Examining the Shortage of Librarians
A collaboration involving library and information science researchers and several professional associations will examine the future of librarianship, including looking into the rumored shortage.
from the ResourceShelf
(It’s a little weird to think about a shortage of librarians when in news librarianship, there’s still a lot of downsizing and talented people looking for work for long periods of time because news positions are few and far between. It seems like our problem isn’t a shortage of professionals; it’s a shortage of positions. But we’re just one small part of the greater world of librarianship.)
November 22nd, 2005 at 9:14 am
I’ve had students who have had a hard time finding jobs after graduation (and downsized librarians have faced the same problems), so I think research to tell us exactly where librarians are needed and with what skills will be very helpful. Is it that the skills are needed in a very different industry? Or has a shortage been projected that is not going to materialize due to changes in technology and the skills of non-librarians?
November 24th, 2005 at 12:45 pm
I’m convinced that there ‘will’ be a shortage, and it’s going to hit all of a sudden. Here’s a post from last year on a retirement survey we did for our local lawlib association.
http://vancouverlawlib.blogspot.com/2004/12/10-year-crunch-half-of-vancouver-law.html