Choice of career in library and information science and past work experience

2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 654-669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zvjezdana Dukic

The study explores how different occupational backgrounds of Master’s students in LIS shape their motivation to choose a career in the library profession. The research is conducted on full-time employed Master’s students from Hong Kong. The research method applied is survey, and data were collected with an online questionnaire. The study reveals that students with library jobs significantly differ from students employed elsewhere with respect to motivation to pursue a career in LIS. While library-employed students place more value on extrinsic motivating factors, students employed in other fields value intrinsic factors as well. Regarding the future developments in the LIS profession, students from both groups agree that the application of information technologies, service orientation, academic research, marketing activities and teaching are all important.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Yiwan Wang

<p>There has been a lack of academic research focusing on the generational differences in leadership preferences in the Chinese context, particularly in terms of the Millennial generation. In what way, if at all, do the leadership preferences of Chinese Millennials differ from those of Chinese non-Millennials? Such was the guiding question of the study I present in this thesis. The purpose of this study was to explore and compare the leadership preferences of Chinese Millennials and non-Millennials, so as to allow academics and organizations to better understand the leadership preferences of Chinese Millennials, and recognize the differences/similarities in leadership preferences between the employees of different generations in China. A total of 460 participants participated in this study (230 are Millennials, 230 non-Millennials), all of whom were Chinese living in mainland China, and full-time workers with at least one year of work experience. The study used a questionnaire to collect data regarding participants’ leadership preferences, which was then analyzed in three steps (i.e., a primary analysis and two follow-up analyses). The results show that, overall, Chinese Millennials have similar leadership preferences to non-Millennials. I draw on relevant literature to theorize about the social and psychological mechanisms that might underpin my findings. Potential explanations include traditional Chinese culture being consolidated and inherited; people having similar fundamental needs (regardless of generational membership), and therefore similar leadership preferences; and the impact of intergenerational interactions and a shared organizational environment. By increasing understanding of the research evidence that exists about leadership preferences across generations, leadership challenges in the multi-generation workforce can be overcome. A better understanding of Millennials’ leadership preferences, as well as differences and similarities in these preferences among different generations, also enables organizations and leaders to better lead the growing number of Millennial employees in China.</p>


1994 ◽  
Vol 33 (03) ◽  
pp. 268-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. Protti

Abstract:The University of Victoria has the only program in Canada offering a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Information Science. To meet the requirements of the degree, students must complete 40 courses and 4 CO-OP work terms over 4.3 years. The School admits 30 students each September of which 60% are normally female. Seventy-five percent of the students come from British Columbia, ranging in age from 18 to 42 with the average age being 26 years. In addition to recent high school graduates, over 40% have previous degrees or diplomas, and 65% have over 5 years of work experience. The School’s teaching team consists of 5 full-time faculty, 3 professional staff and 4 part-time faculty. The majority of the faculty have health backgrounds, totalling 135 person-years of practising health care experience. As of November 1992, the School had 113 graduates; 75% are employed in British Columbia, 18% are in other parts of Canada and 7% outside the country. Forty-five percent of the graduates work in government departments including community health agencies; 29% work in hospitals; 26% work in management consulting firms, software houses, or computer hardware firms. They work as systems/project analysts, systems consultants, research assistants, planning analysts, system-support staff, trainers/developers and client account representatives. Some are already in senior management positions.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Yiwan Wang

<p>There has been a lack of academic research focusing on the generational differences in leadership preferences in the Chinese context, particularly in terms of the Millennial generation. In what way, if at all, do the leadership preferences of Chinese Millennials differ from those of Chinese non-Millennials? Such was the guiding question of the study I present in this thesis. The purpose of this study was to explore and compare the leadership preferences of Chinese Millennials and non-Millennials, so as to allow academics and organizations to better understand the leadership preferences of Chinese Millennials, and recognize the differences/similarities in leadership preferences between the employees of different generations in China. A total of 460 participants participated in this study (230 are Millennials, 230 non-Millennials), all of whom were Chinese living in mainland China, and full-time workers with at least one year of work experience. The study used a questionnaire to collect data regarding participants’ leadership preferences, which was then analyzed in three steps (i.e., a primary analysis and two follow-up analyses). The results show that, overall, Chinese Millennials have similar leadership preferences to non-Millennials. I draw on relevant literature to theorize about the social and psychological mechanisms that might underpin my findings. Potential explanations include traditional Chinese culture being consolidated and inherited; people having similar fundamental needs (regardless of generational membership), and therefore similar leadership preferences; and the impact of intergenerational interactions and a shared organizational environment. By increasing understanding of the research evidence that exists about leadership preferences across generations, leadership challenges in the multi-generation workforce can be overcome. A better understanding of Millennials’ leadership preferences, as well as differences and similarities in these preferences among different generations, also enables organizations and leaders to better lead the growing number of Millennial employees in China.</p>


2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin K.W. Ho ◽  
Patrick Lo ◽  
Dickson K.W. Chiu ◽  
Elaine Wei San Kong ◽  
Joyce Chao-chen Chen ◽  
...  

