Page 49 - DLIS406_ACADEMIC_LIBRARY_SYSTEM

Academic Library System

Notes — Technical service librarians work “behind the scenes” ordering library materials and
database subscriptions, computers and other equipment, and supervise the cataloging
and physical processing of new materials.
— Collections development librarians monitor the selection of books and electronic
resources. Large libraries often use approval plans, which involve the librarian for
a specific subject creating a profile that allows publishers to send relevant books to
the library without any additional vetting. Librarians can then see those books when
they arrive and decide if they will become part of the collection or not. All collections
librarians also have a certain amount of funding to allow them to purchase books and
materials that don’t arrive via approval.
• Archivists can be specialized librarians who deal with archival materials, such as manuscripts,
documents and records, though this varies from country to country, and there are other
routes to the archival profession.
• Systems Librarians develop, troubleshoot and maintain library systems, including the
library catalog and related systems.
• Electronic Resources Librarians manage the databases that libraries license from third-
party vendors.
• School Librarians work in school libraries and perform duties as teachers, information
technology specialists, and advocates for literacy.
• A Young Adult or YA librarian serves patrons who are between 12 and 18 years old.
Young adults are those patrons that look to library services to give them direction and
guidance toward recreation, education, and emancipation. A young adult librarian could
work in several different institutions; one might be a school library/media teacher, a
member of a public library team, or a librarian in a penal institution. Licensing for
library/media teacher includes a Bachelor or Master of Arts in Teaching and additional
higher-level course work in library science. YA librarians who work in public libraries
usually have a Master’s degree in Library and/or Information Science (MLIS), relevant
work experience, or a related credential.
• “Media Specialists” teach students to find and analyze information, purchase books
and other resources for the school library, supervise library assistants, and are responsible
for all aspects of running the library/media center. Both LMTs Library Media Teachers
and YA public librarians order books and other materials that will interest their
young adult patrons. They also must help YAs find relevant and authoritative Internet
resources. Helping this age group to become life-long learners and readers is a main
objective of professionals in this library specialty.
• Outreach Librarians are charged with providing library and information services for
underrepresented groups, such as people with disabilities, low income neighborhoods,
home bound adults and seniors, incarcerated and ex-offenders, and homeless and rural
communities. In academic libraries, outreach librarians might focus on high school students,
transfer students, first-generation college students, and minorities.
• Instruction Librarians teach information literacy skills in face-to-face classes and/or through
the creation of online learning objects. They instruct library users on how to find, evaluate
and use information effectively. They are most common in academic libraries.

Experienced librarians may take administrative positions such as library or information center
director. Similar to the management of any other organization, they are concerned with the
long-term planning of the library, and its relationship with its parent organization (the city or
county for a public library, the college/university for an academic library, or the organization

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