Holley Cornetto
 
Professor. Librarian. Writer. Student of all things interesting and extraordinary.
 

It is an exciting time for information organizations. It is an even more exciting time to become an information professional! (Hirsh, 2015)

​

During my MLIS coursework, one of the core courses was INFO 204, Information Professions. It was during this course that I learned about the many different types of libraries, along with other careers that information professionals are finding themselves in. In the introductory chapter of her book, Information Services Today: An Introduction, Sandra Hirsh discusses the many aspects of information professions. Dr. Hirsh also mentions a study conducted by San Jose State University in 2014 which discusses emerging career trends for information professionals. The study found that reference skills, technological proficiency, management, analysis skills, instruction, knowledge of emerging trends, and the ability to lead digitization initiatives are some of the most sought out skills by employers in the field (2015).

​

One of the convenient things about the library and information science degree is the amount of versatility that it offers. While many students enter these programs with the goal of working in a library, the skills and concepts gained during the course of study are applicable in many career fields. In libraries alone, there are also several options; school, academic, public, and special libraries. Information professionals offer a unique set of skills that can add value to any organization.

​

School librarians are usually employed by a K-12 school system, and provide resources for the students in their school or district. Working in this environment requires most of the skills identified by the 2014 study, because often school librarians work alone and are in charge of instruction, collection development, management of the library, and computer/digital initiatives. School librarians must also ensure that the services and materials that they provide meet with curriculum standards of their state or local school district. This can be accomplished by maintaining a good relationship with teachers and faculty who can work with the librarian to ensure that these services are available to students. Unfortunately, many schools are increasingly facing budget cuts, and school librarians are now forced to provide more services with fewer resources. Despite this challenge, this particular career path can be rewarding for those who enjoy working with children or young adults.

​

Academic libraries are found at research institutions, colleges, or universities. Information professionals in the academic library can be employed in reference, collection development, instruction, cataloging, or access services, to name only a few. Depending on the size of the organization, an academic librarian may have to serve several different functions within the library. For example, an academic librarian might work as a liaison for particular academic programs, but may also perform reference or instructional services. Academic librarians also support faculty members with research and through collection development to support coursework. Like school libraries, academic libraries have been facing budget cuts in recent years, which can prove challenging when trying to provide resources for students. In recent years, online education has increased significantly, providing a new challenge for academic librarians about how best to provide resources and services to distance education students. Becoming an academic librarian is a rewarding career path for people who enjoy research, teaching, and working with college students and faculty.

​

Public libraries usually operate through a state, county, or municipality, and are funded through taxes levied on residents. Unlike most school and academic libraries, public libraries are open to all members of the community. Once known as buildings that held collections of books, magazines, videos, and other materials, public libraries are increasingly transforming into centers for life-long learning, with the needs of patrons driving this transformation. Public libraries serve as a center for community learning and engagement, and as such have a duty to offer materials and services that reflect the interests and information needs of the community. Public libraries often cater the needs of children, teens, and adults, and therefore need to offer programs and services for a broad spectrum of patrons. Careers in public libraries are as diverse as the patrons that they serve. A public librarian might work in children’s services, teen services, or adult services. Additionally, public libraries employ librarians who specialize in programming, outreach, and emerging technologies. A career in public libraries is perfect for people who enjoy meeting and working with members of the community.

​

Special libraries appear last in my discussion because they are the most difficult to describe. Special libraries can exist as law libraries, medical libraries, museums or special collections, corporate libraries, and more. No two special libraries offer the same types of services, which can make training for this type of career challenging. Special libraries serve a distinct population of patrons with unique requirements, and often manage organizational systems which contain internal knowledge for the company. Many special librarians are expected to deliver information that patrons can use to help in making decisions at the organizational level. The Special Libraries Association (SLA) has prepared a list of Core Competencies for professionals working in a special library or information center.

​

Of the types of libraries mentioned above, school, academic, and public libraries have the most in common with one another. School and academic libraries both support educational institutions and therefore must ensure that the services and materials that they offer support the curriculum or coursework being offered at the institution. Most school and academic libraries also only provide access to their materials for students and faculty, although this trend has been changing in some academic libraries in recent years. Public libraries differ from school and academic libraries in several ways, but perhaps the most significant is that they cater to a wide range of ages and interests, and are therefore more likely to have a more diverse collection of materials than school or academic libraries. The funding structure for these different types of libraries are somewhat similar, as budgets for most public and school libraries are allocated from taxes. Libraries in academic institutions may likewise receive funding, although on a state rather than local level. All three types of libraries do share in common a mission that includes providing access to information without bias or censorship.

​

Evidence

​

My first piece of evidence is a PowerPoint presentation that I created for Information Services Today: An Introduction, 2nd edition. I worked on this project in conjunction with other student assistants, and each of us were assigned a group of chapters to work on. I was assigned chapters on school, academic, public, and special libraries which I am submitting here. Not only was I responsible for creating the presentations, but the images were researched and added by me as well, along with the lecture notes that accompany each slide. This particular presentation demonstrates my understanding of how school libraries function, where they can be found, and what duties are typical for school librarians.

​

My second piece of evidence is the presentation I created on academic libraries. As I noted above, this was completed as part of a special studies section where I was selected to work as a student assistant for Dr. Hirsh. This experience helped me explore in-depth the many different careers available to information professionals. I submit this piece of evidence to demonstrate my mastery of understanding about how academic libraries work, where they can be found, and the typical duties of information professionals employed by them.

​

My third piece of evidence for this competency is the presentation that I created about public libraries. I submit this piece of evidence to demonstrate my mastery of understanding of public libraries, the services that they provide, and the duties and responsibilities typical to those who are employed in them.

​

For the purposes of the e-portfolio, most competencies require three pieces of evidence. For this competency, I am submitting a fourth presentation on special libraries. As I mentioned all of these types of libraries in my discussion above, I felt that I would be remiss not to include this final presentation which demonstrates my mastery of understanding about the different types of special libraries, where they can be found, and the types of skills and professionals that they employ.

​

Conclusion

The environments that information professionals find themselves employed in are often as versatile as information professionals themselves. Above, I discussed the different types of library environments that information professionals may find employment in, but there are many opportunities for information professionals outside of libraries also. It is also worth mentioning that all of these library types have professional associations that support the development and career growth for information professionals in each of these types of libraries. During the Fall 2017 semester I was fortunate to be selected for a special studies course to work with Dr. Sandra Hirsh as a student assistant for her new book, Information Services Today: An Introduction 2nd Ed. My work on this project involved reading each chapter that I was assigned, identifying the key themes, learning goals, and objectives for each chapter, and creating PowerPoint presentations for each assigned chapter. These presentations demonstrate my mastery of Competency B.

​

References:

​

Fraser-Arnott, M. (2015). Expanding the Horizon of the MLIS. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction (pp. 106-115). Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.

​

Hirsh, S. (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction (pp. 106-115). Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.

​