This study examined the career and learning motivation of students studying a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) degree programs at universities located in four different countries, namely the University of Hong Kong, National Taiwan Normal University, Peking University, and the University of Copenhagen. The MLIS students from these four universities were invited to take part in a self-completion online questionnaire survey, and 200 responses were collected in total. We discovered that their prior working experience in the library had an impact on their decision to pursue the MLIS program. We also categorized the career and learning motivation factors of MLIS learners into intrinsic and extrinsic factors, and discovered that the participants were motivated by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors to pursue their graduate studies in the Library and Information Science (LIS) field. We found that intrinsic factors influenced the students of University of Copenhagen significantly more than the other student groups, and this could be explained by Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. Our findings can assist with the formulation of development strategies for MLIS programs through a review of the LIS curriculum and help MLIS programs in different countries attract more people to pursue a career in LIS.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 1552-1563
Author(s):  
Denise A. Tucker ◽  
Mary V. Compton ◽  
Sarah J. Allen ◽  
Robert Mayo ◽  
Celia Hooper ◽  
...  

Purpose The intended purpose of this research note is to share the findings of a needs assessment online survey of speech and hearing professionals practicing in North Carolina to explore their interest in pursuing a research-focused PhD in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) and to document their perceptions of barriers to pursing a PhD in CSD. In view of the well-documented shortage of doctor of philosophy (PhD) faculty to attract, retain, and mentor doctoral students to advance research and to prepare future speech and hearing professionals, CSD faculty must assess the needs, perceptions, and barriers prospective students encounter when considering pursuing a doctoral research degree in CSD. Method The article describes the results of a survey of 242 speech and hearing professionals to investigate their interest in obtaining an academic research-focused PhD in CSD and to solicit their perceived barriers to pursuing a research doctoral degree in CSD. Results Two thirds of the respondents (63.6%) reported that they had considered pursuing a PhD in CSD. Desire for knowledge, desire to teach, and work advancement were the top reasons given for pursuing a PhD in CSD. Eighty-two percent of respondents had no interest in traditional full-time study. Forty-two percent of respondents indicated that they would be interested in part-time and distance doctoral study. The barriers of time, distance, and money emerged as those most frequently identified barriers by respondents. Conclusion The implications inform higher education faculty on how they can best address the needs of an untapped pool of prospective doctoral students in CSD.


Mousaion ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mpilo Siphamandla Mthembu ◽  
Dennis Ngong Ocholla

Public libraries play a crucial role in the information and knowledge society. Their access and services in the fourth industrial revolution require review as well as the knowledge of the competency requirements for Library and Information Science (LIS) graduates to offer professional services. This paper presents the competencies LIS graduates require for work. It also seeks to examine the challenges they encounter in public libraries. The study is driven by the notion that a skills gap and a lack of training for LIS professionals are still daunting challenges in most public libraries. The post-positivism paradigm was employed through the triangulation of both qualitative and quantitative methodologies in data collection and analysis. Content analysis and a survey were employed as research methods. The study scanned job advertisements in four newspapers spanning a three-year period (from January 2015 to December 2017). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with assistant directors and structured questionnaires were administered to LIS graduates. Grade 12, one to three years of work experience, computer literacy and communication skills are the most required competencies to work at public libraries. There seems to be no balance between theory and practice offered in most LIS schools, which suggests the need for curricula revision. Employed LIS graduates are facing several challenges, which include lack of practical exposure or knowledge, lack of qualification recognition and individual promotions, and lack of ICT skills and knowledge.


