ALCTS Role for the Professional Librarian in Technical Services (RPLTS) Interest Group at ALA Midwinter 2015
When: Saturday, January 31, 2015, 10:30-11:30am Location: McCormick Place West W187a Old Habits Die Hard: Changing the roles in Technical Services in a Small Academic Library Anne LePage, Technical Services Librarian, Mount Allison University Libraries & Archives In 2014 and 2015, Mount Allison University Libraries & Archives will lose 5 technical services staff due to retirements and staff cuts. It is unlikely that the library will be able to refill all positions. As a result, a new Technical Services position has been created that focuses on cross-trained skills to support in the library - cataloguing, acquisitions, access services, etc. The focus will be on cataloguing skills to help support new initiatives and enhanced workflows, especially for our current Technical Services staff that need this skill set. This presentation will provide a look at the new position and focus on the training plan. We hope this model of cross-training will enhance the skills of all library staff, new and old, and anticipate the areas of further staff development in the future. The Evolving Role of the Electronic Resources Librarian Monica Moore, Electronic Resources Librarian, Hesburgh Libraries, University of Notre Dame As our collections become increasingly electronic, the acquisition and discovery processes for our resources have become more and more complex. This complexity is not always well understood by subject librarians, reference librarians, or library administrators. In a sense, it is like a "digital divide" among library faculty, which needs to be overcome if we are all to make sound, strategic decisions on the direction of our collection, its impact on our users, and its relevance to our institution. This presentation will describe these challenges, but also include specific suggestions and ideas for attendees to help them promote better communication with other librarians at their respective institutions. Christine Dulaney and Harriet Wintermute, RPLTS-IG 2015 Co-Chairs Jennifer M. Eustis and Helen Goldman, RPLTS-IG 2015 Co-Vice-Chairs
