Analysis of Library Technician Role: Interview Report, Mohawk College

This report presents an analysis of an interview with a library technician, exploring various aspects of the profession. The report begins with a summarization of the interviewee's responses, detailing the daily tasks and responsibilities of a library technician, including managing library materials, maintaining databases, and performing clerical duties. It then delves into the career prospects of a library technician, highlighting the growing demand for these professionals and discussing the suitability of the role. The report also outlines the necessary values, attributes, and attitudes for success in this role, such as communication, interpersonal skills, and attention to detail. Furthermore, it discusses the educational qualifications and training needed to enter the field and offers recommendations for a career plan, emphasizing the importance of computer and interpersonal skills. The report concludes by summarizing the key findings and insights gained from the interview, providing a comprehensive overview of the library technician profession.

Running head: LIBRARY TECHNICIANS
LIBRARY TECHNICIANS
Name of Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Table of Contents
Introduction..........................................................................................................................3
Discussion............................................................................................................................3
Summarization of the interviewee’s response.................................................................3
Career prospects of a library technician..........................................................................4
The values, attributes and attitudes necessary for becoming a good library technician..4
Education and training required for becoming preparing prepared for the competitive
market..........................................................................................................................................5
Recommendations for career plan...................................................................................5
Conclusion...........................................................................................................................6
References............................................................................................................................6

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Introduction
A library technician is a person who is a trained and skilled information paraprofessional
for managing and handling the day to day functions of the library (American Library Association
266-266). The main aim of the paper is to discuss and summarise about a library technicians
responses and understand the career prospects of the same job role. The paper will discuss about
the interviews response, career prospects of the library technician, the values, attributes and
attitude for becoming a good library technician, the necessary training and education required for
the same purpose and make recommendations in form of a career plan.
Discussion
Summarization of the interviewee’s response
From the interview I have understood that the job role of a library technician includes-
they loan materials of the library to the patrons and they are also responsible for collecting the
returned materials. They are required to maintain computer databases that can help in locating
the library materials (Bratcher). They also have to perform a number of clerical tasks such as
answering phones, organizing the files and also perform other routine work. Moreover they are
usually supervised by the librarian and can also be differentiated from a library assistant as they
have to perform more activities and duties than the assistants I have also understood from the
interview that there can be different types of libraries such as public libraries, school libraries,
academic libraries and also includes special libraries.
Moreover the work environment of a library technician depends upon the type of library
in which the library technician works. For instance they have to be specialized in a particular

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field when working in large libraries and on the other hand they are required to perform clerical
work in case they are working in smaller libraries.
Career prospects of a library technician
According to a recent report by the bureau of labor statistics the demand for library
technicians and assistants is going to rise at a very fast rate almost by 9% between the year 2016
to 2026. This is so because communities are moving towards libraries for a number of study
related activities and services (Edwards). And hence it is considered to be a good job opportunity
for people who are looking for a career as library technicians or even assistants. There is a
common generalization that women are more suitable for the job role of a library technician or
assistant than men (Foxworth). This is also evident from the fact that the work that is required to
be done as a library technician is more clerical in nature and also includes administration work
and therefore women are considered to be more suitable. The scope of the duties of a library
technician varies in accordance with the facilities size.
The values, attributes and attitudes necessary for becoming a good library
technician
The educational qualifications needed for the job role of a library technician includes- a
proper high school degree and an associate degree of library technicians or a certificate for the
same (Moses). The skills that are needed for becoming a good library technician includes- the
ability of the candidates to be able to clearly communicate with their supervisors, co-workers and
even patrons. They need to have the ability for following library procedures and policies,
especially relating to issuing of library cards, collecting fees and fines, checking items and also
processing new materials (Holobar and James). They also need to be able to handle money and
count change, they should be able to work with computer applications and they should also have

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the ability to deal with troubleshoot of office machines including copies. Moreover good library
technician salons need to have proper experience in order to carry out their work efficiently.
Education and training required for becoming preparing prepared for the
competitive market
The education that is required for the job role of a library technician includes- having a
proper post-secondary certification or even a degree of associate. However, small libraries also
hire people with diploma in high school. In order to become prepared in this competitive market,
it is better for the candidates who are aspiring to become library technicians to have an
associate’s degree. For this purpose, the candidates need to take proper classes in cataloguing,
reference, circulation, acquisitions, and even the automated library system. Sometimes they are
even required to have the same qualification as a teacher’s assistant. It is better for technicians to
be experiences because then they can make use of their on-the-job training knowledge to their
practical work.
Recommendations for career plan
In order to become efficient library technicians, it is necessary for a candidate to have the
required skills of communication, interpersonal skill, computer skills and also detail oriented
skills (Erickson). It is necessary for a library technician to have communication skills such that
they can be able to listen to the patrons needs and then be able to answer their questions properly
and it is also necessary for them to be able to help the students with their use of library resources.
They need to have library skills for helping the patrons in researching topics. They are also
required to have detail oriented skills such that the library information and material is organized
properly and according to the organizational system of the library (Madden). Interpersonal skills
are needed for helping the librarians in providing nest quality of customers service. I feel like I

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have good communication skills and interpersonal skills by which I will be able to properly
answer the patrons and maintain good relationship with them. However I feel like I need to
improve my detail oriented and computer skills. In order to improve my computer skills, I can
undertake different computer courses.
Conclusion
Therefore from the above discussion, the job role of a library technician has been clearly
understood and the career prospects for the same are also understood. Moreover the different
values, attributes and attitudes that are required for the purpose of becoming a good library
technician has also been understood. The paper also discussed about the educational and the
training required for the purpose of being prepared in the competitive market.

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References
American Library Association. "CHICAGO LIBRARY TECHNICIAN PROGRAM." College &
Research Libraries News 30.8 (2019): 266-266.
Bratcher, Perry. "A Review of Associate/Bachelor Degree Library Programs in the United
States." (2017).
Edwards, Ashley. "The instructional library technician." (2016).
Erickson, Norene. "I may not be a librarian, but I’m running the school library." IASL Annual
Conference Proceedings. 2019.
Foxworth, Deloris Jackson. Landing a Library Job. Rowman & Littlefield, 2019.
Holobar, J. Christopher, and James A. Jamison. "The inmates are running (parts of) the asylum:
New roles and opportunities for support staff in academic libraries." Leading in the New
Academic Library (2017): 61.
Madden, Annie. "4. The Role of the Contemporary Library in Nurturing 21st Century Literacy
Skills." Teachers Teaching Teachers How teacher learning improves student
learning (2017): 61.
Moses, Donald. "News from Robertson Library." The APLA Bulletin 81.2 (2017).