Brian Winterman
Six SLIS master degree students had an article published in the journal Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship (Fall 2010, Number 63). The journal is a publication of the Science and Technology Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries.
The students (Brenna Bychowski, Carolyn Caffrey, Mia Costa, Angela Moore, Jessamyn Sudhakaran, and Yuening Zhang) were part of the Summer 2010 section of SLIS S523 Science and Technology Information. The course was taught by Brian Winterman (MLS'03), SLIS adjunct lecturer and Information Fluency and Assessment Librarian at Indiana University, Bloomington. Winterman's Summer 2009 class also co-authored an article that was published.
We asked Brian Winterman about the project. He emailed:
•"Like last year, everyone brought their unique and valuable strengths to the project: leadership skills, data analysis, a knack for good prose, etc. I think the exercise teaches the students not only about the profession and a bit about the publishing process, but also about teamwork, project management, and effective communication. Most of the students are happy to have a publication on their résumé, but I think some have come out of the experience feeling more confident in their ability to engage in the issues of the profession. I think that it's important to encourage our professionals-in-training to begin contributing to the knowledge base of their profession as soon as possible, not just to absorb what is already out there."
The full-text article is available through the
•Old Words, New Meanings: A Study of Trends in Science Librarian Job Ads
"Job ads are supposed to provide careful descriptions of the positions being advertised. Based on this premise, an analysis of job ads over time should reveal emerging trends and changes in a profession. The existing literature on science librarianship emphasizes that there are fluctuations in the demand for subject expertise and technology skills at different periods of time. After gathering job ads from the beginning and end of a ten-year period, a close reading of the ads revealed surprisingly few changes in the requirements for science librarian positions. This suggests that what employers are looking for has not changed in spite of the changes in the profession. This analysis also points to a set of core qualities in the profession, though what the qualities mean could have changed over time. This study explores the data gathered from the collected ads and offers some explanations for the results."
Posted December 16, 2010