a female computer
scientist in the 1960s
Working in
partnership with a
not-for-profit library
consortia MARC has
gone global.

Trends / Metadata: MARC in large libraries
http://www.retrowaste.com/1970s/
fashion-in-the-1970s/1970s-fashion-for-women-girls/
1970s
The global metadata
(MARC) used by
Working in
partnership with a
consortia MARC has
gone global.

Trends / Metadata: MARC in medium libraries
https://xfashionblogxme.wordpress.com/
category/1980/
1980s
The global metadata
(MARC) used by
Working in
partnership with a
consortia MARC has
gone global.

Trends / Metadata: MARC in small libraries
http://www.marieclaire.com/fashion/advice/
g1905/best-fashion-moments-of-the-90s/
1990s
The global metadata
(MARC) used by
Working in
partnership with a
consortia MARC has
gone global.

Technical competence / Metadata
Patron View [English] Library View [MARC]
As a librarian who needs
to build 21st library
products and services
you need to know both.
What the patron sees /
understands [English].
What the library system
sees / understands
[MARC].

Technical competence / Metadata
http://torimask.blogspot.com.au/2014/06/free-word-lens-app-from-google.html
• Can you read and speak librarian or is it a foreign language?

Trends / Metadata & Semantic Web
https://au.pinterest.com/vacationexpress/vacation-fashion/
2010s
MARC is now changing and moving to
XML and new structures, e.g. Bibframes,
to respond to 21st century
requirements: to break out of online
library spaces and integrate into the
world’s information ecosystem.

Trends / Cloud, Metadata, Integration
Vendor A
Books
Vendor B
eBooks
Vendor C
Databases
Library A
University
Library B
Public
Library C
School
Trove
Libraries
Australia
Library D
WorldCat
Traditionally library systems are separate and siloed. Linking and integration is problematic and relies on each library batch
loading which is time consuming and does not deliver an up-to-date information service to patrons.

Vendor A
Books
Vendor B
eBooks
Vendor C
Databases
Library A
University
Library C
School
WorldCat
[NZ’s Te Puna, Canada’s AMICUS]
Libraries
Australia
Trove Library D
http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/services/library-system-renewal/Pages/introduction.aspx
The Kerferd
Library is no
longer siloed.

Trends / Cloud, Metadata, Integrationhttps://mentonegirls.on.worldcat.org/oclc/979998609
Putting the Kerferd Library
systems and metadata into
the cloud links the world’s
libraries into our catalogue.
This gives our patrons a one
stop solution.

Library A
University
Library C
School
WorldCat
Libraries
Australia
Trove
What’s in the cloud and why is it important Today
Putting the Kerferd Library
systems and metadata into
the cloud break us out of
online library spaces and
integrate into the world’s
information ecosystem.

Today
The Kerferd Library catalogue is
integrated into Google Books.

Today
The Kerferd Library catalogue is
integrated into Wikipedia.

What’s in the cloud and why is it important
http://lod-cloud.net/
Future
The Kerferd
Library
catalogue is
aiming to
integrated into
authoritative
and age
appropriate
non library
information
resources.

Trends / Semantic Web
See also
https://youtu.be/mmQl6VGvX-c
Why should you know about this?
• Because the Internet is moving
this way.
• Because Google is doing it.
• Because a library needs to visible
to its users.
• Because a library needs to be
where its users are.

How: Explicate Identities
• WorldCat Identity
• Institution Name: Mentone Girls' Grammar School
• Also Called: Kerferd Library
• Institution Type: School Library
• WorldCat Registry ID: 142648
• OCLC Symbol: AUMEN
• OCLC Account Name: MENTONE GIRLS GRAMMAR SCH
• International Standard Identifier for Libraries (ISIL):
OCLC-AUMEN
• Geoinformation:
-37.989505, 145.064728 (Latitude and Longitude)
• Libraries Australia Identity
• NUC symbol: VMGGS
• Library type/s: School (K-12)
• ILRS (Australian Interlibrary Resource Sharing Directory)
supply policy: Will not supply material from collection.
AUMEN
The Kerferd Library is coded so the Internet knows who
we are, what we are, and where we are.

