Measuring Infopreneurial Intentions of Library and Information Science Graduating Students

2020 ◽  
pp. 566-590
Author(s):  
Gratitude Chiwara-Ndoro ◽  
Peterson Dewah
Keyword(s):  
Information Science ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Design Data ◽  
Employment Opportunities ◽  
Bachelor Of Science ◽  
Mixed Method Design ◽  
Information Brokers ◽  
The Unemployed ◽  
Graduating Students

The purpose of the study anchoring this chapter was to measure the extent to which the students from the Department of Library and Information Science had intentions to venture into infopreneurship after graduating with their Bachelor of Science Honours Degree in Library and Information Science. Using a mixed-method design, data were collected from a population of 45 students through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Findings revealed that the majority (25) students intended to pursue infopreneurship as information consultants, information brokers, researchers, information literacy assistants, writers, and proofreaders. The study concluded that infopreneurship could be a panacea to the unemployed information science graduates in Zimbabwe. Since the field of infopreneurship is unique and under-researched, the study recommends the creation of a community of practice of infopreneurs who research, share ideas, collaborate, and make the field of infopreneurship robust and efficient in creating employment opportunities for information science graduates.

Perceptions on Job Requirements of LIS Graduates in Public Libraries: A Reflection on Public Libraries in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Mousaion ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mpilo Siphamandla Mthembu ◽  
Dennis Ngong Ocholla
Keyword(s):  
Work Experience ◽  
Computer Literacy ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Knowledge Society ◽  
Professional Services ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
Structured Interviews

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.

scholarly journals Are you mentoring or coaching? Definitions matter

2020 ◽  
pp. 096100062096665
Author(s):  
Lisa Hussey ◽  
Jennifer Campbell-Meier
Keyword(s):  
Best Practice ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Research Question ◽  
The United States ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
Explicit Learning ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Apply Theory ◽  
Implicit And Explicit ◽  
Implicit And Explicit Learning

New library and information science professionals, without previous experience in information organizations, are often left adrift, unsure how to apply theory or best practice to a new work environment. To bridge this gap, mentoring and coaching opportunities are often employed (or mandated) to provide new practitioners with required skills, knowledge, or networking. There are opportunities to harness implicit and explicit learning through experiences and interactions through mentoring and coaching. Definitions of mentoring and coaching in the profession are often used interchangeably when discussing the growth and development of an individual. This leads to the following questions: How do librarians define both mentoring and coaching? How do mentoring and coaching relate to professional development? To address the research question, 47 semi-structured interviews were conducted with librarians in Canada, New Zealand, and the United States between 2015 and 2016. Participants were asked about their mentoring and coaching experiences. During the interviews, participants were asked questions about their experiences as a mentor or mentee. In addition, participants were asked to define both “mentoring” and “coaching.” The authors used an inductive approach to data analysis, and interviews were coded by category.

Valuing studies in higher education: Symbolic means and strategies of students negotiating their position in the library and information science field

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 306-314
Author(s):  
Valentini Moniarou-Papaconstantinou
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Hierarchical Classification ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Science Field ◽  
Academic Knowledge ◽  
The Social ◽  
Knowledge Content

The library and information science field attempts to legitimize its position in higher education, in a ‘culture of uncertainty’, where boundaries are fluid. The position of LIS in the hierarchical classification of academic subjects is influenced by the changes in both the field of higher education and in the information environment, creating expectations for the emergence of new fields of study, research and professional practices. The purpose of this paper is to examine how LIS students position themselves in their field of study and the resources they use in processes of meaning-making. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with students from the three LIS departments operating in Greece at the undergraduate level. The results showed that the academic knowledge content of the object, the assignment of scientific characteristics to it, the signifier of the book, the form of professional practice and, above all, technology are the most prominent resources among those that most young people utilized in their effort to negotiate the symbolic class (i.e. the dominant cultural categories which give meaning to the social world).

scholarly journals The Professional Identity Experiences of LIS Graduates in Non-Library Roles Can Be Described by the Theory of Personalizing Professionalism

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-23
Author(s):  
Melissa Goertzen
Keyword(s):  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Professional Identity ◽  
Information Science ◽  
The United States ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Design Data ◽  
Grounded Theory Methodology ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Theoretical Sampling ◽  
Job Title

