Getting to the Core of the Matter: Competencies for New E-
Resources Librarians
Emma Lawson, Langara CollegeRoën Janyk, Okanagan College
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Emma Lawson
• BA 2007, MA 2008, MLIS 2010
• Work Experience & MLIS
• First professional job post-MLIS in 2011
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Roën Janyk• BA 2008, MLIS 2010• Work Experience & MLIS• First Professional Librarian
Job in 2010
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Daily Tasks…Photo Credit: The Shifted Librarian
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Electronic Resources: Materials that require computer access, whether though a personal computer, mainframe, or handheld mobile device. They may either
be accessed remotely via the Internet or locally.
e-journals, e-books, full-text (aggregated databases), indexing and abstracting databases, reference databases (directories, encyclopedias, etc.), numeric and statistical databases, e-images, e-audio/visual resources.
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Core Competencies
i. Life Cycle of Electronic Resourcesii. Technology: Providing Access iii. Research Skillsiv. Effective Communicationv. Supervising and Managementvi. Trends and Professional Developmentvii. Personal Qualities
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Knowledge of collection development
Knowledge of acquisition process
Knowledge of licensing
Able apply information organization principles to
electronic resources
Core Competency 1: Lifecycle of Electronic Resources
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Ohio State University Libraries, 2013
Core Competency 1: Job Tasks opensourceway
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Road Block: Licensing• What should you look for?– Liabilities– Warranties– Perpetual Access Rights– Embargos– Permitted uses • ILL, printing, sharing, course packs, LMS
– Communication of Cancellations– Consortial Agreements
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Road Block: Budgeting
• Do you have signing authority? • Where can you view fiscal information? • Is previous years’ information easily accessible?• Who gets a copy of what?• Where should fiscal information be stored?
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Road Block: Usage
• Are statistics available?• COUNTER reports: Meaning & Comparisons• Do you have access to statistics interface?• SUSHI information available?• How can you create meaning from these statistics?
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Core Compete
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Core Competency 2: Job Tasksopensourceway
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Core Competency 2: Education
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oMinimal and basic required/core courses on technology
oOther courses focus on less relevant technology
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Core Competency 3: Research Skillsopensourceway
Core Competency 3: Research Data
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Core Competency 3: Research Analysis
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Core Competency 3: Research Application
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Core Competency 3: Job Tasks
Core Competency 3: Education
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Core Competency 4: Effective Communication
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Core Competencies: 4
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Core Competency 4: Job Tasks
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Core Competency 4: Education
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Core Competency 5: Supervising & Management
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Core Competency 5: Job Tasks
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Photo Credit: curtishCore Competency 5: Education
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Core Competency 6: Trends & Professional Development
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Core Competency 6: Job Tasks
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Core Competency 6: Education
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Core Competency 7: Personal Qualities
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Core Competency 7: Job Tasks
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Core Competency 7: Education
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Core Competency 7
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Core Competencies: Recommendations
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Recommendations
• Partnerships • Course Options• Currency of Courses• Teaching Technologies• Resource “Tool Kits”
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• Licensing & Contracts
• Case Studies• Collection
Development• Complete Courses• Continuing
Education
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ReferencesAmerican Library Association. (2009). ALA’s core competences of librarianship. Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/educationcareers/sites/ala.org.educationcareers/files/content/careers/corecomp/
corecompetences/finalcorecompstat09.pdf
Fleming-May, R.A. & Grogg , J. (2010). Finding their way: Electronic resource librarians’ education, training and
community. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/EResourcesLibraries/finding-their-way-electronic-
resources-librarians-education-training-and-community-presented-by
Johnson, S., Evensen, O. G., Gelfand, J., Lammers, G., Sipe, L. & Zilper, N. (2012). Key issues for e-resource
collection development: A guide for libraries. The Hague, NL: IFLA. Retrieved from
http://www.ifla.org/files/assets/acquisition-collection-development/publications/electronic-resource-guide-
2012.pdf
NASIG Core Competencies Task Force. (2012). Core competencies for electronic resources librarians. Retrieved
from http://www.nasig.org/files//CoreComp/CoreCompetenciesF.ERLibrariansDRAFT2012.5.17.pdf
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Contact
Emma Lawson, MA MLISElectronic Resources LibrarianLangara CollegeVancouver, B.C. Canada• [email protected]• @emmalawson
Roën Janyk, MLISWeb Services LibrarianOkanagan College Kelowna , B.C. Canada• [email protected]• @rjanyk
