New librarian

National Seminar on Post-Modernisation of Libraries: Challenges and Opportunities, Thane, India
Nov. 25, 2011

New Librarian:
Changing Roles, Skills, & Techniques
Mrs. Chandrakala N Pai* Mr. V. Sriram
Librarian, Prin. KMK College of Pharmacy Chief Librarian, KNRaj Library
Plot no. 23 Jote joy Building Centre for Development Studies
R. S Marg, Cuffe Parade , Prasanth Nagar, Ulloor,
Colaba, Mumbai -400005 Thiruvananthapuram-695011
email: kalapai@rediffmail.com email: vsrirams@gmail.com

Abstract: The librarianship has undergone a radical change in the last two – three decades. The advent
of information technology has accelerated the development and innovation of new systems and methods
of information collection storage and retrieval. For a Librarian in this digital age, to survive, and become
successful, timely updation of skills and techniques are necessary. Also Librarian is expected to perform
range of roles that was unheard or unbelievable during the bygone decades. In every area, activity in the
Library change has crept in and has made the life of librarian easy, fast, systematic and accurate.
However to be effective he has be aware of changing roles, skills, & techniques.

I Introduction
Libraries play an important role in providing information. The period 1980s and 1990s has seen
that the student and researchers depended on library for their information. Developments in the
information and communication technologies have completely changed the library scenario, in
its way of the collection development and services. The transition of traditional library to digital
then to virtual library is the state of the art. The information world is undergoing transition from
a library-centered to information-centered, from paper based environment to digital environment.
The changing library and information environment has changed role of librarian from a
custodian of information to provider of information. It is therefore pertinent on the part of the
librarian to acquire new skills required for developing and managing the modern library. The
empowerment of library and information professionals with Information technology skill is
aimed at providing services as per the user expectation.
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II Aim and objective

Change is the law of life, in Library and Information Science as in any other sector; the
professionals have to face changes. The developments happening in various sectors, innovation,
technological advancement, and so on will definitely have its impact in Librarianship too. The
future depends on how we understand the changes, how we plan the transition, and how we
manage it.

The prime goal of library and information centers is user satisfaction. Any change ultimately
results in users getting the maximum benefit. A properly planned change can definitely lead
achievement of the institutional goal.

III Need

The advent of internet and digital technology has challenged the existence of librarianship

1. The crown of librarian; once considered as the information provider; is slipping and
libraries are viewed as outdated with the advent of internet based services

2. Information Explosion, Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
revolution and also the change in information seeking behavior of the clients

3. Explosive growth and usage of web resources: The internet or web is like a mountain of
knowledge, anyone can start climbing but it is easy if there is a guide. Thus librarians
can act as a guide in the mountain of knowledge.

4. Dwindling Library budgets, escalating cost of printed documents, new patterns of
scholarly publications and communication, Online Bookshops & Information Services
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IV Changing Role of librarian
Technologies are dramatically changing the accessibility of information, and librarians are
adapting to the evolving needs of the users, that emerge from new technologies. The library
profession may be distinguished depending on nature of their job, the organization the library is
affiliated to: e.g. a Corporate librarian, Academic librarian, Scientific officer, Public librarian
etc., but the basic skills required will be almost the same irrespective of the job environment.

The change from palm leaf to print-computerized-virtual library is a result of change in time and
growth in resource and technology.

