Library technician programs: skills-oriented paraprofessional education - includes appendix outlining a course of study

These various reports and guidelines all influence curriculum development, which in turn solidifies the work level for potential employers. Unfortunately, librarians also influence the library technician programs by having poor control of their own profession. Just as, in most jurisdictions, there is no legal definition of a professional librarian, no legal requirement for professional education in order to perform the tasks of a librarian, and no clear regulation for roles of librarians, library technician roles in the workplace are equally unregulated and uncontrolled. As Oberg et al. (1992) explain, although role separation between librarians and other staff groups has long been a desired situation, the blurring of roles has long existed and continues to be a reality (p. 215). It is our observation that in many cases this blurring has increased in recent years. When skills become standard requirements for jobs, there is pressure on the program to add them to the curriculum.

Workplace

It is advantageous to almost everyone connected with libraries to hire college-trained library technicians rather than develop in-house training. Support staff could be trained within each library as they always were in the past and often still are. The specific skills taught in-house can be comparable to those taught in the library technician programs. College-trained technicians who receive a limited amount of theoretical framework, however, can incorporate new skills more quickly and effectively than those trained in-house in local practices only. For those libraries with specialized subject demands, it is almost always possible to hire a graduate library technician who also has the subject background required in addition to the library training. Having seen the benefits of hiring graduate library technicians among their colleagues, others follow suit.

Moriarity (1982) pointed out that "college-trained graduates require little or no in-service training" (p. 237). Librarians as supervisors can be confident that the training received in a college program will adhere to standard library techniques and that graduates understand the ethics and values required in the profession. The skills acquired through the program allow for much more limited in-house training to familiarize the new staff member with local practices and systems. Thus the trained library technician is able to go into the library and perform at a good working level immediately. Similarly, when new procedures are introduced, the trained library technician will be able to connect current practices, new practices, and previous formal education thus learning the new system much more quickly than an untrained staff person would.

Because library technicians are trained in all areas of librarianship, they are able to work across departments with minimal additional training. The technician has a solid overview of all areas of the library and so is able to work as part of the team. This broad skill base allows for a high degree of flexibility for management and potential for promotion and personal growth for the individual, and she or he is able to be transferred to different work areas. We have seen, during recent downsizing operations, how limited many of the nontrained staff are in moving to different functional areas.