brought with the help of technology. As it is noticed that technology has played a vital role in every subject. The inclusion of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) into the LIS domain has ultimately affected traditional library services, the librarian job role and the description of the function of a library (Buarki and Al-omar, 2019). Moreover, the teachers teaching in higher education have adopted a new style of teaching because of technology (Tait et al., 2016). The involvement of technology and innovation in every subject has allowed policymakers to change their policies and show how new technological advancements can accommodate the LIS syllabus development. Redesigning the course according to the present job market demands and synchronising it with evolving information storage and retrieval systems would eventually help libraries and professionals redefine their role and remain sustainable in the ICT era. Moreover, technology has shared more significance towards the job market, better-skilled professionals, developing new job titles and creating diverse employment opportunities. The job market must be considered for performing such kinds of jobs as these people will help in upgrading the syllabus as per the needs of stakeholders (Triumph and Beile, 2015). Buarki and Al-omar (2019) defined that according to stakeholders’ needs it is considered as the obligation to regularly develop the syllabus. Library and Information Science in Kuwait and the job market Kuwait fulfils LIS education at two different institutions offering two levels; firstly, a bachelor’s degree (BA) at the Department of Library and Information Science (DLIS), College of Basic Education (CBE), Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET); and secondly, a Master programme of Information Studies (MISt) degree at the College of Social Sciences, Kuwait University (KU). During 2019–2020, it was identified that 1,700 students have enrolled their names in the two LIS schools in Kuwait. Further, approximately 250 students graduate annually from the DLIS, whilst around 25 graduate from the MISt. The two models were developed to complement one another and that students remain nimble in the ICT landscape. Furthermore, more than 38 employers in Kuwait offer LIS-related jobs (Buarki and AlOmar, 2019). The Ministry of Education (ME), for example, is where most of the LIS graduates are employed in Kuwait. From 2016 to 2026, the ME’s LIS graduate employment plan is to hire about 50 graduates every year, with an increase of 4% yearly (Ministry of Education, 2016). Thus, reflecting the urgent need for LIS graduates in the public sector. LIS graduates should be employed at educational bodies (such as universities, schools and private institutions) due to their involvement in library services, research and general work as LIS professionals. Therefore, the present study is conducted to understand the change bought by the technology in the LIS field. Thus, the study mainly aims at identifying the data pertaining to its findings. The study will mainly analyse the data from employers’ point of view and will perform a content analysis of the job list which especially deals with hiring graduates of the DLIS programme at the CBE, PAAET, Kuwait. This gap was found from the research performed by the scholars Buarki et al. (2011) and Buarki and Al-Omar (2019). Therefore, this study aims to determine the skills and knowledge needed for LIS professionals in Kuwait’s library job market, to rethink the current syllabus and offer better future sustainable employability. Literature review The biggest challenge facing the LIS domain is to stay relevant amid extant technological changes. The image of libraries is as an impenetrable vault wherein librarians serve as gatekeepers, guiding patrons through various stacks and are now outdated. The internet Library job market 801
and mobile technologies have revolutionised the standard of the people and understand the way that they want to, consume and interact with content. Patrons seek easy access to and retrieval of information, and libraries need to find compelling ways to stay abreast of new developments; libraries have to go beyond just a “collections-based model to a more broadly services-based model” (Dempsey and Malpas, 2018). Denda and Hunter (2016) investigated twenty-first-century skills and building communities. The study examined team-based engagement for students’ employment in academic libraries. Thus, it was found that the students had an opportunity to build various skills into digital projects, communication, teamwork and community building. Over time, the LIS domain has been considered as the rethinking subject, where the need for syllabus development in LIS schools is mainly based on emerging roles. Moreover, students are accommodated with the new courses that offer students new skills to adapt to the requirements of the job market. Thus, the change has, in turn, affected “job titles, knowledge and the inclusion of ICT-based skills” into the LIS syllabus (Triumph and Beile, 2015). Demanding nature of Library and Information Science job market Beile and Adams (2000) stated that about 60% of technical and public services professions require computer skills for electronic services. Thus, behavioural skills have become an integral part of job needs, primarily oral and written communication skills (Lynch and Smith, 2001). However, frequent job changes in librarian applicants can affect their employment prospects (Antúnez, 2018). Additionally, a recent study concluded that “LIS graduates feel that their education would have been more valuable, had it