Palm leaf collection > Printed Collection > Artificial intelligence
Accession Register > Computer database
Classification > Clustering
Printed catalogue > OPAC > WEBOPAC
Reference librarian > Information officer > Cybrarian
Library > Automated Library > Virtual library

V Changes in the library environment

A library’s collection is important both to the institution, to the user and to library staff who
build and maintain them. The library collection has never been static. The development in
information technology has a great impact on every aspect of library operation and information
services.

i. Print media to electronic media –In the library collection electronic books and
electronic journals are gradually occupying their position. Even these are stored
in the external storage devices. Standards reports and patent which were in print
format are available in the online format

ii Changes in access: Over the years retrieval tools have evolved from printed
library catalogue cards and indexing and abstracting journals to OPAC,
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WEBOPAC, and Citations full text linking RSS Feeds, etc

Nov. 25, 2011

iii Change in library services: With the changes in library collection organization
and expectation of the user the library services have also changed

a. Computerized circulation of documents using various software’s
b. OPAC and WEB OPAC
c. Document delivery system through Internet
d. Resource sharing through consortia
e. Links to web resources through library portals and electronic resources
f. Digital archiving, institutional repositories
g. Change in information seeking behavior of the user

iv Change in the library activity: With the change in the technology, the day to day
activities performed by Librarian have also undergone a change. E.g:

a. Acquisition > Content Access

b. Classification > Organization of Contents

c. Cataloguing > Metadata description

d. Abstracting > Content creation

e. Organization > Website management

f. Inter Library Cooperation > Electronic Document Delivery

g. Shelving -> Links Management

h. Preservation -> Digitization

i. Administration -> Negotiations

VI Role of Librarian
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In this technological age the librarian can no longer be simply a custodian of knowledge. The
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technological changes and use of electronically stored and retrieval of information systems has

Nov. 25, 2011
changed and its access has also drastically changed. A librarian or information professional must
be able to participate actively in the professional activities of generating information rather than
collecting and disseminating the available information.

a. Librarian as information broker: Today information has become a major economic
commodity. The work of librarians is increasingly varied as it expands to keep up with the flow
of information. The librarian is responsible for locating, acquiring, disseminating and tracking
information resources of many types for efficient retrieval by the user. In such a scenario it is
imperative for the traditional librarian to acquire necessary skills in the effective use of modern
gadgets and associated software to locate and retrieve the widely spread information.

b. Librarian as an Educator: Creating awareness of information has been the prime role
of librarian in the present day. Librarian’s skills in the area of technology, educational design
and teaching technique are crucial in their new re-educational role. The librarian in an
organization trains the user to perform their searches more effectively. However, no matter how
sophisticated interfaces and search engines are, the user still requires training or guidance in their
usage. Thus librarian thus plays an important role as a trainer or an educator.

c. Librarian as a researcher: Librarians are highly skilled in the research process and
possess unique knowledge of the breadth and depth of information resources in various subject
specialties. Librarians study to keep themselves up to date on the expanding trends and paradigm
in the library profession They need to understand the changes in the technology and different
sources of information, by facilitating access to information -- finding it, delivering,
summarizing it -- librarians will move to the beginning of the information production cycle,
playing a more substantial role in the information creation process.

VII Key skills required for the new generation of LIS professionals
Skill is a practical ability, a facility in carrying out an action. In the present day environment,
professional owe greater responsibility to be effective information professional. A closer look at
the existing skills of the professionals reveals that for facing the challenges of today and
tomorrow, they not only need to acquire wider range of skills but also need to keep themselves
up-to-date. The personal skills required for a new generation of LIS professionals include being
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Nov. 25, 2011
analytical, creative, technical, flexible, reflective, able to deal with a range of users, detective-like,
adaptable, responsive to others’ needs, enthusiastic and self-motivated to library work

1 Analytical: skilled in analyzing user need

2. Creative: having the ability or power to create

3. Technical: related to technique or proficiency in a practical skill for instance
acquisition, classification, cataloging, management, services, etc.

4. Flexible: capable of being changed; able to adjust readily to different conditions.

5. Reflective: be devoted to matters of the mind; “the reflective type".

6. Detective-like: services to the variety of user groups.

7. Adaptable: able to solve a mystery, generally through a process of discovery.

8. Responsive to others needs: capable of adapting to a particular situation or use answering,
replying or responding; able to receive and respond to external stimuli.

10 Enthusiastic: having or showing great excitement and interest.

11Self –motivated: be motivated to achieve something due to one's own interest.

