Competencies required by special librarians: An analysis by educational levels

This paper presents the results of a study conducted with the aim of identifying competencies needed by special librarians in Iran at three different levels of library and information science education. A list of competencies was initially identified from the literature and 21 semi-structured interviews with managers of special libraries in Iran. Then, a panel of experts was employed to validate 122 competency statements by using a seven-point Likert type scale. The results demonstrated that the panelists validated the importance of 55 competencies required by special librarians with Associate degree qualification, while all 122 competencies were validated as necessary for special librarians with Bachelors and Masters degree qualifications. The findings also indicated that the main competencies that were expected from special librarians with any qualification are information technology competencies. In addition, communication and interpersonal skills were identified as the second most important competencies for special librarians with Associate and Bachelors degree qualifications. However, for special librarians with a Masters degree qualification, the next priorities were information organization and research competencies.

[1]  L. Luo.  Towards sustaining professional development : identification of essential competencies and effective training techniques for chat reference services , 2007 .

[2]  D. Hanson-Baldauf,et al.  The information and communication technology competencies of students enrolled in school library media certification programs , 2009 .

[3]  Diljit Singh,et al.  Factors affecting librarians' attitudes toward IT application in libraries , 2010, Electron. Libr..

[4]  David Stern.  Reference, In-Depth Research Assistance, and Administrative Assistance , 2008 .

[5]  T. Adeyinka,et al.  Attitudinal Correlates of Some Selected Nigerian Librarians towards the Use of ICT , 2012 .

[6]  Shaheen Majid,et al.  Defining competencies for special library professionals: Malaysian experience , 1997 .

[7]  Fern E. Brody.  Assessing Professional Competencies. , 1998 .

[8]  Rahmatollah Fattahi,et al.  Education for librarianship in Iran before the 1979 Islamic , 2005 .

[9]  Lois Buttlar,et al.  Library and Information Science Competencies Revisited. , 1996 .

[10]  Sarah Houghton-Jan.  Chapter 4: Writing the Competency Descriptions , 2008 .

[11]  Sajjad ur Rehman,et al.  Developing New Competencies Among LIS Professionals: Challenges for Educators , 2008 .

[12]  Lyle M. Spencer,et al.  Competence at Work: Models for Superior Performance , 1993 .

[14]  Reijo Savolainen.  Preparing the Information Professional: An Agenda for the Future , 2002, J. Documentation.

[15]  H Kiani.  EDUCATION FOR LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE IN IRAN: CURRENT TRENDS , 2012 .

[17]  Kanwal Ameen,et al.  Changing scenario of librarianship in Pakistan: managing with the challenges and opportunities , 2011 .

[18]  Lili Luo,et al.  Toward sustaining professional development: Identifying essential competencies for chat reference service , 2008 .

[19]  Betty Jo Hibberd,et al.  An assessment of LIS curricula and the field of practice in the commercial sector , 2004 .

[20]  F. W. Lancaster,et al.  New directions in library and information science education , 1987, J. Am. Soc. Inf. Sci..