Librarian Research Competencies in Canadian Large Research Libraries

Column Editor's Notes

This workforce column, guest written by Marianne Sorensen and Kathleen Delong, takes up the perennial question of the role of research in the professional practice of the academic librarian. The article also showcases recent Canadian human resources research and provides a strong evidence base from which an important strategic workforce issue, is identified. It goes on to provide some options to close the gap in the knowledge, skills, and competencies of the 21st century academic librarian. This article well and truly fulfills the intended purpose of this column, namely to provide an avenue through which to explore library human resource issues, showcase research, and share emerging new models of professional practice. I invite further contributions to our ongoing discussion! Please submit articles for this column to the editor at [email protected]

ABSTRACT

Librarians in many academic research libraries are expected to possess the competencies necessary to conduct their own research. Using data from surveys of institutional representatives and librarians at the Canadian Association for Research Libraries,¹ the column explores the relationships between a wide scope of research-related topics including librarian participation and interest in conducting research, participation and interest in research training, and institutional and individual barriers to conducting research. The central conclusion is that librarians are in need of, and are interested in, research-related training.

KEYWORDS:

• Academic librarians
• research competencies; training; human resources

Notes

¹Full membership in Canadian Association of Research Libraries consists of 29 of the largest research universities in Canada and two national libraries.

2 For the complete report, see http://www.ls.ualberta.ca/8rs/reports.html

3 In addition to the 402 librarians, the Practitioner Survey was completed by 62 non-MLIS professionals and 373 support staff.

4 More definite conclusions about the relative influence of age and cohort effects requires longitudinal data which are unfortunately not available for research competencies, though they are for other librarian competencies examined in the 8Rs Redux study.