WebJunction's Technology Competencies

[Marianne Lenox]

I'm really excited to see that WebJunction, OCLC's portal for all things technology-related in libraries, has just published a new document titled "Public Access Computing Technology Competencies." Our own blgThree is the editor, and I was thrilled to work with her and the others on the Technology Competencies Expert Group which helped form the document.

The technology competencies are a 20 page .pdf divided into two sections: Patron Assistance and System Administration and at first glance seem right on target for getting Library staff ready for Library 2.0!

From the abstract:

Technology has permeated 21st century libraries, impacting the environment for both patrons and staff. For library workers, a host of new skills and knowledge are now required as an integral part of working in a library. This is particularly true for staff who manage and support public access computing.

Defining competencies for sustaining public access computing technology is the first step toward providing a roadmap for library staff to follow, in order to identify skills gaps through assessments and to connect to learning opportunities to achieve each competency. The technology competencies are divided into two sections: Patron Assistance and System Administration. The Patron Assistance section addresses skills that front-line library staff needed in order to provide direct assistance to patrons on the public computers. The System Administration section addresses skills necessary for setting up, configuring and maintaining the public computers and networks. For each high-level competency, there is a list of associated skills or knowledge by which a staff person might demonstrate that competency.

Great job on the article, all. In order for it to work, management will have to build these competencies (or something similar) into job descriptions and evaluations. Of course, Libraries also need to have adequate training staff to support the required courseware and follow-up for staff...more thoughts on this later!

[blgThree]

Marianne, thanks for blogging the technology competencies.

And thanks for your contributions! There's a list of all the great folks who volunteered their time and intelligence to help WebJunction compile these.