# Presentation: 048380

## Setting the Standard The Development of Competencies for New Jersey Librarians

- Janie L. Hassard Hermann
- Information Services Librarian
- Princeton Public Library
- Princeton, NJ

## Impetus

- Discussion about writing core competencies for New Jersey librarians began in 1998
- The major impetus was the work on competencies already being done by the Special Library Association and California Library Association; both of these projects inspired the New Jersey Library Association to undertake a similar project
- NJLA wanted competencies that were written and developed by “front line” librarians that represented a variety of library types and settings

## Goal

** ****T****o create a series of documents that will concisely and accurately outline the expected abilities, behaviors, skills and knowledge required to be a professional librarian in the state of New Jersey.**

## Objectives

** **

**NJLA will develop competencies for librarians in order to:**
- stimulate service excellence
-  renew enthusiasm for the profession among librarians
- provide a document that assists in developing job descriptions and evaluation tools for professional positions
- assist in planning a continuing staff development program
- provide a document to be used in the development of polices, particularly as these policies relate to the organization and staffing of libraries
- educate communities, governing bodies and funding agencies about the importance of the skills and knowledge of professional librarians.

## Intended Audience

** **

- NJLA competencies are intended primarily for three audiences:
- 1.    Management -- to assess if staff are meeting the guidelines and to determine what type of professional development each person needs to pursue in order to meet the guidelines.
- 2.    Directors -- to present to library boards and others who may have an influence over staffing, salary and budget so that they may better understand the work undertaken by librarians.
- 3.    Librarians -- to assess their own needs in terms of professional growth and identify areas that need further development.

## Why Should Librarians Develop Core Competencies?

** **

- Core competencies consist of work-related knowledge, skills, abilities and behaviors applicable to a specific occupation, without which, an employee cannot perform successfully.
- Competencies are focused on what people actually do.
-  Competencies offer a framework for organizations to use to focus their limited resources.
- Core competencies are used primarily to help in the design of training and development programs, to establish performance goals for employee evaluation, and for employee recruitment and selection.
**Source: Local Government Institute Web Site, copyright 2002**
**<http://www.lgi.org/Publications/Core-Competencies.htm>**

## Why Should Librarians Develop Core Competencies cont...

** **

-  Competency based assessment is a system for assessing a person's knowledge and skills. Assessment is based on actual skills and knowledge a person can demonstrate in the workplace or in other relevant contexts.
-  Competency based assessment is also a system  for providing portable qualifications against nationally recognised competency standards.
-  In a competency based assessment system, it is recognised that learning can come from a variety of sources, both on the job and off the job, formal and informal. Recognition is given for prior learning and for skills and knowledge which can already be shown.
**Source: Productive Solutions Australia **
**“****Job Redesign & Competency” <http://www.productivesolutions.com.au/Services/jobcomp.htm>**** **

## Challenges

** **

-  Making the competencies relevant to all types of libraries     and librarians.
-  Ensuring that the final doucment would be generic enough that it could be applied to a variety of situations, but also specific enough that it had relevance.
- Setting the benchmarks at the right level --finding the balance between the competencies being challenging yet attainable.
- Ascertaining if each competency that was included was a skill, behavior or piece of knowledge that every librarian truly needed.

## Core Competencies

** **

-  NJLA’s document borrows heavily from the CLA’s Core Competencies.
- Two major sections:
- Professional competencies, which include:
-  customer service, assessment, knowledge of information sources, resource management, technical skills, advocacy, collaboration, and administration
- Personal Competencies, which include:
- education, service commitment, flexibility, leadership, ethics communication and self-motivation

## Technical Competencies

** **

- Composed of 8 sections:
- Online Catalog
- Electronic Resources and Databases
- Internet
- Instruction
- E-mail
- Applications Software
- Computer Troubleshooting/Preventive Maintenance
- Awareness of Evolving Technology
- Collaborative process that relied on peer review and lots of feedback to ensure that all the competencies in the list are apporpriate and relevant.
- Process involved at least 4 major revisions
- Goal: to review and update every two years.

## Lessons Learned

** **

- Be prepared to: Revise, Revise and Revise again
- Get as much feedback as you possibly can with each stage of the draft document and validate via peer review
- Bring in outside consultants or librarians from other systems to get a fresh look at the draft and provide further input
- Keep asking: Does the list cover all the aspects required to be a competent librarian?
- Remember to limit yourself to those competencies that are essential and desirable -- only appropriate competencies should be included.
- Realize that competencies are “organic documents” that will need to be revisited and updated on a regular basis in order to stay relevant.

## Contact Information

** **

**Janie Hassard Hermann**
**Information Services Librarian**
**Princeton Public Library**
**Princeton, NJ**
**jhermann@princeton.lib.nj.us**
**(609) 924-9529 ext. 228**
**http://www.njla.org**