How: Explicate Meanings - Curriculum
Leveraging off Library Metadata & Linked Data
http://mentonegirls.worldcat.org/oclc/979998609
100 1# Munson, Victoria,$eauthor.
245 10 Mammals /$cVictoria Munson.
264 1# London :$bWayland,$c2017.
658 ## Biological sciences$chttp://vocabulary.curriculum.edu.au/framework/S130$2acfr
658 ## Foundation$chttp://vocabulary.curriculum.edu.au/schoolLevel/0$2acsl
658 ## Year 1$chttp://vocabulary.curriculum.edu.au/schoolLevel/1$2acsl
700 1# Munson, Victoria.

How: Explicate Meanings - Curriculum
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <rdf:RDF xmlns:owl="http://www.w3.org/2002/07/owl#" xmlns:cycAnnot="http://sw.cyc.com/CycAnnotations_v1#" xmlns:cyc="http://sw.cyc.com/concept/"
xmlns:dbpedia="http://dbpedia.org/resource/" xmlns:ctag="http://commontag.org/ns#" xmlns:opencyc="http://sw.opencyc.org/concept/" xmlns:foaf="http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/"
xmlns:csw="http://semantic-web.at/ontologies/csw.owl#" xmlns:rdfs="http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#" xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#"
xmlns:skos="http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
xmlns:freebase="http://rdf.freebase.com/ns/" xmlns:dcterms="http://purl.org/dc/terms/" xmlns:tags="http://www.holygoat.co.uk/owl/redwood/0.1/tags/"> <rdf:Description
rdf:about="http://vocabulary.curriculum.edu.au/schoolLevel/2"> <rdf:type rdf:resource="http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#Concept"/> <skos:prefLabel xml:lang="en">Year 2</skos:prefLabel>
<dcterms:creator rdf:datatype="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string">Education Services Australia Ltd</dcterms:creator> <dcterms:issued
rdf:datatype="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime">2009-10-01T00:00:00</dcterms:issued> <dcterms:modified rdf:datatype="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime">2016-
08-01T06:43:18Z</dcterms:modified> <skos:inScheme rdf:resource="http://vocabulary.curriculum.edu.au/schoolLevel/f1d21883-0c5f-49e3-86d7-307f4eed251f"/> <skos:topConceptOf
rdf:resource="http://vocabulary.curriculum.edu.au/schoolLevel/f1d21883-0c5f-49e3-86d7-307f4eed251f"/> <dcterms:contributor
rdf:datatype="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string">Education Services Australia Ltd</dcterms:contributor> <dcterms:created
rdf:datatype="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime">2014-04-16T06:00:27Z</dcterms:created> <rdfs:domain rdf:resource="http://purl.org/dc/terms/educationLevel"/> <skos:exactMatch
rdf:resource="http://vocabulary.curriculum.edu.au/asced/5e167267-daab-43db-9333-24ddeec1746c"/> </rdf:Description> </rdf:RDF>
http://vocabulary.curriculum.edu.au/schoolLevel.html

How: Explicate Meanings - Authors
658 ## Biological sciences$chttp://vocabulary.curriculum.edu.au/framework/S130$2acfr
658 ## Foundation$chttp://vocabulary.curriculum.edu.au/schoolLevel/0$2acsl
700 1# Munson, Victoria.

Why do all of this?
Aligns the library to the priorities of the organisation we serve.
Helps future proofs YOUR skills.
Why should
you care?
https://www.topdraw.com/blog/what-is-a-digital-strategy-is-it-something-i-need/

Why do all of this?
Working strategically
and effectively
• Reporting value
• Teamwork
Front page of the
library’s quarterly report
to the Principal and
Senior Management.

Why do all of this?
and effectively
• Reporting value
• Teamwork
Library course reserve
bring forward items in
the collection that are
aligned to specific
curriculum outcomes.

Why do all of this?
and effectively
• Reporting value
• Teamwork
Page from the ACARA
Curriculum Map cross
referencing where the
library has built and
maintains a course
reserve that can be
linked into the school’s
online learning platform.

Workflows
Streamline and outsource services so library staff can focus on high value work.
e.g. ordering online and outsourcing shelf ready processing for print material.
Pre-publication title.
Even though it is a pre-publication title a lot of libraries have started
to order the book. Being a new book it does not yet have cover art
but there is a summary to help with purchase decisions.
We can see the recommended retail price and our
discounted price before placing the order.
We can see if we have already purchased an item or
placed it in a cart ready for purchase.
and effectively
• Workflows
• Teamwork
Common practice in
higher ed. and publics.
Starting to be used by
schools.
TLs need to have the
skills to do the day-to-
day management.