A Review of: Fraser-Arnott, M. (2017, May 17). Personalizing professionalism: The professional identity experiences of LIS graduates in non-library roles. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/0961000617709062 Abstract Objective – To produce a theory that captures the professional identity experiences of library and information science (LIS) graduates employed in non-library roles. Design – Data collection and analysis were conducted using semi-structured interviews and grounded theory methodology. Setting – A variety of industry sectors located in the United States or Canada. Subjects – Twenty professionals with Master's degrees in LIS employed in non-library roles. Method – This study used the Glaserian Grounded Theory methodology, which requires constant theoretical sampling and comparison until no new data is found in any coding category. The researcher utilized two types of sampling in this study: snowball or chain referral sampling, and theoretical sampling. These techniques allowed the researcher to build a potential list of participants from a difficult to reach population. Study data was collected through semi-structured interviews divided into three sections: 1) participants were asked to describe their career experiences from their decision to attend library school to the present; 2) follow-up questions by the researcher in response to comments made by participants during the first phase; 3) questions listed in an interview guide that examined educational experiences, communities, and how participants identify themselves as professionals. Main Results – Study results produced the theory of Personalizing Professionalism, which suggests that each individual possess two identities that interact with one another throughout the course of one's career. The first is an internal appraisal of self that represents who one is as a professional. It is developed as a result of socialization in the profession and an understanding of personal motivations and interests. The second is an externally expressed identity that represents how an individual presents himself or herself to achieve professional goals. This can include self-imposed labels, such as "librarian", or strategies used to find a path within the profession. This process involves reflections and actions aimed at identifying what type of professional to be and steps required to achieve goals. The results also indicate that interactions with others impact an individual’s internal appraisal of self and externally expressed identity. Areas of conflict were identified when commonly held views of how a professional identity should be expressed did not match the identity that an individual developed or displayed to others. When conflicts arose, individuals used a variety of strategies to resolve the discrepancy between internal and external identities: assimilation, attempting to influence or change the perceptions of the group, or withdrawal. In terms of self-identifying as a librarian, the study found that participants who chose the term as a professional label believed that the work they do in non-library settings was still compatible with their definition of what it meant to be a librarian. Participants who identified as librarians some of the time and by their job title at other times did so based on an evaluation of which label would best advance their position with a given audience. Finally, participants who chose not to use the label of librarian had never internally associated with the role or job title; these individuals completed a LIS program to gain transferable skills or qualify for a wide variety of employment opportunities. Conclusion – The theory of Personalizing Professionalism provides insight into the development and expression of professional identity experiences when LIS graduates work in non-library roles. The results have value to practitioners and educators who market LIS programs or develop course content. For instance, in the future greater emphasis could be placed on transferable skill sets that are of value to roles outside of traditional library settings. Many participants described potential or actual conflicts when trying to place themselves within the LIS community because new ideas of what it means to be a “librarian” were rejected, leading to feelings of exclusion. Over time, this could lead to a detrimental loss of innovation and ideas.

scholarly journals Unemployment as a liminoid phenomenon: Identity trajectories in times of crisis

2017 ◽  
Vol 71 (9) ◽  
pp. 1153-1178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Daskalaki ◽  
Maria Simosi
Keyword(s):  
Financial Crisis ◽  
Career Paths ◽  
Professional Identities ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Employment Opportunities ◽  
Economic Stagnation ◽  
Neoliberal Restructuring ◽  
The Unemployed ◽  
Future Work

This article explores the formation of work identities in times of financial crisis and extreme austerity. In particular, we build upon prior studies of liminality, a state of in-betweenness and ambiguity, and explore how individuals, whose employment opportunities and career paths have been disrupted, construct their work/professional identities. The study draws on 39 semi-structured interviews conducted in Greece, where high levels of unemployment and economic stagnation prevail. Persistent crisis and austerity have prompted extended periods of instability and unpredictability during which the unemployed narratively (re)construct their past, present and future work selves. We propose that frequent job changes and persistent lack of work are not linear experiences but, instead, require multiple and, at times, ambiguous, fluid and incomplete identifications. These identifications include attempts to re-affirm prior stable professional identities, to institute new, yet still unidentified, careers or to enact what we term ‘liminoid identity positions’. When in liminoid positions, instead of pursuing intangible work futures, the unemployed create anti-structural spaces in which they collectively practice alternative forms of work and organization. Concluding, the article provides grounds for the study of individuals’ capacity to challenge the neoliberal restructuring of work and the possibilities for transformation in periods of unemployment and crisis.

The employment landscape and LIS education in Pakistan: challenges and prospects

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amara Malik ◽  
Kanwal Ameen
Keyword(s):  
Information Science ◽  
Future Orientation ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Job Market ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Job Titles ◽  
The Future ◽  
Information Landscape

Purpose This study aims to explore the current and future employment opportunities for library and information science (LIS) graduates. It identifies future employers and emerging competitors in the information landscape. The strategies that may be used to respond to and capture the future job market are also presented for LIS schools in the light of the study findings. Design/methodology/approach The qualitative approach coupled with the interview technique was used for collecting insight into the phenomena. Face-to-face and telephonic semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 faculty members (professors, associate professors and assistant professors) from 8 LIS departments. A thematic analysis approach was used to analyze the data to present the participants’ opinions regarding various aspects of the job market in the country. Findings It was found that the job market was still traditional (library) and would continue to be so for the next five to seven years. However, the findings also indicated the emergence of a non-traditional job market in the country. New job titles and functions relevant to the emerging job sector other than libraries in the information environment were noted. Originality/value Findings may have a direct impact on the future orientation, survival and sustainability of LIS programs in the country. The study may inform curriculum revision and updating efforts to make it more relevant and responsive to future needs.

