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CORE TECHNOLOGY COMPETENCIES FOR LIBRARIANS AND LIBRARY STAFF: A LITA GUIDE

No one can pinpoint the exact date when library work became a race to keep up with technology, but most would now agree with Susan Thompson that ‘‘[t]he rapid pace of change in technology and library services has made it difficult for libraries to determine just what technology skills various types of library personnel should know, much less actually ensure that they do know them.’’ At least since the mid-1990s, libraries have struggled to define and achieve a basic level of ‘‘computer literacy’’ for staff and librarians. With Core Technology Competencies for Librarians and Library Staff, Thompson has assembled a trove of lists, tables, and case studies to assist in that struggle. In addition, Thompson’s book addresses related questions: Who is responsible for evaluating staff skill levels? Who should be the trainer? What competencies should systems librarians possess? Is there more to this process than just a list of technical skills? The book is a series of essays arranged in three sections. Thompson starts out with an overview of technology competencies in libraries. From the early days of mainframe computers, library technology has expanded inexorably through MARC, OCLC, the ILS, OPACs, LANs, PCs, web browsers, online databases, office productivity and media editing software, Dublin Core, XML, Web 2.0 technologies, and more—much more. Thompson observes, ‘‘Many librarians are finding that their systems departments are no longer able to handle all the demands from the many different types of technology now available in the library. Library staff are increasingly expected to provide some level of technology support for themselves.’’ One strategy for coping with the pace of technological change, according to Thompson, is to abandon the concept of ‘‘mastery’’ and focus instead on understanding the basic, underlying theory of the technology; when it morphs into something new—as it soon will—that basic understanding will ease the transition to the new application. The main thing is to be comfortable with constant change and constant learning. Consequently, some librarians maintain that a core competencies program should not focus on individual software products that soon will be obsolete, but should instead