Since librarians are losing collection responsibilities, how will the system grow its own candidates for any vacancies that arise in the collection department?
To comment on our forums, you must login with your login/password combo.
Your login is the first part of your metrolibrary.org email address. For instance: [email protected]. Bob's login would be: bsmith. If this is your first time to login, your password will be library123. We encourage you to change your password and make it similar or the same as your webmail login.
We are in the process of creating career paths for all the positions in Collection Management, Cataloging, Tech Processing, and Digital Library Initiatives, and we will share it when we have it drafted.
I should also mention that being responsible for weeding an area within a branch doesn't necessarily prepare a librarian to better manage a major component of the system-wide collection than someone who already has other management experiences. What we will probably be looking for in a Collection Management librarian is someone who possesses the ability to gather, analyze, and use data to identify and assess enterprise-level needs and opportunities, while also having the skills to work with a cross-functional team made up of library managers and other staff to plan and shape our collections approach. As collection use will be closely associated with our programming, our facilities, and our technology, the Collection Management staff will need a healthy understanding of how those aspects of service might affect member behavior and drive both market penetration and member retention. Ultimately -- just like most specialized management roles -- the skills these folks will need will come from a variety of academic and ongoing professional activities and library experiences.
The career path may make some of this more clear, and I look forward to sharing it with you.
--Tim