Librarianship with specialization in a field: Works Well or Does Not Work?

Specialization in librarianship is age old, nothing new. But, adding an MBA, is indeed news to some--This is not about Ph.D., or wearing many professional hats / multi-tasking, or Jack of all trades and master of none.

Another quick thought. Most library schools, in India and abroad have special librarianship, as a part of the master's (universities, DRTC, etc.) program. DRTC / INSDOC in India, have been leading the world in introducing content and approach from fields, such as, MBA, Engineering and other practice oriented fields. In this context, not so sure, if there are indepth and recent studies that compare the market value (salaries, job opportunities, status among other faculty, professional outcomes, etc.) of a university based masters versus DRTC / INSDOC trained librarians.

Reading now:
The MBA and Academic Business Librarians: More than Graduate Education for Subject Specialists.
By: McGuigan, Glenn S.. Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship, 2008, Vol. 13 Issue 3, p405-417, 13p, 1 Chart; DOI: 10.1080/08963560802183179

Extract:
For the purposes of academic business librarians, the curriculum within an MBA program should provide an introduction to various areas of specialized knowledge and enhance their abilities to engage effectively in their responsibilities as subject specialists. As related by the Education Committee of the Business Reference & Services Section (BRASS, 2006), core competencies for business knowledge include (but are not necessarily limited to) accounting, advertising and marketing, banking, company and industry research, insurance, international business, investment and finance, jobs and human resources, small business, and taxation. These subject areas would be addressed by most MBA programs that may categorize fields of study in the areas of accounting, finance, management, marketing, operations management, and increasingly, information systems.
Familiarity with studying these topics within a classroom setting should strengthen the subject specialist's abilities in assisting students who are doing research for these very same courses.

... As Liu and Allen (2001) explained, the vast difference in salaries between academic business librarians and those in the private sector with an MBA "reflect the fact that librarianship is not in a very advantageous competitive position when compared with business jobs. Accordingly, it is not surprising that relatively few academic business librarians have business degrees" (p. 559). Therefore, unless a drastic change takes place, the environment of a labor shortage for qualified, academic business librarians will continue.

According to Bharat Chaudhari, and his comment at Linkedin, the following two Universities are offering MBA in Business Librarianship and Library Management degrees:
1. University of North Carolina At Chapel Hill, USA
2. University of Hull, UK

On the same shelf:

MBA for Librarians Series | ALA Connect

The Countries You May Like to Go with your American / Canadian MLIS - A literature survey

Factors in success or failure of foreign-trained librarians in Canada

ALA‐APA Programs for the People MBA for Librarians Series

A New Look at the Background and Work Experience of Business Librarians. Perret, Robert. Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship, Jan-Mar2011, Vol. 16 Issue 1, p46-66,

Librarians' Education in the Age of Knowledge: Consideration of Skills, Methods, and Tools Akram Fathian Dastgerdi

What Is *She* Doing Here? Crafting a Professional Identity as a Digital Humanist/Librarian, Lisa Spiro

So should humanities PhDs who wish to work in a library get a library degree? An MLS certainly does have value. By getting a library degree, you not only develop useful skills such as managing collections, creating metadata, and overseeing digitization projects, but you also attain professional certification and a professional network (Danley). However, several library directors have told me not to bother with getting a library degree, since my PhD and work experience more than prepared me for my position—but they did suggest getting an MBA.

Starkey, Jennifer. "Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Getting a Second Master’s
Degree But Were Afraid To Ask." (Dec 2006)

M.S. in Library and Information Science/Specialization in Public Librarianship.

Early Career Librarianship in the Business Library, by Gene (EUGENE) Hayworth. Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship, Volume 13, Issue 3, 2008; Special Issue: Career Paths and Career Development of Business Librarians

Leadership or Management: Expectations for Head of Reference Services in Academic Libraries Felix E. Unaeze

Collaborative Convergence: Merging Computing and Library Services at the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA, Jason Frand and Robert Bellant

Can’t Get No Respect: Helping Faculty to Understand the Educational Power of Information Literacy, William B. Badke

Corporate librarian or corporate climber? Understanding your skills and communicating their value can help you pursue a career path outside a library ... An article from: Information Outlook, Amy Maule

