Traditional Skills in a Changing World

Laura Cracknell and Lindsay RobinsonBodleian Law Library, University of Oxford

What are ‘traditional skills’?

• Cataloguing • Classifying

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucyloomis/4315362079/

Where are these skills learned?

• Library School • Professional courses

Where are these skills learned?

• On the job

Why aren’t skills learned?

• Invisible • Out-sourced

Cataloguers don’t help themselves…

• Image problem • Handed over to others

Value to New Professionals

• Fundamental part of how information services work

Value to New Professionals

• Still useful in the workplace

Value to New Professionals

• Added value in a competitive marketplace

Value to New Professionals

• Underlies many Web 2.0 technologies

Value to New Professionals

• Can lead to more than just well-ordered books

Value to New Professionals?

The Well-Equipped Librarian