An exploration of the library and information science professional skills and personal competencies: An Israeli perspective

The skills and competencies required of library and information science (LIS) professionals working in libraries and information centers have been greatly affected by rapidly evolving information and communication technologies. To understand the effects that change has brought to the LIS profession, a typology of skills and competencies required of LIS professionals in Israel was developed. This typology resulted from the analysis of three different sets of data: job advertisements, course descriptions from LIS departments, and data collected from a survey administered to directors of libraries and information centers in Israel. The content analysis resulted in a typology of 49 skills that were divided into four different clusters: provision of information services, organization of information, technological skills, and personal competencies. Job listings were found to emphasize skills related to the provision of information services as well as personal competencies, while results from the survey revealed that skills related to the organizat ion of information were perceived as essential by library directors. Data collected from course descriptions suggested that LIS departments prepared students to work in advanced technological environments but they did not develop their personal competencies. Traditional LIS skills that support design and provision of information services and making information accessible are still relevant today, while being flexible enough to adapt to changing information environments based on user-centered philosophies of service.