Finding Their Way: Electronic Resources Librarians’
Education, Training, and Community
Rachel A. Fleming-May, Assistant ProfessorSchool of Information Sciences, The University of TennesseeJill E. Grogg, Associate Professor and
Electronic Resources Librarian, The University of Alabama
E-Resource Expenditures
• “Between 1994/95 and 2001/02, expenditures on electronic resources for the typical university research library have grown almost 400% to almost $1.4M.”
• “Electronic journals now account for 26% of a library's overall serials expenditures…” 9
2004-2008Year Number
of Libraries
Average E-Serial Expenditure
Average Total Materials Expenditure
E-Serial Expenditure/Total Materials Expenditure
2004 110 $2450920 $8983972 27.28%
2005 107 $3037918
2006 109 $3543449
2008 111 $5031412 $11368091 44.26%
Is the ER Librarian a passing trend?
“New professions develop when a disturbance causes
the authority in a specific area to become obsolete or
replaced by the need for new expertise. As the
professions or sub-specialties develop their expertise
in order to respond to the disturbance, the area
develops a consistency in its skills and role and
balance are restored.”1
Position Announcement Analysis: 2002
• Between 1996 and 2001, 101 e-resource positions were advertised in College & Research Libraries News2
• Between 2002 and 2006, 122 such advertisements appeared
Preferred Job Skills
• Position announcements combined more “traditional” tasks from public and technical service areas:– Reference and bibliographic instruction– Resource evaluation– Cataloging– Online searching– Acquisitions2,3
Preferred Job Skills
• Position announcements also included relatively “new” skills:
– License negotiation
– Technical integration of disparate e-resources2
Experienced Required
• 81% of announcements analyzed by Albitz
required no (40%) or between one and three
(41%) years of experience
• This indicates employers are expecting LIS
programs or on-the-job training to contribute
to preparing e-resource librarians2
Position Announcement Analysis: 2007
• Advertised responsibilities for e-resources
positions are amorphous at best
• List of responsibilities beyond the capacity of
one individual
• “Kitchen sink” positions – positions only a
“superhuman could perform successfully” 4
Preferred Job Skills
• Public services responsibilities diminished (no more reference, bibliographic instruction)
• “ER coordination”• Acquisitions, renewals, and cancellations• License and pricing negotiations• Troubleshooting technical problems• Completely new to 2007 study: Link resolvers, federated
search, trials, usage data4
• Increased participation in consortia requires unique set of skills5
Previous experience ofcurrent ER librarians
• E-Resource Librarians enter positions with little or no experience with ER management
• Many internal candidates from reference/bibliography, serials, acquisitions, collection development, etc.
• Reassignment of current duties – reallocation used to address need for ER management4
A Student’s Voice
“First, ask yourself if you are suited to this kind of work … a happy, effective electronic resources librarian must enjoy puzzles and must not get frustrated by problems that do not stay fixed. You will have to accept the fact that many of your colleagues may not completely understand what exactly it is that you do or how you do it.”6
Requisite Skills(ranked by total # of appearances in 100 job ads)
1. Web-mastering2. Cataloging3. ILS4. ER Management5. Instruction6. Supervision
7. Programming8. ER Knowledge9. Licensing10. Acquisitions11. Hardware admin12. Reference7
What are library schools doing?
• Of top 12 skills most often listed in 100 job ads:
– Cataloging, acquisitions, knowledge of ER, and
supervision covered on average in three to five courses
per program
– ILS, hardware, programming, reference, instruction, and
Web-mastering covered in two courses per program
– ER management and licensing appear in one or no
courses per program7
An Adjunct’s Voice
“How have library faculty changed?
“Library faculty also encourage a broader view of classes and experience among students. They still do not read as broadly as they should, focusing on a narrow set of ‘classics’, but they are more open to works in the social sciences …”8
Our Survey:
• Email to lists for electronic resources librarians• Vague description in email (to limit self-selection)• Asked about – Duties, responsibilities, and specific tasks associated
with position
– How well prepared by MLIS program to execute specific job successfully
– Source of skills for accomplishing job (MLIS program or elsewhere).
Our Respondents…
• 338 Respondents– Variety of
• levels of experience
• years since acquiring MLIS
– Variety of position titles and responsibilities un/related to Electronic Resources
49%
30%
8%14%
0-3 years 4-7 years 8-11 years 12+ years
0-3 years
“How many long have you worked in your current [electronic resources] position?
4-7 years
…AND WHAT WE ASKED THEM ABOUT (IN A NUTSHELL):
• Specific tasks for which they had responsibility
• Where they learned how to accomplish those tasksEmphasis on M.L.I.S. education
Tasks: Acquisition and Renewal of Electronic Resources
Tasks: Technical Issues/Maintenance
Tasks: Planning/Publicizing/Evaluating Electronic Resources
Tasks: Training/Personnel Management
Tasks: Unrelated to Electronic Resources
WHEW!
