Developing Science Librarians: Choosing Sci-Tech Librarianship


		Developing Science Librarians: Choosing Sci-Tech Librarianship Jill Hackenberg Science and Engineering Library University at Buffalo jmh7@acsu.buffalo.edu May 1999 Survey: E-mailed to 8 professional and 8 student discussion groups (listservers) 311 responses Librarians: 95% Students: 3% Both: 2% Female: 76% Male: 24% E-mail Domain: .edu (educational) 60% .com (commercial) 20% .ca (Canada) 6% .gov (governmental) 3% .au, .net, .org 2% Enrollment in Sci-Tech Course for MLS: 53 different schools named 75% said a course was offered Only 57% took the course Was it useful? Did you want to be a sci-tech librarian? YES: 54% Reasons why 47%: I had a background in the sciences 29%: I had an interest/hobby in the sciences 14%: I heard it’s easier to get a library job 7% : I heard there are higher salaries 5% : I heard it was easier to relocate and find a good job quickly Didn’t intend to be a sci-tech librarian but changed my mind (35%): Reasons why: 23% I needed a job, in any library 14% I had a background in the sciences 10% I had an interest/hobby in the sciences 9% I had an internship in a sci-tech library 3% I heard there are higher salaries 2% I heard it’s easier to get a library job 1% I heard it was easier to relocate and find a good job quickly Do you have a sci-tech background? Yes: 71% Was it helpful? Yes: 70% No: 1.3% Professional Memberships 60% SLA: Special Libraries Association 36% ALA: American Library Association 27% ACRL: Association of College and Research Libraries 12% ASEE: American Society for Engineering Education 8% ACS: American Chemical Society 7% ASIS: American Society for Information Science 5% GIS: Geoscience Information Society Thanks for coming! Jill Hackenberg jmh7@acsu.buffalo.edu

				Page last updated: October 25, 2000