given them more opportunities to gain experience”; given majorly technology-related courses; and more practical knowledge (Goodsett and Koziura, 2016). The jobs related to the LIS graduates must first examine the necessary skills and then prepare them as per the new trends. Various international studies regarding LIS jobs were reviewed in this study. Tella et al. (2018) realised that the essentials demand of the recruiters is ICT skills and further, they check their technological knowledge and their ability to satisfy library users. Cheng and Hoffman (2020) conducted a study on the characteristics and perspectives of Librarians and Administrators. A certain limitation was addressed after collecting the survey, interviewing, enquiring about their experience and their attitudes. The study found that there is a huge difference between the attitudes of the librarians and library administrators. It was found that administrators were identified as helpful, whereas librarians were leading towards the more actionable improvement. The LIS job market has become competitive for fresh graduates who lack insignificant practical experience (Eckard et al., 2014). Tella (2020) stated that the African Library Schools syllabus are developed as per the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) era. Students must pose relevant technology and traditional skills (such as information about the organisation, their research and their strategies). Furthermore, ICT skills (such as digital scanning teaching and cloud data expansion) are mainly required in employability in the 4IR era. Bettinger and Merry (2018) suggested that investigating job needs can be achieved by analysing job adverts. Research in Pakistan explored the opinions of academic library managers on library leadership skills (Ashiq et al., 2018). The study collected qualitative data through interviews with 15 academic library leaders. The most “required leadership skills were communication, vision, social interaction, team building, organisational understanding and knowledge sharing”. In addition, Ashiq et al. (2018) indicated that several challenges are faced regarding leadership and soft skills. They even stated that continuous research must be conducted on professional development. Another recent study explored the skills of LIS GKMC 71,8/9 802
professionals from the perspective of professionals of the same domain. It added that work coordination, intellectual property rights familiarity, online searching and leadership are necessary skills (Awan and Ameen, 2020). The job market in Kuwait and the Arabian Gulf region Reviewing the literature in Kuwait and the Arabian Gulf region suggested that developing the LIS courses is considered a major requirement. According to the job market’s needs, it is found that the LIS courses must be analysed properly and the new course must be developed (Triumph and Beile, 2015; Ur Rehman, 2016). Because of proper education, it is found that economic development has been now better and has changed. People are given access to education in Kuwait. This has helped in abating and proving the employment rate. However, the LIS discipline is continuously changing, facing various impediments to technological developments (Buarki and Al-Omar, 2019). McClelland (2014) identified the specific duties and facilitates of individual decisions in the library domain regarding the job adverts. Kaba (2017) examined graduate job advertising in the United Arab Emirates by collecting and analysing data in a summative content analysis approach. The librarian title appeared to be the highest advertised by higher education institutions (HEI). The job market also revealed new titles such as e-library executive, principal-publications and primary librarian. Additionally, the research discovered irregularities amongst HEI “in using job categories to advertise library jobs [...] none of them used the term library” (Kaba, 2017). Ur Rehman (2016) investigated that there is a major need of revising and developing the new KU MLIS syllabus for the Kuwaiti job market. The findings indicated that the skills of information management, knowledge management, information organisation and information need and behaviour need required major attention. These areas can be added to the existing syllabus or taught as courses on their own. Similarly, the MLIS programme changed its title to Master of Information Studies (MISt) in 2017 to suit the Kuwaiti job market’s requirements. Buarki and Al-omar (2019) investigated that graduates’ skills relating to the DLIS. Their findings suggested that most graduates have benefited from the LIS major. As it is within their specialisation and the Civil Service Commission (CSC) employed them in a library setting. The research introduced a list of the necessary employment skills and the institutions hiring such graduates, suggesting that LIS graduates are well equipped with multidimensional skills to work in the job market. Ur Rehman (2016) and Goodsett and Koziura (2016) found that review must be done on the literature especially updating the syllabus to understand the emerging skills (Triumph and Beile, 2015; Tella et al., 2018; Beile and Adams, 2000) the needed courses (Triumph and Beile, 2015; Ashiq et al., 2018; Tella, 2020); and to remain sustainable in the changing LIS domain by offering new information-related job titles (Bettinger and Merry, 2018; Awan and Ameen, 2020; Kaba, 2017). The literature recommended that the job market’s inspection must be set worldwide (Triumph and Beile, 2015); however, how to tackle the job market and its needs in Kuwait is still not discussed. Continuous research is thus required to boost the syllabus and enhance graduate skills according to the job market’s needs. Buarki and Alomar (2019) recommended the further use of mixed methods for developing and enriching the research findings. This study will majorly emphasise the job market and its needs from employers’ perspective and job adverts content analysis to redesign/develop the syllabus. In twenty-first-century librarianship, librarians are expected to have new skills as this will help them in developing their communication, connection and relationships with the users (clients). New librarians are expected to be user-friendly with the technology and public speaking (Schwartz, 2013). Moreover, they must have the capability and the ability to Library job market 803
