Library Journal article about the tendancy of academic libraries to fill their positions with non-librarians.

Academic libraries now hire an increasing number of individuals to fill professional librarian positions who do not have the master’s degree in library science. Instead of appointing librarians with the traditional qualifying credential, they hire staff to fill librarian positions who hold a variety of qualifications, such as advanced degrees in subject disciplines, specialized language skills, teaching experience, or technology expertise.

As a future librarian aspiring to work in an academic library, I’m obviously a little worried about precious professional positions being taken by non-librarians. However, I agree with Mr. Neal in his summary that integrating ‘feral professionals’ into the academic library is bound to incite a certain amount of revolution in the way academic libraries, and librarians, view themselves and the services they offer. Read any article out there today on the modern librarian, and it becomes fairly obvious that it is a role that is constantly changing and re-evaluating itself. Libraries have to offer new services in new ways to new patrons, especially academic libraries who are consistently thrown against new, young, and tech-savvy patrons.

In comparisn, I’ve read lots of stories about librarians who go out and use their degree to find non-library positions. I’m curious how the ratio compares between non-librarians taking professional library positions vs librarians finding professional non-librarian employment. I imagine that, somewhere, it all evens out.

If you’re interested at all in online social networking (well beyond MySpace), you should check out this extensive bibliography of articles and links published by WWWtools. Aside from the more common and well-known applications such as MySpace and Facebook, you’ll find links to social networking sites with a more educational bent, as well as links to interesting articles on the past, present, and future of online social networking applications.

Last night, Microsoft announced its beta release of Windows Live Academic Search, an academic search engine set to compete with Google Scholar. From the press release:

The Windows Live Academic Search beta is designed to enable consumers to search through thousands of academic journals, serving as a powerful research aid. Key innovations in the user interface and sorting functionality have been designed to help consumers find information faster and truly give them an advantage in their research efforts.

Ars Technica compares the WLAS to Google Scholar:

One of the advantages of coming to the market second is the ability to learn from what your competition has already done. Microsoft has clearly taken a slicker direction than Google Scholar, which sticks with what is essentially the tried and true Google interface. That’s not a knock on Google, per se, but the initial wow factor is slightly higher on WLAS. Of course, in the long run, usability will probably determine which is more successful.

For the moment, Windows Live Academic Search only supports a handful of subjects. Google Scholar has a little more meat, but it’s been out longer too. In any case, both products are still in beta (which seems to be the perpetual case with Google products in any case), so it will be interesting to see how they develop. I don’t find that I use Google Scholar very often, but I do like their integration with OCLC’s WorldCat, and I’m curious to see if Microsoft will, eventually, offer something similar.

This related article by John MacColl talks about applications such as Google Scholar and what challenges they pose for Academic Libraries, made even more pertinent now with Microsoft in the market as well.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services issued a press release today concerning reshaping libraries for baby boomers. The forty-four page report, co-sponsored by the IMLS and the Americans for Libraries Council, details an extensive plan for understand and adapting to the needs of baby boomers as they retire and seek out new and creative enterprises in their lives.

Public libraries are uniquely placed to help mediate the great social transformation signaled by the growing proportion of healthy, active older Americans. Recent research documents the desire of older Americans to remain engaged in the broader world and to continue their learning opportunities. These adults are resources for our communities and our libraries – if librarians can transform their practices and their institutions to provide opportunities and connections to support lifelong learning and civic participation.

On September 26-27, 2005, Americans for Libraries Council (ALC) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) convened a Library Leaders Forum, Designs for Change: Libraries and Productive Aging, to examine key issues relating to the aging opportunity. The meeting was held as part of ALC’s Lifelong Access Libraries initiative, which seeks to foster fundamental changes in how librarians provide services and opportunities to active older adults.