What does it mean to be a librarian, anyway? This is something I’ve struggled to define as I go through this program. Maybe it has something to do with knowing ‘about’ libraries: policies, politics, and procedure. Maybe it has something to do with knowing how to find information, or making information more findable. Maybe it is just a way of thinking, or perhaps what we spend time thinking about: rather than getting down to specifics, we go broad, try to get the big picture, see the forest. But then, I think, a librarian doesn’t have to do that either, necessarily. Heck, some just know where the books are. I guess being a librarian is whatever you want it to be.

As an amusing aside (and special annotation bonus), a study surveyed undergrads about their thoughts on librarians:

• 57% think we have a bachelor's degree only
• Re: the job. Some suggested we "do excess teacher work" or "stay after and clean up"
• 92% have never asked to speak to a librarian
• While many correctly identified 'librarian' roles, some said we: "play computer games", "sit around", and "clean" (do we detect a trend here?)
• Why do librarians enter the field?: No. 1 answer, "they like books". No. 9 answer, "it's an easy job".

I think my answer was better.

Fagan, J. (2002). Students’ Perceptions of Academic Librarians. The Reference Librarian, (78) 131-148

This week's annotation will be a bit different. Because we're talking about the future of the library, it doesn't make as much sense to look at old literature to see what they say. It's much more gratifiying to come up with your own predictions. So - what do you think the academic library of 2025 will look like? Here's my predictions:

• Physical books moved offsite; transition to e-books, reader technology now ubiquitous
• E-book shift causes changes in lending, reserves, etc. The purchasing system becomes an issue, just as it was with e-journals.
• Space opened up in the library, now available for all kinds of activity; library becomes a space for shared activities: displays, galleries, discussions, presentations, etc.
• Education and teaching skills become a core course in the LIS curriculum. Cataloguing is removed.
• Libraries seen as the place to get access to and try the latest technologies.

That's just a sampling. I'd love to hear yours.

It is no surprise that librarians are wrestling with the nature of the physical and virtual ‘place’ that the library provides, because we are in a time of shifting roles for each of these places. These role changes might make for some scary realities for old and new librarians alike: complete migration from print to electronic, retiring of legacy print collections, redevelopment and re-purposing the library space for informal learning, moving library expertise into existing teaching and learning processes. It is important to recognize what librarians do, and re-think how we can best use our places to serve these tasks.

Lewis, David W. (2007). A Model for Academic Libraries 2005 to 2025. Paper presented at ”Visions of Change,” California State University at Sacramento, January 26, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1805/665

Surveys show that academic librarian jobs almost always include an aspect of librarian-as-educator: “…expected to contribute to initiatives relevant to teaching, learning, and research in an academic environment.”

It would seem critical for librarians to gain skills as educators as part of the LIS curriculum. Yet, librarians felt that there wasn’t enough emphasis on learning how to teach, and that the necessary skills instead came from self-teaching, other librarians, and continuing education. In the curriculum, class presentations are the norm, but formalized instructional training is mostly absent. Graduating librarians need the preparation and skills to be educators in their future careers.

Yvonne Nalani Meulemans, Jennifer Brown. (2001). Educating instruction librarians: A model for Library and Information Science education. Research Strategies. 18(4): 253-264.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6W60-48W8JS6-3/2/48ea7b6e4edee07b432d25575af5f45a)

Marketing and public relations are very important to libraries for many reasons, including community outreach, enhancing the library’s image, and, of course, fundraising. Development (that other term for fundraising) is an important job in the library, where there is often a development officer working closely with the chief librarian. The online face of the library can play an important role in development, highlighting where moneys are allocated, indicating opportunities for prospective philanthropists, and advertising library events.

Fact: NYPL places marketing and public relations links prominently on its website, and they bring in incredible contributions. Not necessarily causal, but likely correlated.
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