MLIS SKILLS AT WORK

[Pages:50]MLIS SKILLS AT WORK

A Snapshot of Job Postings Spring 2021

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Introduction Audience Trends Overview Data Analysis, Presentation of Findings Job Titles, Duties, Skills, Specialized Knowledge

? By Type of Work Activity or Role ? By Type of Employer or Organization Recommendations for LIS Job Seekers Methodology Job Sites Searched

Slide 3 4 5 8 17 18 30 39 45 48

3 INTRODUCTION

The San Jos? State University School of Information's MLIS Skills at Work report is an annual snapshot analysis of the latest career trends for information professionals. Data were collected between January and May 2021 through a survey of job duties and qualifications from 400 recent job postings for library and information science (LIS) professionals, sourced from both general and LIS-specific job search sites.

The time frame of this snapshot view coincided with the on-going COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and around the world. This data reflects a period of ongoing changes as institutions and companies continue to reassess workflow and operations. In our analysis, we have identified trends that can help LIS professionals and students prepare themselves to engage in this market as either a job candidate or a hiring decision-maker. At the same time, we acknowledge that there is no way to predict the new reality as circumstances continue to develop and libraries and other institutions adapt in response.

4 AUDIENCE

This report is intended for...

? Prospective students exploring career paths for information professionals ? Current students preparing to enter the job market and/or planning the courses they

will take to develop marketable skills ? Practitioners who may be considering how they might expand their career options ? Information center leaders responsible for creating and recruiting for tomorrow's jobs ? Educators preparing students for successful, resilient careers in the information

professions

TRENDS OVERVIEW 1: THE NUMBERS

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Previous experience continues to be an important trend for working in an MLIS degree-related position. Almost all jobs listed require or prefer experience in a work environment or information setting.

? If you don't have experience, take the time to fit in an internship (remote or in-person, if available) into your MLIS program. If you cannot get experience in a library, consider the possibility of practicing field-specific skills, such as cataloging, customer service, research, or project management in some other setting.

Supervising and managing staff is also an increasingly popular skill and job duty. 40% of postings list supervising staff as a job duty; 28% include `supervisor,' `director,' or `head of' in the position title.

There is a trending demand for candidates who have the ability to successfully work remotely, including demonstrated self-management skills and remote technology experience. Almost a quarter of jobs listed (23%) indicated some remote work or a hybrid model. About 4% were listed as fully remote, but this number may be underreported.

Information employers are committing to full-time jobs. 93% of job postings are for full-time positions.

TRENDS OVERVIEW 2: THE SKILLS

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There is continued demand for candidates who possess excellent interpersonal communication, problemsolving, customer relations and teamwork skills, and the ability to demonstrate a positive and enthusiastic commitment to public service.

Employers also value skills in outreach, marketing, grant writing, fund development, budgeting, and financial management.

Successful candidates will be collaborative, innovative, forward-thinking, and open to uncertainty and ambiguity. These candidates will be aware of new trends and emerging technologies to thrive in a complex, changing environment.

The demand for informed decision-making during a time of unpredictable transitions requires information professionals to gather, appraise, organize, analyze, and disseminate information in a smart, concise, and digestible way.

TRENDS OVERVIEW 3: DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION

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This has been a time of substantial cultural reflection on inequities in our society, communities, professional associations, and institutions. Librarians and other information professionals have been deeply involved in these explorations of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), especially because librarianship has historically been ? and continues to be ? an overwhelmingly white profession. (The iSchool's strong commitment to DEI solutions is evidenced, among other activities, by its active and ongoing recruitment and support of first-generation LIS students.)

As part of the important work being undertaken via DEI initiatives, employers are increasingly asking candidates to think intentionally about what it means to serve diverse and historically excluded communities. Consequently, all jobseekers should be prepared to answer this question, and describe ways both their work and their workplace behaviors could help contribute to solutions.

In order to advance and sustain DEI goals, employers will be seeking individuals whose strengths include adaptability, flexibility, curiosity, creativity, and a commitment to advancing equity, inclusion, structural change, and anti-racism.

About 46% of job listings are looking for candidates that have the capacity to work with or serve a diverse public, build inclusivity within the profession or institution, and/or recognize that change may be needed from within.

Successful candidates need to be innovative, creative, and determined to implement systematic and structural changes to ultimately improve information access to an ever-changing and growing user community and meet the needs of historically excluded groups.

DATA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION OF 8 FINDINGS

The following 8 slides address these key data points:

? Types of employing organizations ? Representative job titles ? Soft skills most in demand ? LIS skills most in demand ? Expanding opportunities and skills:

Advancing equity, inclusion, structural change, and anti-racism (EISCA) ? Representative specialized skills ? MLIS required or preferred ? Job-specific experience requirements

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