Workflows
e.g. collection maintenance and promotion as well as reporting use to stakeholders.
and effectively
• Workflows
• Teamwork
Genrefication of the
collection, user usage
reports and promotion of
new stock including in
catalogue lists.
day management.

Workflows
e.g. RFID circulation and stock control including stocktaking.
and effectively
• Workflows
• Teamwork
Common practice in
especially in publics.
Starting to be used by
schools.
day management.
http://www.bibliotheca.com/
ISO 28560-2:2014 RFID in libraries -- Part 2: Encoding of RFID data elements based on rules from ISO/IEC 15962

Reporting VALUE not just usage
Aligning reporting to organisation’s priorities, library standards and or sector requirements.
and effectively
• Workflows
• Teamwork
Library Technicians:
the skills to do the day-
to-day management.
Library three year plan aligned to organisation’s priorities

and effectively
• Workflows
• Teamwork
Library Technicians:
the skills to do the day-
to-day management.
Cox, B. L. & Jantti, M. H. 2012, 'Capturing business intelligence required for targeted marketing,
demonstrating value, and driving process improvement', Library & information science research,
Vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 308-316. http://ro.uow.edu.au/asdpapers/242/

and effectively
• Workflows
• Teamwork
TLs may need to have the
day management.
To ensure best practice and to enable future benchmarking the Kerferd Library statistics are being progressively aligned to the ANSI/NISO
Z39.7-2013 “Metrics and Statistics for Libraries and Information Providers – data dictionary” and / or Project COUNTER when measuring use
of electronic resources. Where statistics are specifically aligned to the ANSI/NISO Z39.7-2013 the data dictionary definitions are cross
referenced. For details see http://www.niso.org/apps/group_public/project/details.php?project_id=98 and http://www.projectcounter.org/

Over Servicing versus Under Servicing
https://www.libqual.org/about/about_survey/tools
We can’t be great at everything so focus on the things that matter to the organisation.
Over servicing is as bad as under servicing as it takes away resources from delivering a
well rounded and focused library service. Tools for measuring service: LibQUAL.

Applying for jobs
Standing out from
the crowd.
https://blog.slideshare.net/2014/05/26/finding-the-only-in-your-presentation-narrative

Applying for jobs
• Respond to the selection criteria. Do not just send your CV.
• Keep your CV up to date. Include volunteer work where relevant.
• Put the key points on the first page.
• Include:
• Career summary / highlights
• Qualifications
• Professional engagement
• Employment history with most recent job or volunteer position first and against each include:
• Responsibilities – what you did.
• Achievements – what you achieved.
• Make it easy to read. Use bullet points rather than blocks of text. Use a consistent and clear
layout, font and headings.
• Get someone else to provide feedback on your CV’s content and layout.
• Include your name, email / phone and page number in the header of each page.
• Check spelling and grammar.
Do your homework
Research

Be professionally engaged and engaging
• Be proactively engaged with your profession.
• Show some enthusiasm and interest as well we technical competence.
• Join a library association:
• Australian Library and Information Association
Take advantage of the ALIA PD Scheme
• VALA Libraries / Technology and the Future
Free VALA membership for students enrolled in an ALIA accredited library course
• Australian School Library Association
• School Library Association of Victoria

Keep learning, add an extra skill
• MARCedit
• Microsoft
• Word
• Excel especially pivot tables
• PowerPoint
• SharePoint
• Adobe Photoshop
• Adobe Acrobat Pro
useful skill for digitising projects

Persevere, stay positive, be realistic
• You will have to apply for a lot of job applications.
• Do some volunteer work and or placements to keep your skills up and to
document your professional commitment in you CV.
• Keep up with your professional reading and learning:
• Blogs
• Webinars – VALA webinars and events are free for library students.
• JSTOR Library Science Journals https://www.jstor.org/subject/libraryscience are
available with a State Library of Victoria patron card
• Remember, employers are looking for the right type of person as well as the
right skills.
• Often it is easier to teach skills than change a wrong attitude.

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