Professional identity of public librarians, archivists and museum professionals in five European countries
| Date | 10 July 2024 |
| Pages | 1570-1596 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-03-2024-0060 |
| Published date | 10 July 2024 |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Records management & preservation,Document management,Classification & cataloguing,Information behaviour & retrieval,Collection building & management,Scholarly communications/publishing,Information & knowledge management,Information management & governance,Information management,Information & communications technology,Internet |
| Author | Mahmood Khosrowjerdi,Jamie Johnston,Kerstin Rydbeck,Andreas Vårheim,Isto Huvila,Máté Tóth,Ágústa Pálsdóttir,Anna Mierzecka |
Professional identity of public
librarians, archivists and museum
professionals in five
European countries
Mahmood Khosrowjerdi
Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences Library, Elverum, Norway
Jamie Johnston
Faculty of Social Sciences,
Department of Archivistics, Library and Information Science,
Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway
Kerstin Rydbeck
Department of ALM, Uppsala University, Uppssala, Sweden
Andreas V
arheim
Department of Language and Culture, UiT The Arctic University of Norway,
Tromsø, Norway
Isto Huvila
Department of ALM, Uppsala University, Uppssala, Sweden
M
at
eT
oth
University of P
ecs, P
ecs, Hungary
Ag
usta P
alsd
ottir
Department of Information Science, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland, and
Anna Mierzecka
University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
Abstract
Purpose–The purpose is to investigate the professional identity of public library, archive and museum (LAM)
professionals in Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Norway and Sweden.
Design/methodology/approach –The data have been gathered through the administration of three
questionnaires. A comprehensive analysis is conducted to explore the variations in the professionals’
perceptions of their professional proximities to the other LAM professions and other related professions,
considering demographic factors such as age, education, gender and immigrant background of participants.
Findings –Through a lens of micro- and macro-professional identities, the findings underscore both clearly
perceived role separation between the LAM professions and notable points of convergence, suggesting
opportunities for collaborative efforts. The implications of these discoveries are discussed, offering a
foundation for future research endeavors.
Originality/value –The study highlights the professions perceived to have the most and least similarity to
LAMs based on questionnaire responses, providing valuable insights into the interplay between various
professional domains.
Keywords Professional identity, Role perception, Public librarian, Archivist, Museum professional, LAM
Paper type Research paper
JD
80,6
1570
Funding: The original research in which these data have been produced was funded by the Research
Council of Norway, under The Programme on the Culture and Media Sector (KULMEDIA), project
number: 259052.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/0022-0418.htm
Received 13 March 2024
Revised 22 May 2024
Accepted 12 June 2024
Journal of Documentation
Vol. 80 No. 6, 2024
pp. 1570-1596
© Emerald Publishing Limited
0022-0418
DOI 10.1108/JD-03-2024-0060
Introduction
Professional identity, referring to individuals’perceptions and representations of their roles
within their specific field (Hicks, 2014, p. 252), constitutes a central dimension of the work
environment (Duan et al., 2021). In the library, archive and museum (LAM) sector,
professionals are adapting to a shift from collection to connection, impacting their roles in
both social and digital dimensions (Audunson et al., 2020;Johnston et al., 2022a,b). Role
perception, influencing professional identity, appears to play an important role in shaping
trends in the LAM sector. Multi-country research suggests that LAM professionals’role
perceptions impact their understanding, execution and collaboration within the sector
(Johnston et al., 2023;T
oth et al., 2024). Furthermore, and contrary to the prevalent view that
LAM professionals have complementary or even overlapping roles, recent findings indicate
that LAM professionals perceive little alignment between their roles, suggesting potentially
distinct professional identities (Audunson et al., 2020;Johnston et al., 2022a,b;T
oth et al.,
2024). These findings necessitate a more in-depth investigation into how LAM professionals
perceive their roles, the implications for their professional identities, and the convergence or
divergence of the LAM professions, providing critical insights into broader trends within the
sector (Rydbeck and Johnston, 2020).
Gaining a more in-depth and nuanced understanding of how LAM professionals view
their roles is necessary, as compelling evidence indicates that a deficient professional identity
may contribute to job burnout (Edwards and Dirette, 2010), heightened stress levels and
conflicts in role expectations (Lloyd and King, 2001). Additionally, professional identity
appears to affect collaboration (Miller, 2004). Previous research shows that LAM cross-
sectoral collaborations have not consistently proven successful (T
oth et al., 2024), and the
way that LAM professionals’approach cultural policy goals, such as participation, is related
to how they perceive their roles, which can lead to very different outcomes (Johnston et al.,
2023). Therefore, acquiring a comprehensive understanding of the perceived roles among
LAM professionals is essential to fostering seamless cross-LAM collaborations, a topic that
has long been a subject of discussion within the LAM community (T
oth et al., 2024;V
arheim
et al., 2020). However, this research has not specifically examined sectoral distinctions or
variations. The article addresses this gap and aims to explore the following questions:
RQ1. How do LAM professionals perceive their professional roles in relation to each
other and related professions?
RQ2. If there are unified professional cultures across countries, what implications are
there regarding the respective professional identities, and what are the implications
for the convergence and divergence of the LAM professions?
Our study analyzes questionnaire responses of EuropeanLAM professionals’perceptions of their
professional roles in relation to each other and other professions. This study significantly
advances our understanding of the professional identity of LAM professionals in several ways.
Firstly, it takes a cross-country approach, examining role perceptions in five European countries –
Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Norway and Sweden. This expansive perspective enhances
the research’s comprehensiveness. Secondly, the study employs a large-scale sample,
encompassing a diverse group of professionals from multiple countries, capturing a broad
spectrum of perspectives and practices. By combiningacross-countryapproachwithalarge-
scale sample, the study offers valuable insights into the professional identities of librarians,
archivists and museum professionals. These findings can inform the development of policies,
strategies and practices in these professions, both nationally and internationally.
Journal of
Documentation
1571
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