Why have Librarians' enthusiasm for new ideas waned or died?

When did we start avoiding new ideas or become afraid of new ideas in libraries? You float an idea these days and people start responding “No, we don’t need to do that,” or “We know what the xx need” along with the implied “and that’s not it.” And what is the motivation behind this almost universal response – no - to new ideas? When did the enthusiasm for ideas wane and even die? Why has it happened?

I think the crisis facing new ideas in our libraries is the same as the one facing human resources in libraries and education in library schools. Workload. Having enough time to learn everything you need to learn, and do everything you need to do. Project management and time management skills will only take you so far, and, even worse, these are not being formally taught in library schools based on my quick perusal of those Canadian websites.

The 8Rs study(1) highlights the top ten most important and difficult to fulfil competencies. These include leadership potential (#1), flexibility (#2), can handle high volume workload (#3) and innovative (#4). So we have pinpointed some of the competencies we want to see in our librarians. Now how do we get them? We can train or encourage them in library schools, we can send our current librarians on courses dealing with leadership and project management, among others, but does it really help us with our workload? I’d say no, this approach just adds to our workload. So how do we relieve the workload?

There are two factors involved. Libraries are in a time of rapid change and our rendering of jobs within libraries (and what is being taught about what constitutes an “academic librarian” for example, in library schools) is not changing. You hear the words I want to be an academic librarian, I want to be a school librarian, etc. from library school students.

The most flexible “type” or categorization of librarian I have noted to date is the concept of a “special” librarian. I suspect this is because they are not wedded to the concept of themselves as objects directing traffic but themselves as an integral part of the traffic, as process. Their conception of what it meant to be a special librarian was formally presented in 1997 (2) and they used words such as “uses, assesses, provides, develops, creates, flexible, provides leadership, committed” to describe what they did, and focussed on delivery. They have spent the most time thinking outside the box.

This trend expanded to include other librarians who reconceptualized the 1997 document and gave it a new title “Competencies for Information Professionals of the 21st Century” (3) thus reflecting a change in traditional thinking patterns. This change offers hope to those in a state of rapid change in libraries. Traditional roles are being challenged by the need to deal with new technologies, from awareness to management and implementation. These needs cross traditional hierarchical structures and challenge traditional job descriptions. There are just not enough people out there capable of or willing to handle the non-traditional aspects of our work, or are capable or willing to reconceptualize themselves as librarians. But it has started.

It is also a workload issue as we fumble within the “fog” trying to figure out how we deal with change in libraries and our field. We are only now beginning to perceive the outline of forms within our “fog.” We have been in the “black box” long enough to perceive some new trends in our field and thus are beginning the obvious – rebuilding job descriptions, reconceptualizing what it means to be a librarian and reframing our field. As we start coming out of the “fog” our workload issues may begin to settle because we shall be clearer about where we are going and where we wish to be, and as more people begin to see the same and sign on.

1. 8Rs Research Team. The Future of Human Resources in Canadian Libraries, Table D.3, p.59.
2. Special Committee on Competencies for Special Librarians, Competencies for Special Librarians of the 21st Century (S.l.: Special Libraries Association, 1997), www.sla.org/content/learn/comp2003/97comp.cfm
(accessed February 18, 2006).
3. Special Committee on Competencies for Special Librarians, Competencies for Information Professionals of the 21st Century (S.l.: Special Libraries Association, 2003), www.sla.org/content/learn/comp2003/index.cfm
(accessed February 18, 2006).