Skills in the market: an analysis of skills and qualifications for American librarians

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to create a profile of the modern American academic librarian through the content analysis method of job advertisements.

Design/methodology/approach

One hundred thirty-four advertisements were analyzed in various ways, e.g. salary, skills, qualifications, duties, followed by a multivariate analysis.

Findings

Most significant findings include the importance of communication skills for all academic librarians, the significance of the Library and Information Science (LIS) degree and that applicants should expect a salary of $40,000-60,000.

Originality/value

This paper builds on the previous studies in the field to verify that communication skills are among the most, if not the most, desired skills for a modern librarian, and that an LIS degree is still an asset.

Citation

Gerolimos, M., Malliari, A. and Iakovidis, P. (2015), "Skills in the market: an analysis of skills and qualifications for American librarians", Library Review, Vol. 64 No. 1/2, pp. 21-35. https://doi.org/10.1108/LR-06-2014-0063