Special Librarianship
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Special Librarianship
Special librarians are information resource experts who collect, analyze, evaluate, package, and disseminate information to facilitate accurate decision-making in corporate, academic, and government settings[1].
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, librarians working in "other information services" earned median annual wages of $48,060 as of May 2008[2]. How inclusive of librarian wages in the "special librarianship" range of the spectrum this statistic is remains elusive.
Selected Special Librarianship Subdivisions
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Medical Librarians (MLS): Provides assistance in computer searches, inter-library loans, cataloging, circulation, reference, acquisitions, and system development and maintenance. Offers library instruction and education programs for library patrons. May require a bachelor's degree in area of specialty and 2-4 years of experience in the field or in a related area.
The median expected salary for a typical Medical Librarian (MLS) in the United States is $52,954[3].
General Medical Librarians v. Informationists
Trends in the past decade have led to a differentiation between general medical librarians (GMLs), and a newer job group called the "informationist." Particularly National Institute of Health (NIH) GMLs and informationists generally hold master's degrees in library and information science. The former may hold a second master's degree in computers, education, or business management, while the latter tends to hold a doctoral degree in a science discipline, or at very least advanced training in a scientific discipline. This distinction enables the informationist to fill the role of acting as another resource to consult, as they engage in research labs, on clinical floors, and in team clinical conference rooms. Library GMLs maintain, update, and select written and electronic resources for the library’s website and learn new electronic technologies for potential use by all library clients[4].
Knowledge Management
Knowledge managers collect and evaluate the most applicable and accurate data for the client. They stay actively informed and abreast of all information happenings within and related to the client’s professional environment. It is no longer enough to present the user with a pile of documents as an answer to a question. Information professionals must present the best possible information in a timely manner in the best possible format for the client. Besides offering a superior product, knowledge workers must rely on marketing skills, ingenuity, and networking to keep their services in demand. The body of research and practice in library and information science used for classification and knowledge organization will be vital to an information-inundated business[5].
Legal
Legal librarians (law librarians)perform legal research, analyze, edit and filter information. Respond to requests for legal or business information; search reference materials, online legal sources and the Internet. Teach attorneys and paralegals to search for information use databases, explain use of library facilities, resources, services and equipment. Check books in and out of the library, keep records of circulation and materials. Code, classify and catalog books, review and evaluate publications, films, audiovisual aids and other library materials[6].
Salaries range from $34,659 to $86,467.
News
News librarians maintain news libraries, which:
support the reporting, editing and illustrating of news stories by making available to journalists information and graphic materials, both in print and electronic forms. The scope of a library's services depends a good deal on the size of the library staff, which can range from a part-time person in a smaller paper to over 50 people at the largest national publications. Generally, most libraries keep collections of reference books, magazines, photographs (print and electronic), and an archive of published stories either in a clipping file or in a computer database. In addition, libraries offer their patrons access to information located outside the company, particularly material which can be retrieved fast to meet the quick deadlines of daily journalism[7].
Solo Librarians
Solo librarians are those who work alone as keepers of the library for a business or similar institution (a law firm, perhaps), and can encompass most any other special library type.
Solo librarians (also known as one-person librarians) have become more common in recent years as institutions look for ways to downsize and cut costs. They have traditionally been omnipresent in special libraries, most notably in corporate or museum settings, though they are also found in school, academic, and public libraries. In many cases, organizations have come to the conclusion that one professional is all that is needed for effective and efficient delivery of information needs. There are enough individuals that revel in this unique environment to make this a viable solution for institutions with small libraries[8].
Salary is variable and highly dependent on the specialization of the employer.
References
- Association Profile - Special Libraries Association
- Bureau of Labor Statistics - Librarian PDF
- MLS Salary
- Non-traditional Jobs for Special Librarians
- Legal Librarian Job Description and Salary
- News Libraries FAQ
- Solo Librarianship - Career Strategies for Librarians
External Links
Further Reading
- Is The Informationist a New Role? A Logic Model Analysis
- SLA Article - Knowledge Management in a Changing World
- SLA Division - News Librarians Website
