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What constitutes a professional in library technical services, and how do we define what is professional-level work? Do you find that the library/information science degree is the best preparation for high-level technical services tasks and responsibilities? Or maybe your technical services department has decided to shift responsibilities to those who have experience, regardless of whether they have a master’s in library science? For some of you, the job descriptions at your library may have blurred so much that it’s difficult to determine what should be done by a professional and what should be done by staff. For those at an academic library, how do faculty/staff designations and expectations (such as tenure) factor into your work as a technical services librarian?

Please join the ALCTS’ “Role of the Professional Librarian in Technical Services” Interest Group for an exciting and informative e-forum on October 16th and 17th to discuss the roles and responsibilities of professionals and staff within technical services. This e-forum will provide participants an opportunity to talk about what you consider appropriate staff and librarian duties, ways of organizing and dividing up responsibilities and workflow, as well as other related topics. Librarians and technical services staff from all types of libraries are invited, and encouraged, to participate.

Betsy Appleton is Electronic Resources Librarian for George Mason University Libraries in Fairfax, Virginia. Her professional interests include electronic resources management, licensing electronic resources, streamlining work flows, and training and development. She has presented at the Charleston Conference, and is currently serving as co-vice chair for ALCTS The Role of the Professional Librarian in Technical Services Interest Group.

Stephanie Gehring is Resource Management Coordinator for the University of Houston Libraries in Houston, Texas. Her work experience includes positions in academic and public libraries and library book vendors. Her professional interests include training and development, streamlining work processes, library/vendor relations and library merchandizing. She has presented programs at the Kentucky Library Association and is currently serving as co-vice chair for ALCTS’s The Role of the Professional Librarian in Technical Services Interest Group.

Allison Yanos has been the Catalog & Database Maintenance Librarian for Baylor University Libraries in Waco, Texas since 2006. Her professional interests include print and electronic monograph cataloging, training, batch record editing & loading, data quality, and workflow efficiency. She is currently serving as co-chair for ALCTS’s The Role of the Professional Librarian in Technical Services Interest Group

An ALCTS e-forum provides an opportunity for librarians to discuss matters of interest, led by a moderator, through the e-forum discussion list. The e-forum discussion list works like an email listserv: register your email address with the list, and then you will receive messages and communicate with other participants through an email discussion. Most e-forums last two to three days. Registration is necessary to participate, but it's free. See a list of upcoming e-forums at: http://bit.ly/upcomingeforum.

Instructions for registration are available at: http://bit.ly/eforuminfo. Once you have registered for one e-forum, you do not need to register again, unless you choose to leave the email list. Participation is free and open to anyone.

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