What the people want: Preparing new health sciences librarians for today’s job market
Hello! I’m Lydia Thorne I’m here because I’m a new grad & health sciences librarian You can find me at @liddylib
Take 3 minutes to introduce yourself! Image
Agenda Health Sciences Library Job Ads Skills & Qualifications Questions
Health Sciences Library Job Ads 1 My Research Project 1
The Job Ads Library job boards & library listservs Special & academic libraries in Canada 2017 - 2018 MLIS required The final count? 59 job ads
Coding Coding = process where data is put into categories for analysis Image
On the Map Jobs here!
Types of Library Jobs
Job titles
What about Subject Background?
Full Time or Part Time?
Permanent or Contract? More permanent positions overall…fewer entry level positions
Desired Years of Experience? Permanent Positions: 94% asked for experience Average years of experience = 3.5 Contract Positions: 91% asked for experience Average years of experience = 2.8
Image (Vinopal, 2016)
Activity #1 https://goo.gl/5HpY8j How should library science students/new graduates gain the experience needed for entry level health sciences librarian positions? https://goo.gl/5HpY8j
Stretch! Image
Skills & Qualifications Image: job-skills.jpg
Ended up with 28 different categories for qualifications Data Analysis Ended up with 28 different categories for qualifications Ended up with 28 different categories for the qualifications
Scholarly Communication Research Data Management Liaison Management Project Management Reference Literature Searching Instruction Collections Cataloguing Marketing/Outreach Copyright Scholarly Communication Research Data Management Information Management Technical Skills Communication Skills Time Management Skills Analytical Skills Problem Solving Skills Interpersonal Skills Creative Innovative Initiative Customer Service Work Independently Teamwork Flexibility Attention to Detail Professional Development As you can see, pretty equally split between hard skills (liaison experience, instruction, reference experience) and soft skills (communication skills, time management or organizational skills, ability to work independently)
Here are the most desired qualifications in health sciences library job ads right now in Canada...
Top 3 Qualifications Time Management Communication Skills Literature Searching
Special vs. Academic Special: 1. Time Management 2. Literature Searching 3. Communication Skills Academic: 1. Communication Skills 2. Time Management 3. Teamwork
Permanent vs. Contract Permanent: 1. Communication Skills 2. Time Management 3. Literature Searching Contract: 1. Time Management 2. Communication Skills 3. Literature Searching
Effective organization and time management skills to manage multiple projects, conflicting priorities, and tight deadlines Time management
Highly developed oral and written skills, particularly the ability to explain complex concepts to a diverse user base in individual and group settings Communication skills
Knowledge of literature search techniques and concepts Literature searching
Ability to work collaboratively in a team-based environment Teamwork
Activity #2 https://goo.gl/5HpY8j What qualifications do health sciences librarians need to be successful in today’s job market? https://goo.gl/5HpY8j
Next steps... Image Next steps: syllabi of all 8 library schools...compare to qualifications listed in ads qualitative data -survey Image
Thanks! Any questions? You can find me at: @liddylib lydia.thorne@uoit.ca
References Vinopal, J. (2016). The Quest for Diversity in Library Staffing: From Awareness to Action. Retrieved from http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2016 /quest-for-diversity/
Credits Special thanks to all the people who made and released these awesome resources for free: Presentation template by SlidesCarnival Photographs by Unsplash & Death to the Stock Photo (license)