Librarian for Latin American and Caribbean Studies in U.S. Academic and Research Libraries
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5860/lrts.53n3.139Abstract
The present research investigates the evolving requirements, roles, and responsibilities of the Latin American and Caribbean studies librarian. Content analysis was used to study 94 position announcements published from 1970 to 2007. Variables were examined from the following categories: position description, educational background, work experience, technology skills, languages, personal traits, duties, and subject responsibilities. Cross tabulations and chi-square tests were executed to determine the statistical significance of relationships between variables. An advanced degree in a related subject field is expected by employers. Strong Spanish language abilities are required, and a working knowledge of Portuguese is highly desirable. The average number of duties per announcement has increased over time, reflecting the evolution of the position from being narrowly specialized to being more diversified. The Latin American and Caribbean studies librarian may also be responsible for additional subjects, in particular Iberian studies.
References
Eric Hershberg et al., “Open Letter to Senator Barack Obama From A Group of Scholars Specializing in Latin America,” Alliance for Responsible Trade, www.art-us.org/node/382nEduardo Lozano, Carmelo Mesa-Lago, Anne H. Jordan Ed., '“Latin American Area Studies and Library Resources: A Challenge for Survival,”' Twenty-Second Seminar on the Acquisition of Latin American Library Materials (SALALM). Final Report and Working Papers, June 12–17, 1977 (Austin, Tex.: SALALM Secretariat 1979): 138-nThe College Blue Book: Degrees Offered by Colleges and Subjects
, 14th ed. (New York: CCM, 1972): 554–55;
The College Blue Book: Degrees Offered by Colleges and Subjects
, 28th ed. (New York: Macmillan, 2001), 851–52;
The College Blue Book: Degrees Offered by Colleges and Subjects
, 36th ed. (Detroit: Macmillan, 2009), 1247–49nU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics,
Chartbook of Degrees Conferred, 1969–70 to 1993–94
, 106, http://nces.ed.gov/pubs98/98071.pdfnU.S. Census Bureau, “Hispanics in the United States,” slide 4, www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/hispanic/files/Internet_Hispanic_in_US_2006.pdfn El Espacio Iberoamericano del Libro 2008 (Bogotá, Colombia: CERLALC 2008): 54-nPeter Stern, Bruce D. Bonta Ed., James G. Neal Ed., '“The Growth of Latin American Studies and the American University,”' The Role of the American Academic Library in International Programs (Greenwich, Conn.: JAI Pr. 1992): 197-nDeborah Jakubs, '“Staffing for Collection Development in the Electronic Environment: Toward a New Definition of Roles and Responsibilities,”' Journal of Library Administration 28 no. 4 (1999): 71nLynn Shirey, Dan C. Hazen Ed., James H. Spohrer Ed., '“Latin American Collections,”' Building Area Studies Collections (Wiesbaden, Germany: Harrassowitz 2007): 108-29nOrchid Mazurkiewicz, Claude H. Potts, '“Researching Latin America: A Survey of How the New Generation is Doing its Research,”' Latin American Research Review 42 no. 3 (Oct. 2007): 161-82nEldred R. Smith, '“The Specialist Librarian in the Academic Research Library: The Role of the Area Studies Librarian,”' Seventeenth Seminar on the Acquisition of Latin American Library Materials (SALALM). Final Report and Working Papers, June 11–14, 1972 (Amherst, Mass.: University of Massachusetts 1975): 103-27nRobert D Stueart, The Area Specialist Bibliographer: An Inquiry Into His Role (Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow 1972)nNancy J. Schmidt Ed., Future of Area Librarianship Conference. July 13–14, 1995: Proceedings (1997) (accessed Nov. 10, 2008)nKent E. Miller, Gilberto V. Fort, 'Staffing of Latin America Research Collections in the United States,”' Fourteenth Seminar on the Acquisition of Latin American Library Materials (SALALM). Final Report and Working Paper, June 17–20, 1969 (Washington, D.C: Organization of American States 1970): 18-31nRonald Rayman, '“Employment Opportunities for Academic Librarians in the 1970s: An Analysis of the Past Decade,”' College & Research Libraries 42 no. 3 (May 1981): 229-34nMary Baier Wells, '“Requirements and Benefits for Academic Librarians: 1959–1979,”' College & Research Libraries 43 no. 6 (Nov. 1982): 450-58nJoyce C. Wright, '“Job Opportunities for Academic and Public Librarians: 1980–1984,”' Journal of Library Administration 9 no. 2 (1988): 45-58nDavid W. Reser, Anita P. Schuneman, '“The Academic Library Job Market: A Content Analysis Comparing Public and Technical Services,”' College & Research Libraries 53 no. 1 (Jan. 1992): 49-59nPenny M. Beile, Megan M. Adams, '“Other Duties as Assigned: Emerging Trends in the Academic Library Job Market,”' College & Research Libraries 61 no. 4 (July 2000): 336-47nBeverly P. Lynch, Kimberly Robles Smith, '“The Changing Nature of Work in Academic Libraries,”' College & Research Libraries 62 no. 5 (Sept. 2001): 407-20nIbid., 416nJoan Starr, '“A Measure of Change: Comparing Library Job Advertisements of 1983 and 2003,”' LIBRES: Library and Information Science Research Electronic Journal (Sept. 2004) (accessed Oct. 2008)nWilliam C. Robinson, '“Academic Library Collection Development and Management Positions: Announcements in ‘College & Research Libraries News’ from 1980 through 1991,”' Library Resources & Technical Services 37 no. 2 (Apr. 1993): 134-46nGary W. White, '“Academic Subject Specialist Positions in the United States: A Content Analysis of Announcements from 1990 through 1998,”' Journal of Academic Librarianship 25 no. 5 (Sept. 1999): 372-82nJohn M. Haar, '“Scholar or Librarian? How Academic Libraries’ Dualistic Concept of the Bibliographer Affects Recruitment,”' Collection Building 12 no. 1/2 (1993): 18-23nSean P. Knowlton,
The Future of Latin American Area Studies Librarianship
(master’s thesis, University of North Carolina), http://ils.unc.edu/MSpapers/2778.pdfnKimberly A. Neuendorf, The Content Analysis Guidebook (Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage 2002): 1-nSylvia D Hall-Ellis, '“Descriptive Impressions of Entry-level Cataloger Positions as Reflected in American Libraries, AUTOCAT, and the Colorado State Library Jobline, 2000–2003,”' Cataloging & Classification Quarterly 40 no. 2 (2005): 33-72nHaar, “Scholar or Librarian?” 18n Academic Library Trends & Statistics for Carnegie Classification: Doctorate-Granting Institutions (Chicago: ACRL 2003)nMarybeth F. Grimes, Paul W. Grimes, '“The Academic Librarian Labor Market and the Role of the Master of Library Science Degree: 1975 through 2005,”' Journal of Academic Librarianship 34 no. 4 (July 2008): 332-39nIbid., 338nDavid Block, “Emerging Personnel Requirements in Academic Libraries as Reflected in Recent Position Announcements,” 1980, Educational Resources Information Center, Identifier Number ED 215703, 15nThea Lindquist, Todd Gilman, '“Academic/Research Librarians with Subject Doctorates: Data and Trends 1965–2006,”' portal: Libraries & the Academy 8 no. 1 (Jan. 2008): 31-52nEllen G. Detlefsen, '“Specialists as Professionals in Research Libraries: An Overview of Trends and an Analysis of Job Announcements,”' Library Trends 41 no. 2 (Fall 1992): 187-97nHong Xu, '“The Impact of Automation on Job Requirements and Qualifications for Catalogers and Reference Librarians in Academic Libraries,”' Library Resources & Technical Services 40 no. 1 (Jan. 1996): 10nIbid., 29nLynch and Smith, “The Changing Nature of Work in Academic Libraries,” 417nLi Zhang, '“Foreign Language Skills and Academic Library Job Announcements: A Survey and Trends Analysis, 1966–2006,”' Journal of Academic Librarianship 34 no. 4 (July 2008): 322-31nCecil K. Byrd, '“Subject Specialists in a University Library,”' College & Research Libraries 27 (May 1966): 191-93 Robert P. Haro, “The Bibliographer in the Academic Library,”
Library Resources & Technical Services
, no. 2 (Spring 1969): 163–69nRobinson, “Academic Library Collection Development and Management Positions.”nWhite, “Academic Subject Specialist Positions in the United States.”nHaar, “Scholar or Librarian?” 21nRobinson, “Academic Library Collection Development and Management Positions.”nJakubs, “Staffing for Collection Development in the Electronic Environment,” 77nDan C. Hazen, '“Twilight of the Gods? Bibliographers in the Electronic Age,”' Library Trends 48 no. 4 (Spring 2000): 821-41nGeorge J. Soete, Collaborative Collections Management Programs in ARL Libraries: A SPEC Kit (Washington, D.C.: Association of Research Libraries 1998)nJane Kinkus, '“Project Management Skills: A Literature Review and Content Analysis of Librarian Position Announcements,”' College & Research Libraries 68 no. 4 (July 2007): 362n
Published
Issue
Section
License
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC-BY-NC 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) after it has been accepted for publication. Sharing can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