Author(s):  
Almaziya G. Kataeva ◽  
◽  
Sergei D. Kataev ◽  

The modern development of society determines the forms and content of the process of teaching foreign languages. The quantity and quality of information in the field of mastering a foreign language is constantly growing as a means of sociocultural, linguistic and cultural and professional development of an individual. A foreign language is currently considered as an integral part of intercultural communication in various fields of objective reality and the development of a culture of interethnic communication. In the process of teaching a foreign language, technologies are becoming increasingly important which makes it possible to achieve the required level of communicative competence in speaking and writing in a shorter time frame and to recreate a virtual spatial temporal communication environment with native speakers. In this regard, the form of distance learning can be more and more prospective, being psychologically more comfortable for students and teachers; many of its elements can be integrated into other forms of training. The article exposes certain information technologies, the use of which increases the effectiveness of teaching a foreign language in distance, part-time and full-time courses. On the example of specific interactive multimedia Internet resources in the field of learning the German language, the urgent importance of using computerized teaching methods for acquiring and enhancing pronunciation, lexical and grammatical skills and knowledge with the aim of forming linguistic and cultural and professional competence of students is emphasized. At the same time, the article highlights importance of non-verbal forms of communication for achieving the desired effect of verbal communication, while relying on relevant audiovisual Internet resources.


2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (suppl 1) ◽  
pp. bjgp20X711401
Author(s):  
Jon Gibson ◽  
Sharon Spooner ◽  
Matt Sutton ◽  
Imelda McDermott ◽  
Mhorag Goff ◽  
...  

BackgroundThe expansion of the primary care workforce by employing a varied range of practitioners (‘skill mix’) is a key component of the General Practice Forward View (GPFV). The extent of skill mix change and where that has occurred has been examined using publicly available practice level workforce data. However, such data does not provide information regarding specific motivating factors behind employment decisions for individual practices nor future workforce plans.AimTo identify key motivating factors behind practice workforce decisions and their future workforce plans.MethodAn online questionnaire was sent to practice managers in England. Data collection is ongoing; however, 1000 practices have responded to the survey so far. The questionnaire was composed of questions related to current workforce, motivating factors behind employment decisions, planned future workforce changes, financial assistance with employing staff (for example, HEE or CCG funding) and ideal workforce.ResultsEarly results indicate that practices that have employed physician associates have done so to increase appointment availability (78% of practices) and release GP time (68%). Sixty-six per cent of practices who have employed pharmacists have received some form of financial assistance with 21% of practices still receiving assistance. When asked to construct an ideal workforce, ‘new’ roles accounted for 20% of that workforce on average, which is a significantly larger proportion than those roles currently account for.ConclusionAlthough data collection and analysis are ongoing, the results of the survey provide novel insights into the underlying motivating factors behind employment decisions, specifically for new roles such as pharmacists, PAs and paramedics.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-32
Author(s):  
ALIKHAN М. BAIMENOV ◽  

The article emphasizes that modern governments, working in unique socio-economic, historical and cultural conditions, must take into account global trends, as well as the growth of citizens’ expectations associated with the rapid development of information technologies and other factors. In such circumstances, special attention is paid to the effectiveness of public administration. The article discusses some of the significant factors impacting the effectiveness of public administration, such as the professionalization of the state apparatus, the legibility of the institutional framework, the optimization of information flows and corporate culture. In accordance with this, on the basis of work experience in the public administration system and analysis of civil service reforms in the countries of the region, the main challenges and possible solutions are shown. In the professionalization of the state apparatus, the importance of the merit principles in the selection and promotion stages of personnel through the empowerment of human resource (HR) management services, the integrity of tools and approaches at all stages of selection process, and the responsibility of the selection board are noted. The author focuses on the need to ensure a balance of powers, responsibility and resources, delimitation of powers between political and administrative civil servants, optimization of information flows. Particular importance is paid to corporate culture, which is one of the main factors affecting the efficiency of the state apparatus. It is noted that central values of corporate culture and leadership in state bodies of the countries of our region, along with generally accepted in the modern leadership theory, should be respect for the dignity, work and time of employees.


Author(s):  
Ben Y. F. Fong ◽  
Martin C. S. Wong ◽  
Vincent T. S. Law ◽  
Man Fung Lo ◽  
Tommy K. C. Ng ◽  
...  

In Hong Kong, social distancing has been adopted in order to minimise the spread of COVID-19. This study aims to examine the changes in physical health, mental health, and social well-being experienced by local residents who were homebound during the pandemic. An online questionnaire in both Chinese and English versions was completed by 590 eligible participants from 24 April to 13 May 2020. The questionnaire found that individuals aged 18 to 25 years spent more time resting and relaxing but experienced more physical strain. Working status was associated with social contact, with participants working full-time jobs scoring higher in “maintaining social communication via electronic means” and “avoiding social activities outside the home”. Additionally, approximately one third of the participants (29.7%) had moderate to severe depression, and participants aged 18 to 25 were found to have higher scores in PHQ-9. Changes in physical health and social contact were significantly associated with developing depressive symptoms. From the results, it is clear that the COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to exert a negative impact on the mental health status of individuals.


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