What Do We Know About Advanced Degree Holders? ~ Characteristics of Advanced Degree Holders Who Are Likely to Become Subject Specialists in Academic and Research Libraries

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What Do We Know About Advanced Degree Holders?
Characteristics of Advanced Degree Holders
Who Are Likely to Become Subject Specialists in
Academic and Research Libraries
Louise S. Robbins (Director and
Professor) Ming-Hsin Phoebe Chiu (Doctoral
Student) Fang-Shu Ou (Department of Statistics,
Masters Student) School of Library and
Information Studies University of
Wisconsin-Madison 2006 ALISE, 01.18.2006
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Overview

• Introduction
• Study Design and Methods
• Findings
• Discussion
• Implications
• Suggestions for Further Research
• Questions Comments

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Introduction

• Research Background
• Changing demographics of academic librarianship
• By the year of 2010, more than 83,886 librarians
  in North American will have reached the age of 65
  (Curran, 2003)
• 23.1 of vacancies in public libraries and
  university libraries result from a shortage of
  qualified people with particular specialty
  (Lynch, 2002)
• Why do we care about the need for subject
  specialists?
• Subject expertise
• Language expertise
• Familiarity with scholarly communication
• Contributions from multiple perspectives

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Study Design and Methods

• Research Questions
• What are the characteristics of advanced degree
  holders pursuing a masters degree in LIS?
• Why do they choose to pursue a career in
  librarianship?

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Study Design and Methods

• Data collection Survey method
• Online survey
• Data gathered on a national basis? Results should
  be generalizable
• Survey contents
• Academic background
• Actual or projected career path
• Factors attracted them to choose LIS
• Factors influenced their decisions to undertake
  the LIS degree program
• Perceptions of the importance of different
  aspects of LIS education

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Study Design and Methods

• The resulting data were used
• to develop understanding of the characteristics
  of advanced degree holders in LIS programs
• to investigate the factors that influenced their
  decision to pursue a degree in LIS
• to identify variables that may have an impact on
  the decision of individuals to choose
  librarianship

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Data Collection Difficulties

• Difficulties in obtaining data on the advanced
  degree holders enrolled in LIS education programs
• Schools can provide total numbers of degrees, but
  not subject fields without extensive work
• Student information is protected by the Family
  Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
• Time and human resource limitations
• What weve learned?
• Information regarding the actual supply of
  subject specialists hasnt been systematically
  collected and documented

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Findings

• Demographics
• 326 advanced degree holders from 16
  ALA-accredited LIS education programs have
  participated in the study
• 10 graduated in 2004
• 115 graduated in 2005
• 105 will graduate in 2006
• 24 will graduate in 2007 or later
• Students were from two types of schools,
  according to Carnegie Classification, they were
• Doctoral research universities
• Masters colleges and universities

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Number and Percentage of Advanced Degree Holders
by Degrees and Fields
Subject Fields Masters Degree Doctoral Degree Total
Agriculture 3 (0.9) 0 (0) 3 (.09)
Area Studies 38 (11.8) 6 (1.8) 44 (13.6)
Architecture 1 (0.3) 0 (0) 1 (0.3)
Art 11 (3.4) 1 (0.3) 11 (3.7)
Biological Sciences 6 (1.8) 5 (1.5) 11(3.3)
Business 19 (5.9) 0 (0) 19 (5.9)
Education 32 (9.9) 2 (0.6) 34(10.5)
Engineering and Computer Science 8 (2.4) 0 (0) 8 (2.4)
Humanities 78 (24.2) 12 (3.7) 90 (27.9)
Law 6 (1.8) 21 (6.5) 27 (8.3)
Mathematics 1 (0.3) 0 (0) 1 (0.3)
Medicine 2 (0.6) 2 (0.6) 4 (1.2)
Music 9 (2.8 ) 4 (1.2) 13 (4)
Physical Sciences 3 (0.9) 2 (0.6) 5 (1.5)
Social Sciences 47 (14.5 ) 3 (0.9) 50 (15.4)
Total 264 (81.99) 58 (18.01) 322 (100)
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Number of Area Specialists by Degrees and Fields
Subject Fields Masters Degree Doctoral Degree
Russian and East European and Central Asian studies 1 0
African studies 0 0
Latin American, Iberian, and Caribbean studies 5 1
Middle Eastern studies 1 0
South Asian studies 0 1
South East Asian studies 0 0
East Asian studies 2 0
European studies 4 1
Scandinavian studies 0 0
Others 25 (Judaic, Jewish History, Asian studiesetc) 3 (social ethics)
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When did the advanced degree holders develop
their interests in LIS?
During other graduate study 25
During post-other graduate degree 22
After undergraduate study 10
When working in the subject field 9
After undergraduate, but before graduate study 8
After other graduate study 7
Before undergraduate study 7
When working in a library 4
When looking for a career or wanting a career change 3
When facing an early retirement or unemployment 3
Getting to know some librarians 1
Others 1
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What are the primary and secondary factors that
attracted the subject specialists to choose LIS?
Intellectually rich environment 21
Nature of the library work 19
Experience of working in a library 13
Wanted academic job, but not classroom teaching 11
Quality of work life 9
Cooperative rather than solitary and competitive environment 7
Scarcity of academic jobs 5
Role model of a particular librarian 4
Unpleasant experience with tenure track position 0.6
Positive experience with doctoral research 0.5
Other 9
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How did the influence factors affect the advanced
degree holders decision to undertake a LIS
degree program?
Factor Positive Negative No Opinion
Ability to work in the field I love 90 0 10
Career advancement 68 8 24
Cost 29 35 36
Family obligations 21 16 63
Funding 15 34 50
Geographic mobility 61 12 27
Job options 83 8 9
Opinions of colleagues in my subject field 32 13 55
Opinions of subject area professors 24 13 63
Salary 29 45 26
Status of librarian 31 34 35
Time required to earn a degree 43 29 38
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Preference of type of library work environment
15
Preference of type of library work in academic or
research libraries
Type of Library Work Percentage
Reference and Instruction 47
Digital librarianship and digital collections 11
Bibliography and collection management 10
Cataloging and classification 8
Faculty liaison 7
Administration 5
Not sure 1.9
Preservation/Conservation 1.5
Special collections 1.5
Research 0.98
Database design and computer technology 0.98
Other, specify 4.9
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What are the three most important education
aspects in LIS?
Reference and information services 54
User needs 25
Information literacy 24
Collection management 24
Appropriate technologies 22
Cataloging and bibliographical control 22
Practicum/Internship 20
Database searching 16
Administration 12
Research methods 12
Digital collections creation 12
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Results of Statistical Tests

