Competencies Needed for Librarianship in a Networked Society

Abstract

The “Networked Society” may be interpreted in many ways. The term “networked” is most simply defined as “connected together for communication or other information sharing.” (Readiness for a Networked World, A Guide for the Developing Countries). Networking is an important part of library education and research terminology, but more recently the concept of “digital libraries” has become the focus of networking and the networked society. By one count, the number of courses on the subject of digital libraries has more than doubled in the past four years (Liu, 2004). As the digital library community has evolved, the importance of the basic elements of librarianship is being recognized. (Allard, 2002) There are calls for the restructuring of library and information science education programs to support the need for digital librarians. Yet, it is recognized that we do not know much about what is required to produce professionals to work as digital librarians in a networked society (Spink and Cool, 1999). This paper examines the trends in library education and research on networking as reflected in curricular trends for digital librarianship. A detailed analysis of the special challenges of competencies for cataloging in a networked society is also undertaken, with a focus on the relationship of cataloging competencies to those competencies needed for digital librarianship in a networked society. The paper also discusses current research and educational programs relating to competencies and guidelines for digital librarianship in the networked society. The IFLA funded research on the need to develop specific educational guidelines for digital librarianship is also discussed.