Deprofessionalisaton
Students also acknowledged the chal- lenge of deprofessionalisation within the library sector, with only 20 per cent disagreeing with the statement: “There has been a gradual deprofessionalisa- tion of library work over the past 5-10 years.”
Their comments suggested that com- petition was increasing for both pro- fessional and non-professional library roles and that a qualification helped: “I struggled to get my first Library As- sistant role (115 applications!), so I’m mostly doing the MA in order to not go through that again. I’m not actually bothered about whether the jobs I do are professional or non-professional”. Despite these concerns, respondents were more positive when it came to the existence of a positive future for the library profession: “Overall I do believe the future is bright, there is more to the LIS profession than libraries; careers like research data management, pub- lishing or policy are becoming more
September 2018
relevant. Making our expertise known to the wider community is crucial.”
Where will you be in a few years’ time?
Students were generally positive about their future careers, and the majority (93 per cent) agreed their current study would great- ly enhance their chances of obtaining a pro- fessional library post. However, it was clear that uncertainty also existed, evidenced by use of words such as “hopefully” and “possibly” in qualitative responses given. There were concerns related to the compet- itive nature of the market, in addition to the challenge of entering a profession viewed by some as insular.
Comments from respondents on this issue included: “It’s highly competitive, and I feel, a little bit nepotistic, as in a lot of internal job placements as opposed to seeking new professionals”, and “You cannot move up without a Masters and I do not want to stay at a pre-professional level with pre-profes- sional wages”.
Several students felt that their qualification
would help them to enter librarianship from other careers.
“I wanted to change career from broadcasting to libraries” one said, “but was unable to secure a position. I felt the qualification would provide the evidence to prospective employers that I was committed to this path and had some understanding of the sector”.
What is the most valuable knowledge and skills students get from their library qualification?
The fact that the library sector has rapidly changed was one of the reasons why stu- dents value study in this area. “Digitisation and online library services are becoming more prolific in the modern world, more so than the traditional books. It is important to be able to move with the times and engage with people at all levels”. Overall, students were happy with their library courses, however a key theme related to lacking digital aspects of library subjects, particularly for students from arts- based backgrounds, and those wishing to
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