The Need for Subject Librarians in Ghanaian Academic Libraries

Careers in Preservation Librarianship - LIScareer

Subject specialization in a liaison librarian program

Career Paths and Career Development of Business Librarians, Diane Zabel

Should librarians be considered professionals? May 1, 2012 — Graham Lavender

Chris Brown Syed - Obituary

Chris's picture @ Academia:

Short bio at Linkedin and skillpages.com
and obituaries at blogs.curtin.edu.au

Funeral date and details are up @ Facebook:
Extract:
Update:

Cremation has taken place. Visitation will be at the Smith’s Funeral Home, 1167 Guelph Line (one stoplight north of QEW) BURLINGTON (905-632-3333) on Friday, March 23 from 3:00- 5:00 and 7:00 – 9:00. A funeral mass will take place at St. Raphael’s Roman Catholic Church 4072 New Street Burlington Saturday March 24 at 10:30 AM, Internment at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery 600 Spring Gardens Road Burlington with a reception to follow at the cemetery.

...Unfortunately, Chris's mother died within days of his passing. We will be having a double funeral. The times have not been set but the weekend will be the 23/24 - visitation Friday night and a funeral mass on Saturday. The funeral home arranging all of this is Smith's FH in Burlington

I received the following message, about his departure:

Bio update:

Suddenly at home in Burlington on Tuesday March 6 2012, Chris in his 61st year. Beloved father of Colin and Kiera, dear friend and former husband of Terri Lyons. Cherished son of recently deceased Betty Syed. Much loved cousin of Mark (Maggee) Brown and Melanie (Michael) Robson and nephew of Anne Brown. Chris was a brilliant man with many unique talents (papermaking, Old Norse, playing the bagpipe) that endeared him to many. After taking a first degree in film production, and subsequent master's degrees in librarianship and philosophy, he obtained a PhD, in the area of Library and Information Sciences from the University of Toronto in 1996. Along the way, he spent a few years studying things medieval as a non-degree student, and once traveled overland from the UK to India and back with the Commonwealth Expedition, led by Lionel Gregory OBE. Chris taught at Wayne State, University of Buffalo, Arizona, Seneca College, etc. One of his greatest satisfactions was that he had an impact on many students and future librarians throughout North America. Chris was a strong supporter of the Liberal party in Burlington and canvassed for multiple candidates over the years. His proudest accomplishments though were his two teenage children....

It is with great regret that we inform you that Chris Brown-Syed has suddenly passed away. Chris has been teaching at Seneca since Spring of 2003.

He had been an Editor of the journal, "Library and Archival Security", and author of the recent book, "Parents of Invention: The Development of Library Automation Systems in the Late 20th Century". Santa Barbara, CA : Libraries Unlimited, 2011.

After taking a first degree in film production, and subsequent master's degrees in librarianship and philosophy, he obtained a PhD, in the area of the geopolitics of information from the University of Toronto in 1996. Along the way, he spent a few years studying things medieval as a non-degree student, and once traveled overland from the UK to India and back with the Commonwealth Expedition, led by Lionel Gregory OBE. .
Chris worked as a computer operator for the British firm Plessey, and later headed the North American training group for the Library Systems Division of Geac Computers. This involved much travel - across the US and Canada, and to the UK and Australia.

His areas of interest include the geopolitics of information, library automation and security, history and philosophy. He taught full-time in Michigan and New York, and part-time in Arizona, Illinois, California, and Ontario, Canada.

This is a great loss to our community. He will be sadly missed.

Christopher was a good human being and an intellectual, worth envying. On such sad moments, we are reminded the words of the wise: To God we belong, and to Him is our return. May his soul rest in peace. Amen.

On the same shelf:

More about Chris Brown-Syed, at his website [PS. The Website Is Down, Now], Try this link, he called it alternate / here

Parents of Invention: The Development of Library Automation Systems in the Late 20th Century by Christopher Brown-Syed

COMPUTING: An entry from Macmillan Reference USA's Encyclopedia of Communication and Information by CHRISTOPHER BROWN-SYED

Question YOU should be asking THEM during the interview: Cataloging Job

Here are interesting ideas and thoughts to ASK THEM, why you get an opportunity!!!

Extract:
Interviewing for a Cataloguing Position: The Two-Way Street, by Laurel Tarulli

Questions:

1. What type of person are you looking for to fill this position? For example, personality (sense of humour, easy-going, goal-oriented)? Work ethic?

