Your Name and Title: Kristen Radsliff Rebmann, Assistant Professor

Library, School, or Organization Name: San Jose State University School of Library & Information Science

Co-Presenter Names: Donna Frederick, Stacey Nordlund, Elaine Hall, Rachel Foote

Area of the World from Which You Will Present: Hayden, ID, USA

Language in Which You Will Present: English

Target Audiences: Librarians, Distance Educators, Distance Librarians, LIS Faculty

Short Session Description: This presentation presents an analysis of a rich dataset so that a more detailed articulation of the distance librarian-as-professional may be obtained.

Full Session Description: 

In a recent study, Rebmann, Molitor, & Rainey[i] explore DL responsibilities broadly to understand their prevalence and representation in the employment pool.  Their goal was to answer questions about whether responsibilities and skills in distance learning are increasing, what areas of the academic library require these forms of expertise, and whether the “distance librarian” is gaining relevance as a job title distinct from other traditional roles such as “cataloging librarian” or “instruction librarian”.  To answer these questions, 19,431 (archived) job advertisements from the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) LIBJOBS mailing list (1996-2010) were examined using content analysis to observe trends in librarianship to support distance learning.  Among their findings:

• Distance learning (DL) skillsets as job qualifications emerged in the late 1990’s and continue to be relevant today.
• Jobs with DL responsibilities are most prevalent in public services followed by administration.
• Positions focused on DL also emerged in the late 1990’s though it is unclear whether demand for these positions continues to be as strong.
• “Distance Leaning Librarian” and “Distance Education Librarian” are the two most common job titles for librarians focused on DL responsibilities.

It was beyond the scope of the Rebmann et al project to consider questions about the nature of distance librarianship such as:

• Who is the distance librarian? 
• What does one need to know to work as a distance librarian?

These questions are highly relevant, however, and are answerable if one explores the rich information found in job announcements for distance learning-focused librarians.  Unlike those announcements that include distance learning skills and responsibilities, these jobs actually call for a professional to be dedicated-in-focus, to serving distance learners. 

As part of the study mentioned above, 55 unique, dedicated DL positions were identified.  These 55 unique job announcements for distance learning-focused librarians were examined using content analysis.  The job announcements were mined from the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) LIBJOBS archived mailing list (1996-2010).  This presentation will provide an analysis of this rich dataset so that a more detailed articulation of the distance librarian-as-professional may be obtained.

Websites / URLs Associated with Your Session: