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The 8Rs Canadian Library Human Resource Study: News from the Front

The 8Rs Canadian Library Human Resource Study: News from the Front. Allison Sivak Canadian Association of Law Libraries May 9, 2006. Starting Question. Will there be a shortage of librarians in the next 5 to 10 years due to mass retirements? A ‘simple’ question, no simple answers

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The 8Rs Canadian Library Human Resource Study: News from the Front

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  1. The 8Rs Canadian Library Human Resource Study: News from the Front Allison Sivak Canadian Association of Law Libraries May 9, 2006

  2. Starting Question • Will there be a shortage of librarians in the next 5 to 10 years due to mass retirements? • A ‘simple’ question, no simple answers • In the process we learned: • No clear succession crisis • Urgency in other areas of library human resources: • Competencies, particularly management and leadership • Education and training • Workloads and quality of work, work-life balance • Role overlap between librarians and paraprofessionals • Focus on recruitment, not as much on retirement

  3. Objective • Comprehensive investigation of issues around recruitment, retention, remuneration, repatriation, rejuvenation, reaccreditation, retirement, and restructuring (the 8Rs) in the Canadian library context

  4. The 8Rs • Recruitment • Retention • Remuneration • Repatriation • Reaccreditation • Rejuvenation • Retirement • Restructuring

  5. Project Scope • 3-year study of unprecedented breadth and depth • 167 data tables • Over 900 variables • 275-page report (English and French) • Analyses of data by library sectors and sub-sectors • 2006 Librarian / Library Technician Education Study: Cultural Human Resources Council / CLA

  6. Methods • Institutional Survey • 1,357 surveys sent to libraries • 34% response rate overall (461 respondents) • 36% public libraries • 50% academic libraries • 26% special libraries • Individual Survey • Web survey sent to 8,626 library workers • Response rate of 36.5% (3,148 respondents) • Additional 1,545 responses collected through listserv • Total of 4,693 responses

  7. Demographics

  8. Table C.10: Age Category of Librarians and Paraprofessionals by Library Sector (Individual Survey)

  9. (Lack of) Diversity in Libraries • Visible Minorities • 7% of librarians and paraprofessionals • 4% of all senior administrators • Special libraries have slightly higher representation of visible minority staff • Aboriginal • 1% of librarians across career levels • 2% of paraprofessionals

  10. Retirement

  11. Table E.3: Librarian Age of Retirement by Library Sector (Institutional Survey; n=95)

  12. Table E.6 Predicted Librarian Retirements Within the Next 5 and 10 Years (Individual Survey)

  13. Table E.9: Predicted Librarian Retirements within the Next 5 and 10 Years by Geographic Location (Based on min. age of retirement of 62 Years) (Individual Survey; n=1,886)

  14. Table J.3: Predicted Future Librarian Supply Table J.5: Predicted Future Library Technician Supply

  15. TOTAL 9 TOTAL ACADEMIC 10 CARL 23 Other Academic 3 TOTAL PUBLIC 10 CULC 31 Other Public 6 TOTAL SPECIAL 8 Government 14 Non-Profit 5 For-Profit 0 0 10 20 30 40 Percent Figure E.2: Organizations with Succession Plan by Library Sector (Institutional Survey; n=276)

  16. Recruitment

  17. Table D.10: Location of Library Applied to by Sector (Recent Professional Librarian Entrants, Individual Survey; n=356) Percent Applying to Location

  18. Figure D.4: Why Applied Outside of Canada (Recent Professional Librarian Entrants Only, Individual Survey; n=112)

  19. Most Significant Barriers to Recruitmentby Whether or Not Recruited in Past Year

  20. Table D.5: Recruitment Need and Activity by Province/Region (Institutional Survey; n=278)

  21. Competencies

  22. Table G.7: Percent of Recent Librarian Entrants Agreeing that MLIS Program Provided Skills to Effectively Perform their Jobs by Library Sector

  23. Implications • Environmental factors: how to deal with limited budgets, etc. • Need to attract the best and brightest to the profession and to individual libraries • Need to ensure strong candidates get leadership and management development • Much of the training and development responsibility currently lies with libraries • How can associations and library schools play a role? • How will libraries predict what competencies are needed as time goes on? • Will the knowledge economy mean greater competition for highly-skilled library staff? • Large research libraries will be the winners • Small or rural libraries may find recruitment & retention issues compounding over time

  24. Table K.3: Indicators of Demand for Management and Leadership Skills by Library Sector (Institutional Survey; n=274)

  25. Librarian Interest in Management and Leadership Roles • Librarians stating “it is important to have a job that allows me to….” • Manage a service/dept: 44% • Supervise others: 36% • Perform a leadership role: 62% • Motivate others: 64% • Seek out new project opportunities: 74%

  26. Role Shifts • Traditional librarian duties are being taken on in an increasing capacity by paraprofessional staff • 78% of institutions reported that paraprofessionals have taken on more of these responsibilities over the past 5 years • Role shift expected to continue to over the next 5 years

  27. Quality of Work

  28. Job Satisfaction • 79% of librarians and paraprofessionals state they are “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their jobs

  29. Workload Manageability and Stress • Agreeing workload manageable • Librarians: 39% • Paraprofessionals: 53% • Agreeing they have little job-related stress • Librarians: 24% • Paraprofessionals: 35% • Agreeing job allows work-life balance • Librarians: 62% • Paraprofessionals: 75%

  30. Table I.20: Respectful Treatment of Librarians and Paraprofessionals by Library Sector (Individual Survey)

  31. Table K.10: Paraprofessional Adoption of Professional Roles by Library Sector (Institutional and Individual Surveys)

  32. Education and Professional Development

  33. Table H.2: Librarians Needing Significant Training by Career Level of Librarian by Library Sector (Institutional Survey; n=270)

  34. Table H.3: Organization Provides Sufficient Opportunities to Participate in Training by Career Stage by Library Sector (Professional Librarians Only; Individual Survey; n=1,897)

  35. CHRC Education Study • Existing data: Online curriculum and professional development offerings and educator-provided program information • Phase I Employers’ Survey: Conducted in June 2003 of 461 employers and an abbreviated Phase II Employers’ Survey conducted in December 2005 of 58 employers. • In-depth telephone Interviews with Deans/Directors and program heads representing the MLIS and 16 LIT programs in Canada • Current Student Survey: Conducted in February 2006 of 857 MLIS/LIS students • Professional Librarian and Paraprofessional Staff Survey: Conducted in June/July 2004 of 4,693 professional librarians and paraprofessional staff

  36. MLIS Programs • None of the 7 programs have a formal recruitment policy • most schools rely primarily on their website as a marketing tool. • Most students learned of their MLIS program through the program’s website (77%) or by word of mouth (60%) • The number of applicants to Canadian MLIS programs has increased by 67% over the past 5 years (from 907 in 2000 to 1511 in 2004) • Between 2000 and 2005, enrolments increased by 33%

  37. LIT Programs • Applications to LIT programs increased by 19% between 2000/2001 and 2004/2004, though there is a great deal of variation across individual institutions. • In the past 5 years, LIT application rates increased by 19% and enrollments increased by 17%

  38. MLIS Programs • An analysis of core required courses for all MLIS students across Canada show a generalist orientation • All LIS programs require students to take at least one course in management/business/leadership, and research • 6 LIS programs require coursework in IT and issues/history/foundations • 3 require coursework in public service and technical/bibliographic service • 1 requires a collections course • Most Deans/Directors noted recent increases in IT or management-related curriculum. • All 7 schools offer a practicum component, with 3 of these being mandatory for students. • Several schools offer other opportunities professional experience or networking • Virtually all employers felt that candidates for professional librarian positions should • possess good communication skills • possess good interpersonal skills • be able to learn new skills • be able to respond flexibly to change.

  39. MLIS Programs • Students see the largest gap between perceived importance and provision of business skills, followed by leadership and managerial skills • 46% of students agreed that their program is providing them with a realistic depiction of what is like to work as a librarian or in a related profession • 68% of current students expressed satisfaction with the overall quality of their education • 75% of the employers agreed with the statement that education provided in MLIS programs equips graduates with the competencies required to be professional librarians at their organizations • Suggestions for improvement: • Students and recent graduates: more practical training • Employers: improvements to management-related curriculum

  40. LIT Programs • The single focus of LIT programs is to ensure graduates have applied (as opposed to theoretical) knowledge that will enhance their employability • Technical & bibliographic courses and information technology courses together comprise 40% of all required courses across the country

  41. LIT Programs • Important competencies for paraprofessional / lib tech staff according to employers: • interpersonal/people skills 100% • organizational commitment 95% • communication skills 93% • Most important and difficult to fulfill competencies when recruiting library technicians: • the ability to respond flexibly to change • IT skills • public service skills

  42. LIT Programs • Minor gaps between important competencies and their provision in the diploma program • 78% of current LIT students agreed that their program is providing them with a realistic depiction of what it is like to work as a library technician • 83% of current LIT students expressed overall satisfaction with their program • 90% of employers believe that LIT diploma programs adequately equip students for the workplace • Suggestions for improvement • Current students: better course content • Employers: better technology skills training and more specialized training

  43. Implications • No smoking gun: there appears to be no imminent crisis in library staff supply and demand • We haven’t shattered the myth of a shortage in the library workforce, but softened it • There remain pressing issues for the library community to examine

  44. Implications • Shifting roles experienced between librarian and paraprofessional staff • Access to education for all staff • Base education programs • Continuing professional development • Leadership and management potential and competencies of new and existing staff • Library programs must consider the real-world demands that both institutions and staff experience

  45. Charge to the Community • Recruitment isn’t about numbers, but about qualities and competencies • Management, leadership, IT • Recruitment isn’t just to institutions, but to the profession • Convergence between the profession and the schools • Recognize potential in staff and create structures to encourage growth • Address the challenge of increasing and supporting diversity in the library workforce

  46. Charge to the Community • Build greater accessibility to library education programs • Commit to professional development for all library workers • Take on leadership and management development as core competencies to be nurtured within the workforce • Gain greater understanding of role shifts and how they define core competencies • What do new and mid-career staff see as necessary competencies? • How can training barriers (due to limited budgets) be addressed?

  47. Getting the Information Out Study available for free download (both languages) from: http://www.ls.ualberta.ca/8rs CLA President’s Council Cultural Human Resources Council Training Gaps Analysis download: http://www.culturalhrc.ca/research/default-e.asp

  48. Studies’ Sponsors and Supporters • University of Alberta • Canadian Association of Research Libraries • Canadian Urban Libraries Council • Library and Archives Canada • Alberta Community Development, Government of Alberta • Canadian Library Association • Cultural Human Resources Council / Human Resources and Skills Development Canada

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