Demystifying the Technician/Librarian Relationship in Academic Libraries

Session # 605 OLA's Super Conference 2008,

Tanis Fink, Chief Librarian, Seneca College;
Mark Bryant, Reference and Information Literacy Librarian, Humber College;
Laurie Morrison, Librarian for Modern Languages and Visual Arts, Brock University;
Autumn Piette, Reference Technician, King Library, Seneca College.

Explore the nature of the relationship between librarians and library technicians. What is your perspective on these two similar and yet different groups that share common goals and values? How do we foster teamwork and relationship building? Can we uncover ways to improve and promote a healthy working and collaborative environment? A diverse panel of librarians and technicians will explore their personal experience. Come prepared to participate and share your thoughts.

Convenor: Jennifer Peters-Lise, Seneca College

Is a Library Technician (LT or LIT) allowed to teach LTs?

I have received the following question, any response to this?

Hello Mohamed:

I found this blog post on Sunday and I'm sending it round to anyone I think might be interested. Do you know if LTs are allowed to teach LTs in your area or if a university degree is required? Cheers.

Julanne Hennessy, Library Technician

Suggested reading:
See also a blogpost by Derek Whitehead that shows concern (among others) at least on two related issues in the professional circles:

• it seems likely that we haven't got a systematic enough approach to articulation between paraprofessional and professional qualifications


• there is a strong preoccupation with the relative roles and status of librarians and library technicians, as one might expect

Quotes (for reflection): "As with teacher-librarian jobs, full-time library technician positions tend to be a secondary school phenomenon." Anybody home?Who's really left in Ontario's school libraries?Glenn Turner

"A library technician recently contacted me for advice on how to teach the school staff about the Focus on Inquiry document (Alberta Education 2004). Though I applauded her initiative in seeing the need to teach children using an inquiry model, I questioned why this job was being done by non-certificated staff. I am told by learning resources consultants from across Alberta that it is common for non-certificated staff to teach information skills." Almost extinct
Teacher–librarians are Alberta’s newest endangered species, Fern Reirson

And, the punchline is, if you wish to see the trend, as to how many LTs have teaching qualification, wait for the results of this survey: Australian School Libraries Research Survey