2. How would you describe a typical work week?

3. Will my time be a mixture of working along and with people? Will it include projects?

4. How many people work in the department? Has there been a lot of turnover?

5. Can you describe the environment of your department? Its strengths and weaknesses?

6. Can you think of an employee/cataloguer who really stands out in your mind as exceptional? Tell me about him/her and their qualities.

7. In the past 5 years, tell me about a project or innovative idea that you’re proud of, or that has been a success within the department.

8. What is your management style? And, how will I know if you are under a lot of stress?

9. If I am working on a project and you feel there is a better way to do it, how will you approach me to offer suggestions?

10. Is this a new position? If not, what did the previous cataloguer go on to do?

11. What is your own professional mission statement?

12. Would you mind telling me how your career got to this point?

13. What is your biggest source of job satisfaction? What would you change?

14. Where do you see the cataloguing department in 5 years? 10 years? Expanding? Heading in new directions?

15. Can you tell me about the cataloguing department at the library now? What are you most proud of? What are its limitations?

16. Are there any projects or plans set for the near future that will impact cataloguing?

Reading now:

A Librarian's Guide to an Uncertain Job Market
Jeannette Woodward, Kindle Store

A Librarian's Guide to an Uncertain Job Market (Ala Editions Special Reports)
Jeannette A. Woodward

The Frugal Librarian, Carol Smallwood

Enhance Your Chances: How to Shine Brightly in a Tough Job Market!

Crowdsourcing and practical interview tasks (and YAY!)

Cataloguing Cheat Sheets

Some Cataloging Or Real Cataloging !? / Hesham Tolaib

Six tools to simplify cataloging

How to avoid original cataloging

Database Searching -- Information Literacy for Library Technicians

Finding "something quickly," in each case, proved to be seriously misleading to their overall comprehension of the subject.

In a very similar way, Google searching leaves remote scholars, outside the research library, in just the situation of the Blind Men of India: it hides the existence and the extent of relevant sources on most topics (by overlooking many relevant sources to begin with, and also by burying the good sources that it does find within massive and incomprehensible retrievals). It also does nothing to show the interconnections of the important parts (assuming that the important can be distinguished, to begin with, from the unimportant). six blind men and an elephant, by ben vershbow ideas from the famous Librarian, Thomas Mann: The Oxford Guide to Library Research. (see also) (Six blind men) is a parable that has crossed between many religious traditions and is part of Jain, Buddhist, Sufi and Hindu lore. Read more

See holy stages and See Also holy rules of Database Searching, in "Inside a searcher's mind: the seven stages of an online search," by Barbara Quint, Online 15.3 (May 1991): p13

Library and Information Science Search Engine (over 208 sites now have been included, including the latest Blogs and Open Access eJournals); Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts™ (LISTA) is available FREE to any library.

Database Searching in Library environ is not the same as Googling. It is not any ways close to a Google search and hence, not the same as Google results.

Database Searching requires some understanding of fundamental concepts (e.g, information seeking behavior or information needs), essential resources (e.g., primary, secondary), search techniques (what to search, where to search, how to search), etc. In short, it is going beyond Google (in order to find relevant, accurate, current, reliable, dependable, and verified content).

Textbooks:

Computers in Libraries (2006), Chapter 8 (OPAC) pages:109-110, 116-110; Chapter 10 (Information Searching) pages: 137-143

Cases in Online Search Strategy by Bruce A. Shuman

Searching Skills Toolkit by Caroline De Brún

The Information Specialist's Guide to Searching and Researching on the Internet and the World Wide Web, by Ernest C. Ackermann

Finding it Online (2004), 'Framing Your Search Strategy,' 73-77

Guide to Becoming Library Technician (2005) 'Developing Search Strategies' 158.

Librarian's Guide to Online Searching, Suzanne S. Bell

The Library Instruction Cookbook, Ryan L. Sittler - see chapter on "The Art of Database Searching by Dawn Eckenrode"

Reference and Information Services in the 21st Century: An Introduction,
by Kay Ann Cassell & Uma Hiremath. Chapter on "Finding the Answer: Basic Search Techniques"

Search Patterns: Design for Discovery, by Peter Morville [Summary: This book explores design patterns that apply across the categories of web, e-commerce, enterprise, desktop, mobile, social, and realtime search and discovery. The authors cover topics such as relevance ranking, faceted navigation, multi-touch, and augmented reality together with a practical guide to help us make search better today--Derived from p. [4] of cover.
Contents: Pattern recognition -- The anatomy of a search -- Behavior -- Design patterns -- Engines of discovery -- Tangible futures.]

Issues in Online Database Searching (Database Searching Series), by Carol Tenopir

The Elements of Library Research: What Every Student Needs to Know by Mary W. George

Understanding Information Retrieval Systems: Management, Types, and Standards, by Marcia J. Bates [see chapter on "Information Searching and Search Models by Iris Xie;" sections are on: MANAGEMENT OF INFORMATION RETRIEVAL SYSTEMS, TYPES OF INFORMATION RETRIEVAL SYSTEMS and STANDARDS FOR INFORMATION RETRIEVAL SYSTEMS]

Humor and Information Literacy: Practical Techniques for Library Instruction, by
Joshua Vossler, Scott Sheidlower

Magic Search: Getting the Best Results from Your Catalog and Beyond by Rebecca S. Kornegay [showcases how to increase the power of Library of Congress Subject Heading (LCSH) subdivisions to produce astonishing results from your searches.]

The Medical Library Association Essential Guide to Becoming an Expert Searcher (Medical Library Association Guides), Terry Ann Jankowski

Research Strategies: Finding Your Way through the Information Fog, by William Badke

Online Retrieval: A Dialogue of Theory and Practice, by Geraldene Walker

Techniques and Tools, How-To, What-to:

Compare Databases - Academic Database Assessment Tool (ADAT)  (includes: Bibliographic Databases and Fulltext Databases)

Planning a Search Strategy

Seneca's Guidelines on how to find an article

Research Success Tutorial

SELECTING & EVALUATING YOUR SOURCES , (includes: Recognizing a Scholarly Article) Dawson College

Basic and Advanced Operators (Boolean, Truncation, WildCard Chart)

Develop own information literacy skills

Information Literacy and the Contributions of Library Technicians in the Academic Library Dorothy Gagnon and Cyndi Smith, Reference Library Technicians, Georgian College.

Video Tutorial: Evaluating Websites

From the same shelf (Blog):

Podcast of information literacy information from Curtin University of Technology Library and Information Service

Information Literacy (for all) - A useful gateway

Information Literacy Tutorial - Kognito

Finding a journal article is like hunting for a needle in a haystack

What the Information Professionals Read to Keep Up to Date, A list by Professor Karen M. Drabenstott, @ University of Michigan

Evaluating Selected Full-text Databases for Collection Development, by Karen Whisler, Marlene Slough, Nackil Sung and Barbara Cressman, Illinois Periodicals Online, 1998.

Doing Social Media So It Matters, Laura Solomon

PS. This book inspired me to start the marathon...
This book is a good motivator. But, I wish it had statistics or case studies of what-works and what-doesn't-work in libraries.

Doing Social Media So It Matters: A Librarian's Guide, by Laura Solomon (American Library Association, 2011; ALA Editions-Special Reports). ISBN: 083891067X.
Check out a sample of the book now!
About the book:
Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn: it's difficult enough to keep abreast of social media Web sites, let alone understand how they fit into today's library. This practical resource brings together current information on the topic in a concise format that's easy to digest.
* Provides context on the social media phenomenon
* Offers practical advice on how libraries can choose, use, and monitor these tools effectively
* Identifies additional resources and best practices

Table of Contents:
Introduction;
1 Getting a (Better) Grip on Social Media;
2 Getting Started;
3 Understanding Social Media;
4 Strategies for Social Media Success;
5 What Can We Count?
6 Is It Worth It?
7 A Few Final Words



Here are select "bottom line" quotes from this title, [info courtesy,
Darren Heiber | Watzek Library Research & Instruction Librarian]:

* Social media sites will change. Concepts will not. Be flexible.
* Interact with people in social media, or risk becoming irrelevant.
* Each time your library directly engages with someone online in a positive way, especially one that benefits the other person, it gains social capital. Social capital takes time to earn and trust to build.
* Participate in conversations. Remember that the recipients of any of your library’s messages have expectations of reciprocity.
* Every time your library promotes something or asks for a favor, it is making a withdrawal. If your withdrawals exceed deposits, your library effectively becomes a community leech...and in some cases, a pariah. Spend social capital wisely.
* Be human and talk like a human in your social media interactions. Be authentic and honest, and connections and conversations will follow.
* Social media, in many cases, is happening in close to real time. Failure to respond promptly to a conversation, either positive or negative, can result in a great deal of harm to your library’s reputation.
* Connect to people who want to connect to you, unless you have a very good reason not to.
* Extremely large numbers of social connections don’t usually scale into viable online communities. Focus on connecting with people who will share your content, not on acquiring large numbers of fans or followers.

Meghan E. Gates (Cooperstown, NY United States), a Librarian, says, and says it all: "If you are a librarian (or library) who is new to the social media game, this book is the most valuable item you can read. Solomon covers how to start (and possibly end) your presence in social media from every possible angle. The good, the bad, and the ugly are all contained in this slim volume. Solomon even thinks to cover such things as how to win over colleagues, social capital, and return on investment. "
On the same shelf:

Doing Social Media So It Matters: A Librarian’s Guide by Laura Solomon, Book Review by Susan M. Boland

Fair Use by Social Media, Revisted

Copying an Entire Article Without Permission - OK in Some Cases?

Sale of Wikipedia's material as books on Amazon - Wiki in news again

PS. See the previous posts on the Wikipedia in news.
Extract from Wiki:

A German information portal for consumers (Preisgenau.de) has criticized Amazon for selling tens of thousands of print on demand books which reproduced Wikipedia articles. Amazon did not acknowledge this issue raised on a blog and some customers that have asked the company to withdraw all these titles from its catalog. 

See also on the same shelf:

• Free Content Isn't Always What It Seems

By Jennifer Kyrnin, About.com Guide

"Another tempting place to get content is from an online reprinter. Online reprinters are companies that solicit articles that they then offer for reprint (and sometimes translation). On the surface, these reprinters look legitimate, often with long terms and conditions including dire warnings if authors post copyrighted material that is not their own.
But in my experience, these sites simply take any article that is uploaded to them and add it to their directories, without any verification or confirmation that the content is not plagiarized. I have found content from FoxNews, Investopedia, and Wikipedia as well as my own content all reprinted without permission on reprint sites. In fact, in one case, the owner of the reprint site advertises how to "ethically steal" content (I'm not sure he knows what the word "ethically" means). "

• Printed Without Permission (A comment at Amazon.com) @ Adoption Is Another Word for Love [Kindle Edition]

“Shake Off the City” ads show a bucolic Niagara but Torontonians are peeved

The Niagara they show. The Niagara we know.

Jayme Poisson, Staff Reporter, Toronto Star, Jul 20 2010
NIAGARA FALLS, ONT.—We can diss you too, Niagara.
Extract:

Although they don’t name the concrete jail as Toronto straight up, the logo shows a silhouette of the city with the CN Tower and Rogers Centre in the backdrop. It morphs into trees: “Shake Off the City.”

“Toronto has many iconic symbols like the CN Tower while Niagara’s is Robert Wadlow’s gigantic chair,” said currency trader Jamie Heighway. continue reading The Niagara they show. The Niagara we know.

See also on the same shelf:

Google: Location a "Hugely Important" Signal [ Niagara Falls of India, and Niagara Falls of Ontario, Canada & New York, USA]

Ten Tips (or Steps) for Tracking Trends

By Elisabeth Doucett, 05/11/2010, American Libraries Magazine
Libraries can stay relevant to their users by strategically riding the wave of societal trends. [This article is excerpted from What They Don’t Teach You at Library School, to be published by ALA Editions in July].
Extract:

Step 1: Identify potential sources of information for societal and library trend tracking

Step 2: Develop a method for regularly reviewing those resources.

Step 3: Search social networking sites.

Step 4: Review each idea that you pulled out of your research, considering potential implications for your library.

Step 5: Leave your idea list in a file until you start the same process the next week.

Step 6: When you identify the ideas that you want to pursue for your library, get together with some of your fellow librarians to help you review the ideas and find the good and bad about them.

Step 7: Put the ideas back in the file and let them sit for another week.

Step 8: Once a month, pull out one idea that has gone through steps 1–7.

Step 9: Approval.

Step 10: Turned down. Continue reading 10 Tips for Tracking Trends