Skills Profile

The range of skills that information professionals may need is vast, and while some are general to the whole field (neutrality, respect for law, accessibility), others are profession-specific. Given that my overall career ambition is to become the head of reference and user services at a library, there are specific soft and hard skills which make me well-suited for this role. Reference and user services librarians need well-developed people skills, proficiency with a wide array of ILS systems and technologies, and the ability to conduct research and train others in how to do so.

Reference and User Services Skills

communication

The foundation of user services is being able to understand others and make yourself understood. This includes both in conversation, and through research guides and written responses to requests.

research

It is important that a librarian in this role be able to not just research on someone else’s behalf, but to methodically explain research methods to others. This requires both a deep knowledge of how research is performed, and skill at performing it.

Collaboration

Being able to work with people, both patrons and other staff, to understand problems and make decisions is essential to user services work, especially when your work needs to take into account the concerns of marginalized groups and those with different accessibilty needs.

Fortunately, I have had the opportunities to develop each of these skills, both in various jobs and through my coursework in the ÉSIS program. While each of these are skills which are developed throughout one’s life as new methods emerge, they align well with my current aptitudes.

Communications

Research

Experienced with a very wide arrange of research systems, from spreadsheet analysis and extensive literature reviews
Learned database search strategies like using Boolean operators
Gained experience interviewing experts when answers cannot be found in the literature, which I did for my museum archiving research

Collaboration

Consulted with Inuit Circumpolar Council colleagues to incorporate their concerns and perspectives into the classification system
Co-ordinated with colleages across mediums and platforms to pull off large-scale projects like a scoping review of telemedicine literature, and an assessment of the Canadian Agriculture Library
Worked with students to train them on using library catalogues and perform research

Computing

Gained experience with the ALMA ILS, Insignia ILS, and the FileMaker database as library systems
Learned how to use archival accessioning software and to manage the circulation of materials between archives and between libraries
Learned classification and cataloguing systems (Dewey, LCC, Brian Deer), in order to use operate and add to online catalogues

Personality

In addition to the technical skills that are necessary for a reference and user services librarian to do their work, there are aspects of one’s personality which make one better or worse-suited to this career. Caring strongly about social justice, diversity, and accessibility are valuable, as they are necessary concerns for user services, and sidelining them can have serious consequences in terms of the library’s relationship with the userbase.

Being a positive person who enjoys speaking with and working with others is important, as patrons need to feel like they can approach you and raise concerns without a negative response. For a library to actually reflect the needs of its userbase, especially marginalized patrons, there needs to be an safe environment that enables honest feedback. A user services librarian with a good attitude is a key part of that environment. Additionally, librarians often have the responsibility to manage other staff, including public service assistants and student workers. Being trustworthy and positive is extremely beneficial in a management position. All in all, many of the same things which make one a good friend (e.g. concern for others) also make one a good librarian.

More about my values