Barriers to career development within the LIS profession

The paper, based on the findings of the Library and Information Commission (LIC) report on Cross‐sectoral Mobility in the LIS Profession , considers some of the barriers to career development within the Library and Information Services profession. It focuses specifically upon difficulties experienced by LIS professionals in moving to different sectors of the profession. It discusses issues such as professional segregation; employer prejudice; poor employment strategies; lack of confidence among LIS professionals; training; and lack of professional support. In addition to outlining some of the barriers to the career development of LIS professionals, the paper offers a number of recommendations for employers, professional bodies and LIS professionals that may help to alleviate many of these barriers.