A content analysis of job advertisements for digital humanities-related positions in academic libraries

Digital Humanities (DH) is a relatively new and dynamic field that involves a wide range of disciplines. There is a need to identify a set of competencies for professionals in this growing field. The purpose of this study is to assess the current state of required and desirable qualifications and knowledge described in the job advertisements regarding DH-related positions. 72 unique job advertisements between November 2006 and April 2018 were collected from American Library Association JobLIST. Position title; institution types and location; educational background; experience; knowledge and skills; and duties were examined and analyzed. SCI2, VOSviewer and Pajek were used to analyze the word/phrase frequency of the job title and job functions, the clusters of job duties and job requirement. The results of the study offer insights on and have practical applications in DH-related education and training to meet the needs of this field.     

Qualifications for Serials Catalogers in the 21st Century: A Content Analysis of Job Advertisements

Abstract

Recent developments have altered the work performed in library technical services. As with similar positions, responsibilities for serials/continuing resources catalogers have experienced changes. This study examined qualifications sought by employers between the period from January 1, 2002 to May 21, 2017. Through content analysis of job advertisements, with emphasis on professional-level cataloging of serials/continuing resources, this study found a demand for a diverse mix of both traditional and emerging skills. The results were analyzed for insights into the field of serials/continuing resources cataloging     

What Qualifications and Skills are Important for Digital Librarian Positions in Academic Libraries? A Job Advertisement Analysis

As academic library functions and activities continue to evolve, libraries have broadened the traditional library model, which focuses on management of physical resources and activities, to include a digital library model, transforming resources and services into digital formats to support teaching, learning, and research. This transition has affected professionals' roles and activities due to new required skills. This study examines qualifications and skills required of professional positions involved in digital resources, services, and technologies as changing aspects in academic libraries. Data was collected from job advertisements for digital library positions posted in College and Research Libraries News during the nine years from 1999 to 2007. The study verifies shifts in staffing needs and required qualifications with digital focus on collections, services, and technology applications in academic libraries. The results confirm that a digital librarian is an emerging position in academic libraries. LIS educational implications and further investigations to validate the results are suggested.     

Do Job Advertisements Reflect ACRL's Standards for Proficiencies for Instruction Librarians and Coordinators?: A Content Analysis

This study investigates the extent to which the skills and proficiencies mentioned in ACRL's Standards for Proficiencies for Instruction Librarians and Coordinators are represented in a current sample of instruction librarian job advertisements. Advertisements from U.S. academic institutions posted on the American Library Association's JobLIST site were collected over a period of six months. Results from a content analysis of these advertisements as compared to the Standards reveal trends in those skills which are in-demand. These results add support for the importance of collaboration, instructional design, leadership, and subject expertise as they relate to instruction and demonstrate that not all skills identified as crucial for instruction librarians within the Standards are typically indicated within the content of a job advertisement. This research will be of interest to library science students, job seekers, LIS faculty, and employers hoping to attract qualified candidates to fill library instruction-related positions.     

Changes in Public Library Youth Services: A Content Analysis of Youth Services Job Advertisements

ABSTRACT

This article investigates requirements and responsibilities for public library youth services librarians. Position advertisements were published in American Libraries in five-year increments, from 1971 to 2001. Youth services librarian positions were analyzed as to changes in position titles, education requirements, job responsibilities, and personality characteristics. Findings suggest that the number of advertised youth services positions is increasing, and job titles are changing from the specific “children's services” to the more generalized “youth services.” Advertised responsibilities of the youth services librarian have consistently emphasized collection management and administrative duties, and many advertisements place a heavy emphasis on personality traits.     

Analyzing Cataloging Job Descriptions: Are Cataloging Jobs Disappearing,Changing, or Merging?

Abstract

To determine the state of the cataloging job market, this study compares job advertisements from August 2016-August 2018 advertising for jobs with cataloging in the title, metadata in the title, and cataloging and metadata in the title. Given ongoing concerns about the impact of metadata jobs on the cataloging job market, this study asks the questions: Are cataloging jobs in fact “disappearing” and becoming metadata jobs? Are entry-level jobs disappearing, perhaps contributing to the idea that there is a lack of qualified catalogers? Is there a difference in position level between cataloging and metadata job advertisements that can account for a lack or perceived lack of available cataloging jobs? Are there more entry-level or mid/supervisory positions advertised? Are cataloging and metadata jobs really separate, or should they be considered one position called cataloging and metadata?     

Classifying Librarians: Cataloger,Taxonomist, Metadatician?

ABSTRACT

A study of job advertisements for technical services librarian positions provided insight into critical aspects of the library profession, issues that affect the work life of academic librarians. A review of several hundred job ads with a focus on job titles revealed problems with the use of terminology and the actual conceptualization of positions. Based on the ads reviewed, libraries also appear to be raising their expectations for types of knowledge and skills required and personal qualities desired.     

Job ads,jobs, and researchers: Searching for valid sources

Research on librarians' roles and responsibilities often takes the form of content analysis of job advertisements found in aggregators such as print journals and websites. Whether these ads help us better understand librarianship depends on how representative the source data is for each study—the line going from jobs, to job ads, then to job ad sources. Print sources dominate even in studies published after 2000. This study examines where reasonably representative job advertisements for academic libraries may be found by starting at the origin: the institutions themselves. It finds that commonly used print sources provide only a small fraction of available positions (the majority of which are those in doctoral institutions), and even the most comprehensive aggregator misses nearly half of the available positions. Taking job ad samples directly from institutions is time-consuming but provides more representative data. Smaller colleges pose a particular challenge for finding ads as few of them have openings at any one time and few of their ads appear in national aggregators.     