Where’d they learn how to do all that stuff? Their M.L.I.S. programs must’ve been pretty good…
Where did you learn the skills necessary…
…or not. Only 14.6% told us that they learned about e-resources management in the M.L.I.S. course of study…only 2% (5 people) in a course specifically about e-resources.
HOW WELL DID YOUR MLIS PROGRAM PREPARE YOU TO ACCOMPLISH TASKS RELATED TO…
Well, they must’ve learned how to do perform some of the tasks of an electronic resources librarian, right?
Acquisition and Renewal of Electronic Resources
≤13% felt their M.L.I.S. program prepared them “somewhat well or extremely well” to accomplish each task.
Technical and Maintenance
Issues
M.L.I.S. Programs fared a little better in cataloging and metadata preparation…
Planning, Publicizing, and Evaluating Electronic Resources
Why are so many electronic resources librarians not involvedin IR initiatives/planning (34%) and Scholarly Communications Initiatives (35%)?
Training and Personnel
Management
Respondents even rated M.L.I.S. preparation poorly in “traditional” areas of librarianship
WELL, BUT LIBRARIANSHIP HAS CHANGED OVER THE YEARS, AND 41% OF RESPONDENTS FINISHED THEIR MASTER’S 12 YEARS AGO (OR MORE).
Surely education is more reflective of the responsibilities of this type of position now….
M.L.I.S. program, electronic resources management-spe-
cific course1%
M.L.I.S. program, electronic resources part of curriculum
6%
On the job training, in house17%
On the job training, outsourced
8%
Conferences and workshops, off-site
22%
Books and Journals22%
Informal consultation/querying of/discussion with colleagues at
other institutions (listservs, etc.)25%
Surprisingly, recent graduates didn’t report receiving appreciably better training during the course of the MLIS.
Where did you learn the skills necessary…(M.L.I.S. Completed within 7 years)
Where are they learning this stuff?
On their own andfrom each other.
Really??Yes. Specifically, through
• Informal consultation/querying of/discussion with colleagues at other institutions: 87.8% (223)
• Conferences and workshops away from home institution: 76.8% (189)
• Consultation of books and journals 74.4% (189)
…with a little help from their employers:
• On the job training provided by employer , in house: 46.5% (118)
• …outsourced instructor: 25.2% (64)
SO, WHAT CAN BE DONE?
2007 CM Article: Recommendations
• Internships/practica• Independent studies• Taking classes in other departments (business
schools, etc.)• “Issues in” courses taught by practitioners• Continuing education courses7
Four of these require a commitment from current ER professionals
Our Recommendations:
• Lobby LIS education to improve preparation through coursework and practical experiences
• Lobby ALA to bridge education-practice gap (where are ER skills in the Core Competences?)
• Regular faculty not adjunct (economic situation)
A Professional’s Voice
“No one person can know, understand, or keep
track of all the intricacies of ER librarianship as
they evolve, which makes the development of
consistent, systematic, broadly available
training opportunities critical.” 4
Questions?
Rachel Fleming-May, Assistant Professor, School of Information Sciences, University of Tennessee, [email protected]
Jill E. Grogg, Electronic Resources Librarian, University of Alabama, [email protected]
Bibliography1. Downes, K.A. & P.V. Rao. (2007). “Preferred Political, Social, and Technological Characteristics
of Electronic Resources Librarians.” Collection Management 32(1/2), 3-14.2. Albitz, R.S. (2002). “Electronic Resources Librarians in Academic Libraries: A Position
Announcement Analysis, 1996-2001.” portal: Libraries and the Academy 2(4), 589-600. 3. Fisher, W. (2003). “The ER Librarian Position: A Public Services Phenomenon?” Library
Collections, Acquisitions & Technical Services 27(11).4. Albitz, R.S. & W.A. Shelburne. (2007). “Marian Through the Looking Glass: The Unique
Evolution of the Electronic Resources Librarian Position.” Collection Management 32, (1/2), 15-30.
5. Clement, S. (2007). “Skills for Effective Participation in Consortia.” Collection Management 32, (1/2), 191-204.
6. Zuniga, H. (2008). “A Student’s Voice.” Colorado Libraries 34(3), 55-56.7. Bradford, M.L. et al. (2007). “Education and Electronic Resources Librarianship.” Collection
Management 32, (1/2), 49-69.8. Weir, R.O. (2008). “A Look at Today’s Library Students and Faculty: IU.” Indiana Libraries 27(2),
83-85.9. Case, M.M. (2004). “A Snapshot in Time: ARL Libraries and Electronic Journal Resources.” ARL
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