News Release

February 10, 2011

IOA and SILS researchers address critical workforce issues

Researchers from the UNC Institute on Aging (IOA) have produced a special issue of the journal Library Trends. The theme for the issue is "Workforce Issues in Library and Information Science, Part 2" and contains 32 articles, 10 of which are based on data from the Workforce Issues in Library and Information Studies (WILIS) conducted at the IOA with funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The special double issue is edited by Drs. Joanne Gard Marshall, Susan Rathbun-Grubb, Deborah Barreau, and Jennifer Craft Morgan.

Many of the articles are authored and co-authored by researchers from the UNC Institute on Aging as well as faculty and alumni of the UNC School of Library and Information Science:

Rachel Applegate,professor of library and information science, Indiana University
Deborah Barreau, associate professor at SILS
Jenifer Grady, director of the American Library Association - Allied Professional Association: the Organization for the Advancement of Library Employees
Elizabeth Leonard, associate dean of Library Services, Western Carolina University
Joanne Gard Marshall, alumni distinguished professor at SILS and senior research scientist at the UNC Institute on Aging
Victor W. Marshall, professor of sociology, UNC at Chapel Hill and senior research scientist at the UNC Institute on Aging
Barbara Moran, Louis Round Wilson Distinguished Professor at SILS
Chad Morgan, instructor in library and information sciences, North Carolina Central University and SILS doctoral student
Jennifer Craft Morgan, research scientist and associate director for research at the University of North Carolina Institute on Aging
Irene Owens, dean and professor, School of Library and Information Sciences, North Carolina Central University
Ericka Patillo, SILS doctoral student
Susan Rathbun-Grubb, assistant professor of library and information science, University of South Carolina
Paul Solomon, associate professor of library and information science, University of South Carolina
Cheryl A. Thompson, project manager at the UNC Institute on Aging

To view the article titles, authors and each article, visit the Library Trends site.

Much like its Fall 2009 predecessor, this particular issue of Library Trends is devoted to examining workforce issues related to librarianship and is based in part on the landmark "Workforce Issues in Library and Information Science (WILIS)" studies conducted at the UNC Institute on Aging.

In the issue’s introduction, the editors discuss at length the historical gap in our understanding of library workforce issues. "Most studies have been limited in size and scope and have prodcued snapshots from narrow or focused angles rather than comprehensive and wide-angle pictures of the changes that are occurring in the library workforce over time," the editors explain. "Since librarianship is not a licensed profession requiring annual registration and submission of job information, we have not historically had a strong body of workforce data to draw upon for educational and workforce planning."

Attempting to bridge this critical gap in understanding, the editors enthusiastically included a wide variety of scholarly articles that specifically address the complex workforce situation. "We were impressed by the range and quality of the submissions in this issue," they emphasize. "Our hope is that it will inspire future researchers and provide evidence for informed educational and workforce planning at all levels." Marshall added, "We are especially excited about the most recent funding that IMLS has provided to archive the WILIS data so that it can continue to be used by researchers, employers, practicing librarians and even potential recruits to the profession. we hope that this latest project will also provide guidance to other researchers in the field who want to make their own data more widely accessible."

For more information about the WILIS projects go to the WILIS project site.