Librarian Skills
The modern librarian is the custodian of a lot of diverse information in the library. This includes archives of books, multimedia and various other publications. A librarian is mainly responsible for taking good care of all the assets in the library, updating the book database which ensures that users benefit from the facility. Librarians work in schools, universities, research centers and public institutions.
In order to be a librarian you should be highly educated with at least a degree in library studies. Increasingly a master’s degree in Library Science is becoming a necessity to secure a job as a librarian. Education is a key skill because that is where the librarian will be taught about methods of searching, evaluation methods and also the necessary computer skills that are useful at work. Besides the education you should also have other skills that can assist you in your daily work.
A librarian must have good inter-personal skills since most of the time you will be assisting people using the library. You must be well spoken, friendly and have that ability to build a relationship with regular users of the library. You should also be patient with users. This skill is important because you are likely to see a lot of people who would be requesting a lot of assistance. So the ability to communicate with all sorts of people cannot be underestimated.
The ability to have a good memory is often valuable. You will be dealing with a lot of information that requires a thorough knowledge of where you can locate the relevant information. This saves a lot of time and also increases efficiency. This makes it easier for you to assist users at the shortest possible time.
Information technology is fast evolving and it is a must that the librarian must have a good knowledge base about computers. Knowledge of various computer software packages that are used in libraries is vital. According towikispacesthe librarian is now the key to information in digital format. Books are now being filed in various electronic versions. Being able to assist users electronically is a big part of the daily duties of a librarian in both public and private libraries. It is also critical for librarians to promote their libraries to the general public and users by establishing a presence on the Internet especially in the social media. Such skills will prove to be valuable.
You must also enjoy reading so that you have to catch the latest information of publications. It is crucial because the library must always be stocked with new relevant publications. If a library becomes under stocked with irrelevant material to the users then it makes it unattractive and the librarian will be considered to be under-performing.
The librarian should have good organization skills. It is of importance that books are properly filed in the best possible way to save space and at the same time look neat. The job is also demanding so librarians have to use their time in an organized way.A librarian must also have the basic skills of business management and planning. So often libraries have limited budgets and the librarian has to use the money in the best possible way. The library must be financially stable so that the library has basic necessities. having a degree of financial prudence would make a good librarian.
On the whole, a librarian must be a person who should be able to perform a lot of tasks and serve a lot of people on a daily basis. This makes the job demanding and having diverse skills will not only make the job easier but will also build a reputable library.
