Cataloger Competencies … What Do Employers Require?

Field-based studies conducted during the last decade reinforce the importance of continued collaboration between employers and library and information science educators in order to close the gap between the classroom and workplace. A library educator, the researcher conducted four empirical studies using a content analysis methodology specifically designed to identify the skills and competencies that catalogers and technical services librarians in the twenty-first century must possess. The analysis of 355 position descriptions and 289 survey responses enabled the researcher to identify five domains common across library types. Employers' expectations for catalogers and technical services librarians fell into these areas: education, theoretical knowledge, cataloging competencies, communication skills, and interpersonal skills (including supervision and training).