The Academic Librarian Labor Market and the Role of the Master of Library Science Degree: 1975 through 2005

To examine the evolving role of the Master of Library Science (MLS) degree in academic libraries, pooled cross-sectional data were collected from job advertisements in College and Research Library News. Beginning with 1975 and continuing at 5-year intervals through 2005, pertinent information from all job advertisements in each monthly issue were compiled. The data produced many interesting facts, such as job openings requiring an MLS peaked in the early 1990s, and that there is a significant drop in a prerequisite MLS beginning in the year 2000.     

国外高校图书馆科研数据服务人员知识结构分析——以IASSIST网站中2015年的招聘信息为例

[目的/意义]通过调研国外高校图书馆具体数据服务人才招聘岗位的数据,分析社会对科研数据服务人员的知识结构和技能的最真实需求和要求,从而分析大数据时代国外高校图书馆科研数据服务人员的知识结构和岗位职责。[方法/过程]选取IASSIST网站中2015年1月1日至12月31日科研数据服务人员的招聘信息,经过筛选得到72条相关记录;再运用网络调查法和内容分析法,从人才市场对应聘者的需求类型、知识背景、综合素质能力、专业知识和特殊技能5个角度,深度解析国外高校图书馆科研数据服务人员的知识结构和岗位职责。[结果/结论]研究发现,国外高校图书馆对科研数据服务人员的需求主要为:有硕士以上学历,有图书情报学科、社会科学学科或特定领域学科专业背景,具有较强的数据分析能力和计算机技术能力,其中统计分析能力和计算机编程能力占重要部分,实践能力、工作经验会在招聘过程中成为应聘者的优势条件。     

Data credit distribution: A new method to estimate databases impact

It is widely accepted that data is fundamental for research and should therefore be cited as textual scientific publications. However, issues like data citation, handling and counting the credit generated by such citations, remain open research questions.Data credit is a new measure of value built on top of data citation, which enables us to annotate data with a value, representing its importance. Data credit can be considered as a new tool that, together with traditional citations, helps to recognize the value of data and its creators in a world that is ever more depending on data.In this paper we define data credit distribution (DCD) as a process by which credit generated by citations is given to the single elements of a database. We focus on a scenario where a paper cites data from a database obtained by issuing a query. The citation generates credit which is then divided among the database entities responsible for generating the query output. One key aspect of our work is to credit not only the explicitly cited entities, but even those that contribute to their existence, but which are not accounted in the query output.We propose a data credit distribution strategy (CDS) based on data provenance and implement a system that uses the information provided by data citations to distribute the credit in a relational database accordingly.As use case and for evaluation purposes, we adopt the IUPHAR/BPS Guide to Pharmacology (GtoPdb), a curated relational database. We show how credit can be used to highlight areas of the database that are frequently used. Moreover, we also underline how credit rewards data and authors based on their research impact, and not merely on the number of citations. This can lead to designing new bibliometrics for data citations.     

The Plugged-in Reference Librarian: Who Do We Think We Are?

In recent years, academic reference librarians often find themselves working in closer proximity to computer workstations, labs, and information commons. They are spending a greater portion of their time assisting library users with the vast array of software and hardware used to access library resources. This study examines whether an increased demand for technological knowledge and proficiency is reflected in job expectations for academic reference librarians. Researchers compared randomly chosen academic reference librarian job advertisements from 1999 to those from 2011, examining both job responsibilities and candidate qualifications. Results were mixed, with some variables gaining prominence but others declining. There was no apparent increase in demand for technological skills and responsibilities overall.     

Qualifications sought by employers of health sciences librarians, 1986

Two hundred ninety-four job advertisements that appeared in MLA News in 1986 were analyzed to determine whether MLA certification had become a more frequent requirement than it was at the time of Schmidt and Swanton's 1980 study. Other qualifications studied were subject background, health sciences library courses, online searching experience, and OCLC experience. Library experience, educational requirements, and geographic distribution were also included.     

Licensing Digital Content: A Practical Guide for Librarians. 2nd ed. Harris,Lesley Ellen

Abstract

Advances in technology create dramatic changes within libraries. The complex issues surrounding this new electronic, end-user environment have major ramifications and require expert knowledge. Electronic services librarians and electronic resources librarians are two specialized titles that have recently emerged within the field of librarian-ship to fill this niche. Job advertisements listed in American Libraries from January 1989 to December 1998 were examined to identify responsibilities, qualifications, organizational and salary information relating to the newly emerging role of electronic librarian.     

The rise and fall of the medical mediated searcher

The relationship between the development of mediated online literature searching and the recruitment of medical librarians to fill positions as online searchers was investigated. The history of database searching by medical librarians was outlined and a content analysis of thirty-five years of job advertisements in MLA News from 1961 through 1996 was summarized. Advertisements for online searchers were examined to test the hypothesis that the growth of mediated online searching was reflected in the recruitment of librarians to fill positions as mediated online searchers in medical libraries. The advent of end-user searching was also traced to determine how this trend affected the demand for mediated online searching and job availability of online searchers. Job advertisements were analyzed to determine what skills were in demand as end-user searching replaced mediated online searching as the norm in medical libraries. Finally, the trend away from mediated online searching to support of other library services was placed in the context of new roles for medical librarians.     

Access Services Librarians: A Content Analysis of Job Advertisements, 1977–2004

ABSTRACT

As early as 1977, academic libraries began posting position announcements for access services librarians. During the twenty-seven year period from 1977 to 2004, a total of 217 advertisements that included the phrase “access services” appeared in College & Research Libraries News. Using content analysis, these advertisements are examined to identify both general and unique characteristics in access services positions, while also looking for changes over time as well as possible future trends.