scholarly journals The effects of the research excellence framework research impact agenda on early- and mid-career researchers in library and information science

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 608-618 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita Marcella ◽  
Hayley Lockerbie ◽  
Lyndsay Bloice ◽  
Caroline Hood ◽  
Flora Barton
Keyword(s):  
Information Science ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Research Impact ◽  
Research Quality ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
Quality Assessment Tool ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Research Excellence Framework ◽  
Research Excellence ◽  
Research Quality Assessment

Early- and mid-career researchers will shape the future of library and information science (LIS) research and it is crucial they be well placed to engage with the research impact agenda. Their understanding of research impact may influence their capacity to be returned to research excellence framework (REF), the UK’s research quality assessment tool, as well as their ability to access research funding. This article reports the findings of a qualitative study exploring how the research impact agenda is influencing early- and mid-career researcher behaviour. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 early- and mid-career researchers. While enthusiastic about creating lasting impact, participants lack effective institutional support to maximise their own research impact. Participants demonstrate uncertainty about what REF impact is. The authors conclude that while there is evidence LIS academics engage with practice to maximise impact, they lack support in building impact and the discipline needs to do more to create opportunities for the academy and the profession to coalesce to identify objects for and deliver impactful research.

scholarly journals Are you mentoring or coaching? Definitions matter

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Hussey ◽  
Jennifer Campbell-Meier
Keyword(s):  
Best Practice ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Research Question ◽  
The United States ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
Explicit Learning ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Apply Theory ◽  
Implicit And Explicit ◽  
Implicit And Explicit Learning

© The Author(s) 2020. New library and information science professionals, without previous experience in information organizations, are often left adrift, unsure how to apply theory or best practice to a new work environment. To bridge this gap, mentoring and coaching opportunities are often employed (or mandated) to provide new practitioners with required skills, knowledge, or networking. There are opportunities to harness implicit and explicit learning through experiences and interactions through mentoring and coaching. Definitions of mentoring and coaching in the profession are often used interchangeably when discussing the growth and development of an individual. This leads to the following questions: How do librarians define both mentoring and coaching? How do mentoring and coaching relate to professional development? To address the research question, 47 semi-structured interviews were conducted with librarians in Canada, New Zealand, and the United States between 2015 and 2016. Participants were asked about their mentoring and coaching experiences. During the interviews, participants were asked questions about their experiences as a mentor or mentee. In addition, participants were asked to define both “mentoring” and “coaching.” The authors used an inductive approach to data analysis, and interviews were coded by category.

scholarly journals Threshold concepts and core competences in the library and information science (LIS) domain: Methodologies for discovery

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (125) ◽  
pp. 61-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginia M. Tucker
Keyword(s):  
Research Design ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Constructivist Grounded Theory ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
Threshold Concepts ◽  
Core Knowledge ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Critical Knowledge ◽  
Core Competences

Researchers have used a variety of methodologies for investigating threshold concepts, and this paper considers these approaches for library and information science (LIS) domains. The focus is on specific benefits of constructivist grounded theory for eliciting evidence of core knowledge, and elements of research design for this purpose are discussed, including the importance of collecting experiences from the learners themselves as well as effective protocols for data gathering and analysis through the use of active tasks and semi-structured interviews. The discussion extends to implications of the research design for how it may be applied to thematic analysis more broadly and to discovering critical knowledge that does not have the characteristics of threshold concepts but which may indicate attributes of core competences in the LIS discipline.

scholarly journals Mobile phones for development

2017 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 294-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvain K. Cibangu ◽  
Mark Hepworth ◽  
Donna Champion
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type

Purpose This paper relayed an important line of Mark Hepworth’s work, which engages with information technologies and development. The purpose of this paper is to suggest a subfield of library and information science (LIS) for development to reclaim the role of information services and systems for social change in rural areas. The paper looked at the extent of development gained with the advent of mobile phones. Design/methodology/approach Rather than undertaking traditional large-scale, quantitative, context-independent and survey-type research, the paper employed capability approach and semi-structured interviews to ascertain the experiences that mobile phone kiosk vendors in the rural Congo had of mobile phones. Findings It was found that mobile phones should be geared towards the liberation, and not utilization or commodification of humans and their needs and that mobile phones were not a catalyst of human basic capabilities. Research limitations/implications Since the method employed is an in-depth qualitative analysis of mobile phone kiosk vendors, obtained results can be used to enrich or inform mobile phone experiences in other settings and groups. Practical implications This paper provided empirical evidence as to how an important group of mobile phone users could harness development with their mobiles. Originality/value Most LIS literature has presented mobile phones along the lines of information freedom or access, mass subscription, adoption rates, technological and entrepreneurial innovation, micro-credits, etc. However, the paper placed the topic development at the heart of LIS debates.

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