• Test 1 The factors that attract advanced degree
  holders to librarianship are related to the type
  of library work environment in which an
  individual is interested in working
• Test 2 How an advanced degree holder values the
  importance of various aspects of LIS education is
  related to the preference of type of library work
  one is most interested in.
• Test 3 An advanced degree holders subject field
  is related to the preference of type of library
  work environment.
• Test 4 An advanced degree holders highest
  degree is related to the preference of type of
  library work environment.
• Test 5 An advanced degree holders subject field
  is not related to the preference of type of
  library work
• Test 6 An advanced degree holders highest
  degree is not related to the preference of the
  type of library work.

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Characteristics of Advanced Degree Holders
Pursuing a Masters in LIS
Characteristics Discussion
More soft science backgrounds than hard science backgrounds This imbalance may result in a more severe shortage of subject specialists in the hard sciences fields
Doctoral degree holders demonstrate more interests in academic and research librarianship than masters degree holders Target doctoral degree holders because the strong preference in academic and research librarianship those doctoral degree holders demonstrate may indicate a better person-occupation fit
Tend to complete the advanced degrees in the subject fields prior to entering LIS degree programs This trend implies that the masters degree in LIS is a valuable addition to their subject degrees
Developed their interests in LIS during other graduate study or after they completed one, or before or during undergraduate study. Approach recent graduates and current students from undergraduate and graduate schools.
Age pattern reveals the second career or career change nature of librarianship Approach advanced degree holders who are looking for a career change.
Primarily attracted by the intellectually rich environment that does not involve academic teaching Advertise the nature of library work appropriately follow the attraction factors
Top choice of type of library work function is reference and instruction Effort will be required when recruiting individuals with interests or expertise in the areas other than reference and instruction.
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Positive and Negative Decision Factors
Positive Factors Negative Factors
Ability to work in the field they love Job options Career advancement Geographical mobility Salary Cost of obtaining the education Shortage of funding for education and status of librarians tie
Positive factors may be used in recruitment and marketing campaigns to attract advanced degree holders, especially during the periods of time they develop their interests in LIS. Negative factors indicate the challenges that the library profession must overcome in order to recruit qualified individuals to undertake a degree program in LIS with a focus in academic and research librarianship.
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Importance of different aspects of LIS Education

• The statistical test indicates that the type of
  library work an advanced degree holder prefers to
  do in the future is highly related to how one
  values the importance of different types of
  education aspects.
• Design a curriculum that is responsive to the
  advanced degree holders needs and interests, and
  their career paths.

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Influence Factors

• Individual factors An advanced degree holders
  highest degree, major in the subject field, the
  time they developed their interests in LIS, and
  the attitudes toward LIS academic aspects
• Social factors An advanced degree holders
  perception of the status of librarian,
  geographical and job mobility, and work
  environment.
• Economic factors Salary, job options and career
  advancement, investments in time required to
  complete a degree and tuition for education, and
  funding opportunities.

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Implications

• Recruitment efforts should focus on current
  graduate students or recent graduates with
  advanced degrees
• Target doctoral degree holders instead of
  masters degree holders
• More effective to recruit advanced degree holders
  instead of encouraging current LIS degree holders
  to pursue an advanced degree of their interests

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Suggestions for Further Research

• Further research in the following areas is needed
  
• Advanced degree holders decision-making process
  to undertake a degree program in LIS
• Difference between the individuals who have an
  advanced degree before entering an LIS program
  and those who are working on an advanced degree
  during or after completing the LIS degree
• Perceived value of advanced degrees in the
  subject fields by the LIS degree holders, and
  perceived value of the LIS degree by the advanced
  degree holders,
• Perceptions of importance of aspects of LIS
  education
• Longitudinal study Career path changes and the
  forces behind the changes

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Questions? Comments?