A comprehensive inventory of technology and computer skills for academic reference librarians Conference

Prestamo, AM. (2001). A comprehensive inventory of technology and computer skills for academic reference librarians . 313-337.

cited authors

  • Prestamo, AM

authors

abstract

  • Academic reference librarians are faced with an ever-increasing number of electronic resources with unique interfaces and technical requirements. Providing adequate and timely training to address these needs presents challenges for academic library administrators, as they strive to maintain resources and services in the face of declining or stagnant budgets. Careful needs assessments must be conducted to insure that training programs are carefully targeted and effective. Additionally, library schools need to carefully analyze and update curricula to prepare new librarians for this evolving technological environment. At the core of their mission, academic librarians have always been concerned with the physical preservation of materials. In today's environment there is increasing recognition of the need to migrate digital media to new formats to maintain viability and access. This same attention to preservation must be focused on the renewal of human resources. The purpose of this study was to developed a comprehensive inventory of the computer and related technology skills required of reference librarians in academic libraries. Using the Delphi Method, the study began Round #1 by asking this question: "What are the technology and computer skills required of reference librarians in academic libraries?" Round #1's open-ended question elicited 848 skill statements. Multiple statements describing the same skill were revised and combined into one uniformly worded skill statement. The remaining 380 statements formed Questionnaire #2. Of the 380 skill statements, 285 were deemed to be important and showed strong consensus.

publication date

  • January 1, 2001

start page

  • 313

end page

  • 337