Rapid evolution of technology and digital resources brings a lot of opportunities as well as challenges for information professionals. Ayinde and Kirkwood, (2020), argue that the 4th Industrial Revolution will lead to the replacement of some professionals by machines. However, they state that certain skills involving high order cognitive abilities and social-emotional value cannot be replaced. 

Thinking of the essential skills that information professionals must possess in order to stay highly-demanded, I identified ICT skills, soft skills, teaching inquiry skills and social-emotional skills. 

ICT Skills

Nowadays vast amounts of information are produced daily, thus information professionals must be able to navigate digital resources. On top of that, information professionals must be aware of the emerging technologies that become popular among users (Zhang and Chen, 2023). ICT skills will enable librarians to provide high quality services. 

Since technology has become wide-spread at schools, ICT skills will be even more important for school librarians to help integrate new technologies into the learning process in a meaningful way (Bukhardt, 2022).

Teaching Inquiry Skills

Building on the growth of digital resources and free access to the information online, it becomes very important for information professionals to teach information literacy to users. Inquiry skills will enable library users to evaluate resources, choose reliable authors, and filter fake news and misinformation (Hutchinson, 2023). 

Soft Skills

The research conducted by Branch-Müller et al. (2023) among information professionals, identified key soft skills necessary for the information field. They argued that such skills as time management, collaboration, leadership and management skills, and understanding power structures will remain valued in the future. As many information companies are complex organizations, it is important for information professionals to know the culture of the organization they represent. 

Social-Emotional Skills

Despite the advancement of technology, library users still rely on information professionals to help them find necessary information. Communication is the key to building good relationships with users and colleagues. It is important to be an active listener and show empathy when communicating with clients. In this respect, information professionals should be able to read body language and assess their clients’ mood in order to provide high quality service. 

References:

Ayinde, L., & Kirkwood, H. (2020). Rethinking the roles and skills of information professionals in the 4th Industrial Revolution. Business Information Review, 37(4), 142-153. https://doi-org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/10.1177/0266382120968057

Zhang, J., & Chen, J. (2023). Skill analysis of library and information science professionals. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 0(0). https://doi-org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/10.1177/09610006231207656

Burkhardt, J. M. (2022). Media smart : Lessons, tips and strategies for librarians, classroom instructors and other information professionals. Facet Publishing.

Hutchinson, E. (2023). The Opportunities that AI Presents for School Librarians. The School Librarian, 71(3), 26. https://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/opportunities-that-ai-presents-school-librarians/docview/2868448995/se-2

Branch-Müller, J., Stang, C. A., & Rathi, D. (2023). “I needed to learn this in my first year as a faculty member”: Soft Skills for School Library Faculty Members. School Libraries Worldwide, 28(1), 18-33. https://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/i-needed-learn-this-my-first-year-as-faculty/docview/2826427519/se-2