Module 3, Task 8: Based on your examination of the resources above and your own research, define what you believe to be the essential knowledge, skills, and attributes of an information professional in the digital era. Write up your definition as a post (of no more than 350 words) in your OLJ.
The information professional role has continuously been responsive to the shifting information landscape, the advent of disruptive technologies, and budgetary restrictions, creating uncertainty and apprehension about the status and perception of the role within society and among professions. The demand for increased electronic sources and more space questions the librarian’s traditional role. It is no longer confined to its physical boundaries, books on shelves and serving a limited group within the community who visit the physical space to borrow just books. The most significant game changer has been the library 2.0 movement, which has enabled the interaction between users and libraries in a new culture of participation, catalysed by social web technologies, where information and ideas are shaped by the influence and ideas represented in a virtual community (Partridge et al., 2010). Technologies have enabled patrons to do so much more, which has changed their information-seeking behaviours and requirements. Ayinde and Kirkwood (2020) state automation is a critical concern among professions that focuses on eliminating most routines using artificial intelligence. It will be essential for the role to understand these new technologies and how they can still meet the community and users’ requirements to produce the same outcomes to make a difference that positively impacts the community and its library purpose (Partridge et al., 2010). In saying that, the librarian’s role has not changed, but the service it offers has (Partridge, 2010, p. 270). It is essential that they can adapt to deliver the same service in person and a virtual environment. They will no longer be the gatekeepers of knowledge and information but play an active facilitation and educational role, encouraging people to interact to create knowledge that can meet a range of learning styles and cater for lifestyles (Bargellini & Bordoni, 2001). For example, libraries today provide additional community services such as outreach for vulnerable populations and event programming for people to interact with one another. It is more than just knowledge from books; it is also from community involvement. Wilson and Daugherty (2018) describe this as the “missing middle”; the profession must be able to provide complex reasoning that considers social and emotional factors to create this fusion of interaction and engagement to create and share knowledge. This will require the professions to have inquisitive minds and a thirst for learning to ensure they are included in new developments and trends. More importantly, the key difference will be the creative and inventive aspect of what will bring from adopting these new technologies (Ayinde & Kirkwood, 2020).
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References:
Akwang, N. E. (2021). A study of librarians’ perceptions and adoption of Web 2.0 technologies in academic libraries in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 47(2), 102299-. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2020.102299
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/10.1177/0266382120968057
Bargellini, L.M., & Bordoni, L. (2001). The role of the library in a new learning scenario. Electronic Library, 19(3), 153–157. https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000005480
Burton, S. (2019). Future skills for the LIS profession. In Online Searcher, 43(2), 42-45. Information Today, Inc.
Partridge, H., Lee, J., & Munro, C. (2010). Becoming “Librarian 2.0”: The skills, knowledge, and attributes required by library and information science professionals in a Web 2.0 world (and beyond). Library Trends, 59(1), 315–335. https://doi.org/10.1353/lib.2010.a407820
Wilson, H. J., & Daugherty, P. R. (2018). Collaborative intelligence: humans and AI are joining forces. In Harvard business review, 96(4), pp. 114-. Harvard Business School Press.