Generic skills:

It is important to note that library professionals serve many roles: a helpful facilitator in
searching and evaluating required information; an effective communicator with commands in
speaking, writing and presentation; a critical thinker updating the fast pace of digital era; a
collaborative practitioner in problem solving with leadership qualification. This calls for several
generic skills on the part of the Librarian.

1. Information literacy : a mean to “empower people in all walks of life to seek, evaluate, use and
create information effectively to achieve their personal, social, occupational and educational
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goals.” (Horton & UNESCO, 2008, p 18)

Nov. 25, 2011
2 Communication: “the ability to exchange feelings, ideas and information with others in an
appropriate manner. Communication consists of the two key aspects of oral and written skills.
Oral communication involves using the human voice to effectively articulate a message to an
intended audience. Written communication involves using text or graphics to effectively transmit
a message to an intended audience.” (Partridge & Hallam, 2004, p. 19)

3 Critical thinking: “The ability to reach conclusions through reflection and evaluation by
applying independent thought and informed judgment.” (Wolinski, 2010, p. 20)

4 Teamwork: “the ability to work effectively with others in a group with a view to achieving
defined goals. Two distinct roles necessary for teamwork are the team member and the team
leader. A team member makes a productive contribution to the collaborative effort of the group
by participating in the pursuit of group goals under the guidance of the team leader.”

5. Ethics and social responsibility: “an awareness of the need for and commitment to the
maintenance of high professional standards and social justice.”

6 Problem solving: “the ability to find effective solutions to problems through creative
reasoning.” (Partridge & Hallam, 2004)

7. Leadership “a relationship that involves the mobilizing, influencing, and guiding of others
toward desiredgoals.” (Wolinski, 2010)

VIII Conclusion

The librarian acts as a catalyst that helps to enhance information flow. The task has changed for the
librarian in the present era. Now he keeps track on current information, distills this and make it available
to the needy client. These multiple roles that a modern librarian is required to perform, is very interesting
yet challenging. It is therefore pertinent on the part of the librarian to acquire new skills required for
developing and managing the modern library.
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Nov. 25, 2011
REFERENCES

1. Chad, Ken, Paul Miller. “Do Libraries Matter? The rise of Library 2.0”. A white paper. P. 1-11. Nov
2005. www.talis.com.

2. Horton, F. W. & UNESCO. (2008). Understanding information literacy: A primer. Paris: UNESCO.
Retrieved from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001570/157020e.pdf

3. Lalitha, P. “Impact of information and communication technology on library and information centers.”
(www.alibnet.org)

4. Partridge, H. L. & Hallam, G. (2004). The double helix: a personal account of the discovery f the
structure of the information professional's DNA. Paper presented at ALIA 2004 Biennial Conference,
Gold Coast, Australia. Retrieved from http://eprints.qut.edu.au/1215/

5. Ramana , P Venkata: The changing role of librarian in a challenging dynamic web environment , 4th
International Convention CALIBER-2006, Gulbarga, 2-4 February, 2006 INFLIBNET Centre,
Ahmedabad.

6. Robert M. Braude, Ph.D. Impact of information technology on the role of health sciences librarians,
Bull Med Library Assoc 81(4) October 1993 pp 408-413

7. S.P. Singh, Pinki New Skills for LIS Professionals in Technology-Intensive Environment, ICAL 2009
– CHANGE MANAGEMENT pp331-336

8. Tapaswi, M. P. Be on top of the tide: Content management for effective information dissemination.
Key note presentation at KLA National Seminar on Content Mangement 2011, Thiruvananthapuram,
India. Retrieved from
http://klanationalseminar2011.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/tapaswi_kla_keynote_14jul20118.pdf.

9. Wolinski, S. (2010). Leadership Defined. Retrieved from
http://managementhelp.org/blogs/leadership/2010/04/06/leadership-defined 8
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