Connecting Talent Management to LIS Course Design

Abstract

Today's libraries are faced with many of the employment and labor issues prevalent in the country today related to economic changes within the workforce, personal preferences, and workplace freedoms in the "what about me" economy. Employment needs of libraries are also undergoing tremendous change and the need for specific skills, or the management of the talent being hired becomes critical.

Each individual curriculum element in LIS course offerings can be critical to the future employment of LIS graduates. Program offerings should reflect expected success in applying an earned degree to the job market and individual courses can produce the learning and experience needed by new graduates seeking positions in a wide variety of situations and circumstances.

This poster will offer a schematic or infographic of employment talent needs and skills desired in libraries and connect these needs to course content. Skill requirements were derived from a qualitative study of ALA Joblist Data from 2006 through 2018 (used by permission of the ALA). We will encourage interactivity with viewers by encouraging them to help us make the connections between curricular development and the identified skills.

The learning outcome is to expand the awareness of course design to talent needs for successful employment of graduating students in a changing and dynamic employment market.