collaborate, communicate, “engage with their audiences, and embed themselves in their communities” [Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), 2009]. According to the American Association of Colleges and Universities (2010), they found that out of four employers one employer thinks that they only need two-year and four-year colleges experience. It was found that employers must hold higher education and they must mainly focus on developing their written and verbal communication, teamwork skills. Moreover, they must pose the ability to locate themselves, organise themselves and finally, evaluate themselves from multiple sources. Employers must always have learning experiences such as internships, as this provides an opportunity to practice and brush their skills. Research aim The main aim of the study was to determine the expected skills and knowledge needed for potential LIS professionals in Kuwait. In addition to this, understanding Kuwait’s library job market, their needs for developing the current syllabus and offering better future employability. Research objectives The main objectives of the present study are as follows: To identify institutions that employ LIS graduates in Kuwait. To trace the current employment of LIS graduates. To determine the available jobs for LIS graduates. To identify the LIS skills needed by the job market. To develop students’ skills through updating the DLIS syllabus. Methodology Design Research design serves as the roadmap or the blueprint to collect and measure the data. It further helps in analysing the data for which the researcher gets the required results. Thus, the present study has used a descriptive research design, the design helped in describing each concept briefly. The present study has used a mixed research approach. The study is quantitatively based on the questionnaire survey, and it is qualitative based on the data collected through the questionnaires and the content analysis of the jobs’ adverts. Data collection Paradis et al. (2016), accentuated that data collection methodology should be in alignment with the objectives of the study. Thus, the present study has collected data with the help of primary data. Further, the research was undertaken in the following two stages. In Stage 1, the research used a non-probability purposive sampling technique. Employers of LIS higher management in Kuwait were surveyed. The research population included employers who have previously either trained or employed LIS graduates. The researchers have collected the data with the help of the electronic questionnaire (Appendix 1). The questionnaire was emailed randomly in November 2019 to managers of institutions, mainly those who employed themselves in LIS jobs. From Buarki and Al-omar (2019) the researchers had used the list of institutions that mainly employed LIS alumni in Kuwait, the people mentioned in the list were emailed. The researchers used the WhatsApp application and email correspondence to follow-up on respondents’ participation. There were 76 highGKMC 71,8/9 804
level management employees from 38 institutions who participated in the survey. They belonged to different institutions, including libraries, universities, information centres, ministries, banks and an oil company. In Stage 2, the research used content analysis of librarianship-related job listings to determine LIS graduates’ job market needs in Kuwait. The job listings were collected from official Kuwaiti newspapers, social media tools and recruitment websites spanning June to December 2019 by the private and public sectors in Kuwait, Appendix 2. The private sector included private school libraries and information centres. In contrast, the public sector had ministries and educational affiliations (including public libraries, public schools and universities) and all other public organisations. Advertisements were searched online, and subject alerts were set where possible to identify institutions and agencies that employ LIS graduates in Kuwait. Data analysis and results The present study mainly used SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) test to analyse the quantitative data, whereas the content analysis test was used for the qualitative data. The information collected with the help of the questionnaire mainly considered the respondents’ personal information and affiliation, LIS employment needs and opportunities, job titles offered and experiences and skills needed. Furthermore, the survey concluded with open-ended questions that were asked to respondents to specify the necessary skills, employment difficulties faced and any additional statements to improve LIS graduates’ employability. The researchers applied descriptive statistics to the analyses of the data, including frequency tables, Chi-square test and standard deviation. A descriptive analysis of the survey calculated frequencies and