An integrated understanding of librarian professional identity
| Date | 01 July 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/GKMC-01-2019-0008 |
| Pages | 413-430 |
| Published date | 01 July 2019 |
| Author | Cameron M. Pierson,Anne Goulding,Jennifer Campbell-Meier |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science |
An integrated understanding of
librarian professional identity
Cameron M. Pierson,Anne Goulding and Jennifer Campbell-Meier
School of Information Management, Victoria University of Wellington,
Wellington, New Zealand
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to reviewliterature on librarian professional identity to develop a
more integratedunderstanding of this topic.
Design/methodology/approach –Literature was retrieved and analysed with no date or geographic
limit from nine databases on the subject of librarian professional identity. A combinationof keywords and
database specificcontrolled language was utilized to increaseretrieval, as well as inspection of reference lists.
Exclusioncriteria were applied.
Findings –The review found 14 characteristics or themes relevant to librarian professional identity
formation and development,understood as process over time. This process is in part defined by benchmark
events, such as critical incidents, as well as highly personal aspects, such as perceptionof these incidents.
This review also introduces an original conceptual model of librarian professional identity formation and
development.
Research limitations/implications –A limitation of this review was that only English-language
literaturewas considered. A further limitation is the omission of works that have not been formallypublished.
Additionally,the model introduced is untested.
Originality/value –By reviewing librarianprofessional identity literature, this paper offersan integrated
understanding of this topic and introduces a new, original model to understand the process of librarian
professional identity and development. It further offers an examination based on a sociological lens to
examine thisidentity.
Keywords Librarians, Librarianship, Library profession, Perception, Identity, Professional identity
Paper type Literature review
Introduction
For some time, it has been said there is a crisis in librarianship.The nature and extent of this
crisis has been the focus of various discussions,ranging across the technological, historical,
behavioural and discursive(Bak, 2002;Bennett, 1988;Davis, 2008;Dorner et al., 2017;Harris,
1992;Nelson and Irwin, 2014). This crisis is characterized by an uncertainty regarding
institutional definitionand fit in society, which can also be understoodas uncertainty of the
library professional’sdefinition and fit, and therefore their identity. Fundamentally, these
discussions articulate the identity of a profession in transition. As contextual and
environmental circumstanceshave changed rapidly in recent decades, increased uncertainty
has prompted sense-making efforts (Dorner et al.,2017) to address questions of who is and
will be the librarian andwhat do librarians do and what will they do in the future.
At their core, these are questions concerning identity. Attempts to address questions of
librarian identity have a history of varied disciplinary influences (Bryan, 1952;Holland,
1997;Johnson et al., 1994;Scherdin,1994), yet fall short due to little consensus of findings.
Professional identity, however, provides a unique lens for a more integrated
understanding of the topic, as it presupposes an identity underpinned by a professional
context. Any examination of the librarian, therefore, cannot be complete without also
Librarian
professional
identity
413
Received29 January 2019
Revised22 February 2019
Accepted26 February 2019
GlobalKnowledge, Memory and
Communication
Vol.68 No. 4/5, 2019
pp. 413-430
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2514-9342
DOI 10.1108/GKMC-01-2019-0008
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2514-9342.htm
understanding that thisidentity is the outcome of professional life, which has influencedthe
perception of the identity withinits context (Whyte, 1956/2002), thus implying a sociological
emphasis is key for any such examinationsof identity (Lawler, 2014).
This paper reviews the relevant literature examining the professional identity of the
librarian without respectto library type or geographic location to develop a more integrated
understanding of this particular professional identity. It outlines characteristic themes and
events of librarian professional identity formation and development, and introduces a
conceptual model of the same. As libraries and librarians face an ever changing context,
understanding of the practitioner can contributeto understanding the social construction of
the institution understood as the library, and therefore how this institution is embedded,
interacts, and evolveswith the communities it serves.
Methodology
Literature within library and information science (LIS) relating to librarian professional
identity was analysed. A holistic approach was adopted due to the disparate nature of the
topic. Therefore, no limitation was set due to library type. The Appendixincludes a full list
of databases and search strings used within this study. Only search strings which were
inspected and yielded results according to the parameters of this study are outlined. A
combination of keyword searching and database specific controlled language were used,
leveraging differencesamong resources.
The databases used in this study werechosen based on field specialty, nature of content,
and, for some resources, open access. As the databasesoutlined are concerned with research
in the LIS domain, they were consideredthe most relevant resources because they represent
the discipline in topicality, depth and breadth both theoretically and professionally. The
open access resourcewas chosen to compliment resources consulted andextend reach to any
other relevant literatureas deemed by the criteria of this study.
Exclusion criteria includedrelevance and language. Relevance was defined as an explicit
discussion, either directly or indirectly, related to librarian professional identity or
individual aspects (e.g. discursivepractice) related to librarian professional identity beyond
a brief mention. Content language was limited to English. Additionalliterature meeting this
criteria was inspected, includinghistorical research and essays, with emphasis on empirical
studies.
The search process was iterative.All retrieval language and search strings were saved in
a document and each iteration informed the next. Only search strings yielding
approximately 1,000 records or less were thoroughly inspected. This document maintained
keywords and terms, which were used iteratively over the course of searching. Literature
was sorted by the study’sdefinition of relevance into three sub-folders: primary,secondary,
and tertiary. Digital sources were reviewed in alphabetical order by author surname,
descending by folder. All physical sourceswere reviewed first. A small minority of sources
were included based on previous personalknowledge (Wilson and Halpin, 2006). Inspection
of reference lists was performed and additional documents identified through this process
were either found throughthe databases used or open sources.
Once reviewed, key findings were noted and arranged in a concept matrix with
associated metadata,using Excel. Resulting data were reviewed for commonthemes, trends,
contradictions, or notable findings contributing to study purpose. An inductive approach
was adopted to ground conclusionsfrom the literature, rather than affix prior assumptions
to the data. No software was used for analysis. A core purpose of this study is to build a
more holistic comprehension of the profession’s understanding to date of the formation,
development, and compositionof the librarian professional identity. Therefore, no date limit
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