Significantly Different?

Authors

  • Laura Saunders
  • Mary Jordan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5860/rusq.52.3.3306

Abstract

There is a widely held belief in the library profession that public and academic libraries are substantially different from one another, with regard to patron base, collection emphases, and overall service goals. These differences in focus and collection suggest that reference librarians will need a different set of skills and competencies in each setting. As a result, library students are often encouraged to choose a career path and plan a curriculum that focuses on one setting, and professional librarians may encounter resistance when they try to move from one setting after several years of experience in the other. Yet, there is very little research to confirm these popular beliefs that reference services in the two settings are significantly different. Based on a nationwide survey of practicing reference librarians in public and academic libraries, this study explores the extent to which professional competencies and expectations for reference librarians vary between academic and public library settings.

References

'“Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information Services Providers, ”' () June 2004, n '“Professional Competencies for Reference and User Services Librarians, ”' () January 2003, nLili Luo, '“Toward Sustaining Professional Development: Identifying Professional Competencies for Chat Reference Service, ”' Library & Information Science Research 30 no. 4 (2008): 298-311 accessed May 26, 2012, http://0-www.sciencedirect.com.library.simmons.edu/science/article/pii/S0740818808000790nGitte Larsen, '“Preparing Library Staff for Reference and Information Work in the Hybrid Library—The Need for Skills and Continuing Professional Development, ”' (: World Library and Information Congress: 73rd IFLA General Conference and Council 2007) accessed May 26, 2012, nJenny McCarthy, '“Planning a Future Workforce: An Australian Perspective, ”' New Review of Academic Librarianship 11 (April 2005): 41-56 doi: 10.1080/13614530500417669nn

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Published

2013-03-22

Issue

Vol. 52 No. 3 (2013): Spring

Section

Articles

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