What are some of the skills and competencies that employers look for in library science graduates?

Information literacy is undoubtedly the key skill for a library science graduate. Crucially, in the current age of misinformation this skill consists not only of the ability to find information, but also to assess its accuracy and reliability. While freedom of expression is a core value for librarians and no book should be banned, readers expect and deserve to receive accurate information as to the factual value of a work. This requires librarians to understand the scientific method, have a solid knowledge base, and be able to recognise the characteristics of a reliable resource, as well as the typical tools of manipulation employed by those who seek to deceive their readers. At the same time, they need to be mindful of their own biases.

This is especially relevant in the domain of cataloging and collection development. Information literacy goes beyond customer facing interactions. Librarian and library biases present challenges in how information is presented and consumed. When dealing with controversial subjects such as religion and politics, a librarian’s classification of resources determines an end user’s ability to practice information literacy.

In my experience at a very small rural library, care for the community and our patrons are as important as library skills. Compassion for the elderly and lonely, patience with small children and their tired parents, and enjoyment of personal interactions with all community members is essential to the success of the library.

Positive Attitude, caring for customers and staff! Computer skills! Most of the rest can help taught! You’ll have basic and rounded knowledge of libraries form you MLS! Believe me, I let go of several knowledgeable librarians because of attitude, and keep the energetic people with great attitudes and helped them become great librarians!

In my opinion, Library science graduates would excel if they are equipped with life skills (core competencies) such as problem-solving skills, public presentation skills, Decision making skills, Communication skills, organizational skills, Team building skills, Technology skills etc.

A librarian needs to know a little bit about everything, at least to the point where they can have a conversation starting with almost any subject. They need to be flexible, because any person can walk through the door, with a wide range of personality and communication ability, and with a question on almost any subject. You need to have a level of doggedness, because the answer may not be obvious. The QUESTION might not even be obvious. You have to be prepared to pass the question or the questioner along to someone else who might have deeper knowledge. And you really have to CARE about helping people.

un ejemplo es el uso de sistemas cómo repositorio institucionales y sistemas fe gestión bibliotecaria como: Dspace, Koha. Estos son fundamentales pues nos aportan conocimientos básicos en el funcionamiento de cualquier biblioteca académica.

The basic principles of librarianship stay the same, but technology constantly evolves. It is imperative for librarians to have their fingers on the pulse of emerging technology - not necessarily be proficient in all technology, but enough to remain aware of every changing trends.

A Librarian needs to know how to navigate his/her way through the use of technological tools, hence the need the for librarians to acquire ICT skills because the world we live in today is ICT driven and services can be rendered from any location without been physically present

Needed technology skills also include the ability to demonstrate technology to those trying to learn. In public libraries, there are many patrons with very low-level technology skills that require assistance from librarians. This can include such basics as how to use a mouse, how to scan or print, or cell phone basics. While most librarians will naturally know how to use technology of this sort, the more important piece may be having the patience and customer service skills to guide someone else through learning them.

Ability to communicate effectively and efficiently is a key for young graduates. one must be able to put views across in an excellent way that is devoid of ambiguity.

Communication skills are vital within any organization. For those librarians working in specialized collections, it is critical to be able to communicate what your library's value is to the organization and be able to speak and be understood by many different stakeholders.

I believe that interpersonal characteristics is necessary for librarians. Interpersonal characteristics can include Attention to user-centered approaches, Attention to the changing needs of users, Helping to empower library users (information literacy and artificial intelligence training), Committed to individual and group development, Strengthening digital literacy and information literacy, Collaborating with colleagues to improve library services, Ability to manage changes in the library

It's essential that librarians are able to communicate their enthusiasm for reading, learning, and literacy to all ages and demographics. They need to be tireless advocates for promoting the value of a library to the community.

Leadership skill are skill that can be learnt and also embeded. it is better off when young graduates of the LIS profession, find suitable mentors and learn or sharpen these traits. There are different types of leadership style but irrespective of the leadership styles, leadership traits most often looks the same

All of activities needs a leadership skills. How they work with team and lead to get goals to be champion team is very important. Library graduate should be able to be a future leader, especially in the VUCA situation and digital transformation era. The world is changing fast and the leadership skills is the key to be success in the future. They should be more involved in many team project to make they are always learn how to handle different things and situations.

Leadership skills are essential for a successful management of human resources within the library environment and when working with other stakeholders outside the walls of the library. Proper planning, empathy, and other relevant social skills are competencies that stand a good leader out in the crowd.

Education is a Life long Learning Open your prospects towards every areas of development and Library Science is a Subject which never restrict you to one subject as a Library is a resource Center and a knowledge hub for all the aspiring Library Science Graduates and I am blessed to be one.

A librarian remains relevant when he combines the technicalities of library science with other core competencies that will eternally assist him to meet the demands of the information age

Conferences and webinars are great for this. In addition, taking continuing education classes in LIS areas. I would state that making sure to fill in your skill and experience gaps in library science is the best for choosing which topics for these continuing education courses and webinars.

Particularly for those interested in working directly with the public, one of the most critical skills is high-quality customer service. I have seen some patrons go from disgruntled to downright cheerful based on some real customer service basics: nonjudgmental listening, a warm and inviting demeanor, and a helpful can-do attitude. It's a soft skill I stress when training new library staff because in service fields such as ours, one really bad experience at a library could negatively color a patron's view of that particular location forever and we always need to show with our actions that all are welcome, that libraries are for everyone.

Attitude and caring for great customer service and work well with staff! Basic technology skills, library technology can be learned on the job! Be a sponge and learn from everyone around you, a good library organization will mentor you! I would much rather have a person with a great attitude and teach them library skills, than an MLS Librarian with a bad attitude! I always kept the former and let go of the Bad attitude even the most skilled librarian! Always remember it’s is always about great customer service, the overall health of the library and than the staff! It doesn’t mean staff is the least important, it simply means without the first two, you don’t have staff! Don W. Barlow Former Director Westerville Public Library

I cannot express how important it is to understand how databases work. In my years in this field many librarians did not understand what the searchable indexes are in and how to pose queries correctly. Continuing to expand your skills is necessary in any field today. Another thing I would like to address is public libraries. If you go into this area understand that you definitely need to have some psychology under your belt because you will have to work with mentally ill people. Compassion is absolutely a requirement.

Some have said that high quality customer service is key for public library staff. I would argue that's true for ANY library staff. And it starts with being able to LISTEN. Active listening is vital for any library professional, and the path to exceptional customer service. *Listen to your patron/customer *Try your best to fulfil the request *Be accountable for the outcome *Follow through. Even if you can't find an answer, give the customer somewhere else to look, or offer to look for them. *Thank them for asking - give them a reason to come back and ask again. *Afterwards consider what went right, what didn't, and how you could improve the customer experience in a similar situation. *Every interaction is a learning opportunity!

In my experience, flexibility was an important soft skill. I had to be flexible in my willingness to tackle new skills and bring them into my job. Priorities often changed. Flexibility was pivoting, changing, and multitasking. Flexibility is as much a positive attitude as it is altering a work flow.