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17th
April 2010
Information
for a new age: redefining the roles of libraries
and librarians
By: Sarai Francis-Swanson
–
Hunter Francois Library
When
I tell persons that I work in a library, I am
often greeted by stares of vague comprehension.
Such reactions have led me to the conclusion
that the field of librarianship is not typically
viewed as an exciting and challenging career
path for a school leaver. Moreover, a few parents
might even express scepticism in being told
by their son or daughter: “I want to become
a librarian”. As one information professional
puts it, the term librarianship sounds old-fashioned;
something reminiscent of the smell of mothballs
wrapped in parchment. In actual fact, librarianship
is a discipline and profession that is concerned
with selecting, acquiring, organising, disseminating
and providing access to information relating
to specific user needs and which requires a
masters degree in Library and Information Science
for entry into the field.
The stereotypical image of the librarian as
the bespectacled stern-faced little lady confined
to a desk with her hair pulled back into a tight
bun – however humorous, still resonates
among many persons. This image is gradually
changing to reflect the various roles and responsibilities
assumed by information professionals; which
range from being web masters of library websites
to marketing information services. The prevailing
perception of librarians coming through in a
2007 Librarian Image Study, (conducted by a
Librarian at the Deschutes Public Library System
and Central Oregon Community College) is that
they are the keepers of books – never
mind that modern librarians also deal with information
in other formats such as audio and video recordings,
maps and photos. It is noted by the researcher
that none of the study’s participants
associated librarians with technology or electronic
resources; which represents a huge facet of
a librarian’s work today.
The general picture painted by the study is
that the public at large knows little about
the roles and the work of the librarian and
remains unaware of the major changes that have
occurred in libraries over the years. These
changes have been brought about by the expansion
and increased use of information and communications
technology, which has become the foundation
of information service provision today. The
impact of technology on Libraries and Information
Centres cannot be easily summed up into words
and it is most keenly felt in the provision
of Access to Information to their clientele.
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For instance,
a feature of today’s library is the
Online Public Access Catalogue – in
layman’s terms, a database containing
the library’s collection that can be
accessed by anyone online. This means that
users can conduct a preliminary search of
a library’s catalogue from the confines
of their home without ever having to visit
the library. Academic libraries now offer
full text electronic subscription-based journals
to their users that can be accessed via the
library’s web page, in addition to supplying
a user name and password. In most countries
around the world, libraries are providing
their users with free access to the Internet
that also brings along with it issues of censorship
and copyright.
These changes brought about by the various
technologies have also made a big impact on
the roles of the librarian. The teaching of
information literacy skills for instance,
is one of the roles that comes with technology.
Librarians train patrons to effectively use
the library’s electronic resources,
in addition to preparing instructional guides.
In the case of school libraries – now
termed Media Centres or Information Centres,
the Librarian teaches children how to conduct
research and test the veracity of information
on websites. Another role is that of a consultant
who, develops database systems and sets up
Information Centres for firms. This dispels
the notion of Librarians being solely confined
to the library building. As the modern librarian
continues to work – almost exclusively
with digital resources, new titles like Information
Professional, Information Specialist, Information
Broker – even Cybrarian, have surfaced.
These coinages attempt to convey what the
professional librarian does, rather than the
actual buildings in which they work.
The use of technology to gain and provide
access to information has dramatically changed
the face of the field; transforming Librarians
into Information Professionals and Libraries
into Information Services. However, Librarian,
Olivia Crosby makes the point that the core
of librarianship is still the same despite
its changing shape. Still, the fact remains
that little is known about Librarianship and
as another professional asserts, “we
need to work to inform people, not about who
we are or aren’t, but what we can do
for them”.
Discuss
Story
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