The Possibilities of Horizontal Career Development and the Changing Roles of Librarians

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The Possibilities of Horizontal Career
Development and the Changing Roles of Librarians

• 10th European Conference of
• Medical and Health Libraries
• Cluj-Napoca, Romania, 11th-16th of September 2006
• Tuulevi Ovaska
• Kuopio University Library Kuopio University
  Hospital Medical Library Kuopio, Finland

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Introduction

• Roles of librarians are changing
• Whole concept of librarianship is changing
• Are we the libraries and librarians in
  control of these changes?
• Could horizontal career development keep us in
  control?
• Could task rotation and job exchange be of use?
• What is their role in continuing professional
  development?

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Key concepts

• Horizontal career development
• Career develops horizontally instead of
  vertically
• Learning new tasks
• Developing skills and know-how
• Useful in our field where
• Chances to move on upwards are limited
• Chances of moving on and ahead horizontally offer
  a wide variety

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Key concepts

• Task rotation and job exchange
• Extending expertise into something else or
  something more
• Rotating and changing some, or all, of your tasks
  for a certain period of time, or for the present
• In the same library, or with another library,
  even abroad

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Values

• Value Customer orientation
• The needs of our customers are the basis of our
  activities. Customer services are flexible,
  communicative, impartial, reliable and easily
  attainable.
• Requires
• Continuous learning and staying up-to-date
• Understanding of the totality of the services
• Highly motivated and skilful staff ? good quality
  customer services

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Values

• Value Excellence
• Excellence means that we successfully combine the
  demands of the customers and expertise of the
  service providers. In the service process the
  expert can even top the customers hopes.
  Development is creative which means that new
  things are eagerly acknowledged and everyone is
  interested in developing their own actions and
  the actions of the work community.
• Includes expertise
• Requires creativity and interest

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Values

• Freedom of information
• Kuopio University Library is open to all and a
  part the Finnish and the international library
  network. The collections and services are
  available to all those in need of information.
• Requires
• Knowing and understanding library network and its
  different actors

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Values

• Communality
• In order to develop the library the staff members
  work together, co-operate, appreciate and respect
  each other, communicate openly, and are committed
  to their work. Interaction at work is active and
  sincere. Internal and external communication is
  active and well planned, and belongs to all staff
  members. Commitment to work is manifested as
  willingness to develop ones expertise and
  aspiration to act as a community.
• Requires
• Willingness to develop expertise
• Knowing and appreciating colleagues work

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Challenges

• Attitudes of staff members, supervisors, and the
  library management
• Common resistance to change
• Practical arrangements
• Payment
• ? a survey to find out the attitudes of the staff
  members and the management of Kuopio University
  Library (N28, 80 of 35)

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Library administrators and department heads

• Personally interested in exchange
• Positive attitude to the rotation of the staff
• Doubtful about the chances of the practical
  implementations

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Changing organizational culture

• People make up organizations
• All change needs leadership, management and
  support
• Organizational culture cannot be changed easily
• Supervisors must have talent and skills to
  identify needs for staffing and to assess staff
  skills, abilities, and potential

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Benefits

• Diversification of professional skills
• Organizational flexibility
• Spiritual and professional growth
• Job enrichment
• Working capacity
• Contentment in work
• Understanding and cooperation
• Respect for each others work
• New perspectives

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Conclusions

• Task rotation, job exchange, and international
  mobility are compatible with the values and in
  accordance with the strategy of Kuopio University
  Library
• There is potential for
• internal task rotation in the library from three
  to six months at a time
• international exchange for short periods, less
  than three months

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Conclusions

• Important to develop professional skills in every
  way and at full stretch
• Task rotation or job exchange one method, not the
  only way
• A part of continuing professional development to
  supplement continuing education courses and other
  schooling
• Libraries and their management must stay in
  charge of the changes in our profession
• Motivated, skilled and enthusiastic library staff
• Diversifying tasks and duties
• Encouraging career mobility between health
  libraries