percentages concerning management level, type of organisation, LIS graduates’ recent and future employment, institutions’ need for LIS graduates’ expertise, employers’ affiliations, skills and experiences needed and concerns/ problems faced when employing the graduates. The researchers gathered qualitative data from the respondents’ comments on various related issues; information professionals considered these to be vital in improving LIS graduates’ employability. The skills in Tables 4 to 7 were grouped and calculated using a weight reference, Appendix 3. For example, ICT skills = 2.08, Table 4, and the questionnaire’s ICT skills items (Appendix 1) were grouped accordingly. The respondent needed to select five different items such as electronic publishing, web design, bibliographic instruction, English language writing and marketing of services and information; this would mean that the respondent selected two items from the ICT skills category electronic publishing, weight = 1 and web design, weight = 0.5, so the total weight for this respondent is 1.5 out of 5; weights were calculated the same for the items in the other categories. All the categories have a scale ranging from 0 (non-selection) to 5 (highly in-demand selection). The job advertisements were analysed using thematic qualitative analysis of LIS keywords, librarian jobs and related subject phases, such as the library, librarian, information specialist, cataloguing, indexing and circulation. A total of 102 advertisements were collected, discarding duplicates and non-related ones. It is observed that 41-related adverts were carefully chosen from 35 different educational institutions, processed through content analysis and formed into 3 groups according to job titles and responsibilities offered. The job announcements in local Kuwaiti newspapers and online adverts indicated the institution employing LIS graduates, job title and experience needed. A comprehensive list of skills needed, courses recommended, job titles and institutions hiring LIS graduates in Kuwait was composed after analysing employer interviews and the content of job listings. Library job market 805
Participants’ job title, management level and affiliation type Of the 45 (59%) total survey respondents (representing 18 institutions, out of a possible 38), 24 (53%) were high-level management staff occupying different jobs (such as dean libraries, assistant dean, general managers, deputy heads, administration managers, deputy director advisors and general supervisors). It is observed that 21 (47%) of the respondents were from academic-public institutions; most of these (n =14) came from KU, this could be due to the university’s research culture orientation. Kuwait University Libraries Administration is at the focus of the academic and research actions at KU, making it an extensive university library system, as seen in Table 1. Demand for Library and Information Science graduates One of the survey questions asked the respondents to suggest the “number of graduates at the LIS department their organisation needs to hire”. Results indicate that the most frequently observed category was “2–5” (n = 25, 56%) per year, with “More than 10” indicated by (n = 3) 6.67% of respondents. The least frequently reported category (n = 4, 44%) was “6–10”. The most frequently observed category of “jobs available periodically in your organisation for librarians” was significantly reported to be “low demand”(n = 28, 62%), Table 2. In response to another question about institutions employing LIS graduates, the motive was to elicit information concerning whether employers need to hire LIS graduates or prefer to hire from any other specialisation. The employers indicated the “number of graduates from the LIS department [that had] already been employed” in their organisation, with the highest number (n = 36, 80%) being “1–5”; this is reported in Table 2. Library and Information Science graduates’ employment level, type and expertise Results indicate that the most frequently observed category of employment at the “management level” was “high” (n = 22, 80%). Another goal was to find the “type of organization” employing LIS graduates. The results show that“academic/public” was reported by a significant number (n = 17, 38%) of the respondents. The next question asked the respondents if their organisation needs to employ LIS graduates; a significant number (n = 36, 80%) reported “yes”. One of the survey questions asked the respondents to indicate if their organisation had announced that it had hired a LIS graduate. A considerable number (n = 31, 69%) stated “yes”. The respondents also reported “yes” (n = 26, 58%), regarding if LIS graduates were employed by their institutions. The results imply that employers are willing to hire LIS graduates. The last category that considerably affects the employment of LIS graduates was their expertise in the field. Unexpectedly, the most frequently observed category of institutions (n = 26, 58%) reported that no experience was needed. However, 42% of the employers said they needed job applicants to have at least 2 years of LIS experience; the results are reported in Table 3. Skills needed for Library and Information Science employment Table 4 reveals the summary statistics on the most needed skills for LIS graduates. The analysis identified that the average ICT skills needed for employment were 2.08 (SD = 1.15, SEM = 0.17) and the average library skills were 2.89 (SD = 1.91, SEM = 0.28). The next question asked respondents to identify the average language proficiency skills needed for employment; the results indicated 3.36 (SD = 2.20, SEM = 0.33). