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Author: Saskia Hoving

Editor-in-Chief

As “The only constant in life is change�, there should be no surprises, in theory. The reality is, however, that being prepared means disruption in the workplace. In this post we look at the changes that have affected academic libraries over recent years, and how this has impacted on job roles, skills and training. With insights from three librarians to provide a well-rounded view of these changes.

Academic libraries are used to change - they’re good at it. It’s in their nature to embrace new ways of working to accommodate changing institutional needs and new technological developments. Look no further than the way they managed the digital revolution. As user habits changed with the advent of the digital era, libraries demonstrated their adaptability by rapidly adopting the opportunities presented by the Internet in order to better serve their patrons. 

More recently, there have been further major changes which have made a significant impact on the everyday working life of the academic library. When the Covid pandemic hit, libraries moved fast, successfully navigating the challenges of the sudden shift to remote working and the surge in digital access. The growth of open access and open science has brought about whole new jobs and responsibilities, which libraries have assimilated and championed as a crucial element of their role.

As AI beds in, they face the additional challenges of promoting research integrity alongside supporting users in navigating these new tools. Evan Simpson, Associate Dean at Northeastern University Library, sees a blurring of lines between library roles – of supporting teaching and learning, and supporting research. “There’s a greater emphasis on understanding the information ecosystem as a whole now,� he says. “So libraries have to embrace the range of learning opportunities and services offered, and it’s no longer just about supporting particular courses. New and more complex skills are needed for information discovery – you need a good understanding of discovery tools and interoperability issues.� And there’s more to it. “Universities are aware of the commercial opportunities of research, so there’s pressure on the institution and the library to support them in this.�

New roles for the future-proofed library

Roles have changed and new roles have been emerging to accommodate the stream of new and changing responsibilities. Job titles reflect this – it’s now common to see roles such as Open Research Librarian, User Experience Librarian, Data Visualisation Librarian, Digital Humanities Librarian, and many more. But how much have things really changed, and what does this mean for the workforce? We looked for answers, and asked libraries about how they’re managing change.

published in The Southeastern Librarian analysed job ads posted in 2022 and 2023, offering insights into the post-pandemic job market for academic librarians in the Southeast United States. Interestingly, the research showed that even though roles and responsibilities continue to evolve, the demand remains steady for many traditional roles, and prior experience continues to be valued. The research also showed that systems/digital roles are commanding higher starting salaries to attract the necessary expertise.

“There are now more different flavours of librarians – digital collections, OA, Open Scholarship, User Experience, Buying/Licensing – all of which need specific trainingâ€� 

Jane Harvell, Library Director, University of Sussex, UK

There’s no question that libraries now require a range of skills that were not necessary five or ten years ago. Libraries are addressing new skills in two ways – bringing in new people with those skills, or training from within. There are of course advantages to either route. Greg Sheaf acknowledges the value of bringing in new staff. “You need new perspectives too, different experiences. Disrupting things can be useful,â€� he says. However, investing in your existing staff can be rewarding all round. Training people up in new areas is easy. For example, conferences are a good place to learn about the latest in digital collections and to network, asking questions and meeting experienced people. Sussex University has a Community of Practice where the library works with faculty on developing training courses, sharing ideas and linking to research they’re doing in areas such as Generative AI. 

Lean times for libraries – but they cope

Many librarians report problems with offering competitive rates to attract new staff. And according to Jane Harvell, one of the biggest issues currently in the library is that staff development is the first area being cut. “It’s a different world to ten years ago. Many institutions had budgets for staff development, but now you have to make a case for it.� With ever-shrinking budgets, libraries are turning to more creative ways of training their staff.

“It’s difficult to recruit as you can make more money in the private sectorâ€� 

Greg Sheaf, Assistant Librarian at Trinity College Dublin

More training on the job

Covid brought about many changes across libraries, including a whole new way of learning. People are learning from one another, sharing what they need to know across the institution and between institutions. As Greg Sheaf says, “Everyone can learn from everyone else. You don’t need to be an expert as long as you can find someone who is.â€� 

“Experiential learning is a trendâ€� 

Evan Simpson, Associate Dean, Experiential Learning and Academic Engagement, Northeastern University Library

Libraries can find additional support from online training resources such as , and from consortial professional development opportunities like those offered by . In each state in the US there’s a Library Association offering professional development courses. Conferences have become much more accessible online since Covid, and you can listen to only what you want, which saves a lot of time. There are also a wide range of free online learning resources such as case studies and webinars you can dip in and out of, from organisations such as . It’s also key to ensure library staff have the right exposure to work so they can learn as they go along.

Librarians are preparing for an AI-driven future

Training in AI, and the issues around it, remain a key focus for the future in libraries. As Jane Harvell says, “It’s the same as when the Internet dropped. You can’t stop it; you have to make sure you’re ahead of the game�. underlines the necessity to be prepared for an AI future. Alongside AI’s potential to enhance research capabilities, support student learning and improve content discoverability, there are concerns around misinformation, privacy and security. Clarivate’s findings show that in order to meet these challenges, there needs to be a keen focus on upskilling the library workforce.

But of course, libraries know that change is a continuous process, and that today’s big issues will soon be replaced with new, equally important challenges. According to Evan Simpson, “It’s important for library leadership to understand areas that are faster moving, and to keep up. To do this you need a degree of intentional planning for the skills required, as well as trust in library staff to seek out opportunities themselves to upskill.�

Whatever the future brings, the library mission remains unchanged – to support their institution and its academic and research needs. It just requires librarians to invest a great deal themselves in learning and upskilling, to accommodate the challenges that come their way.

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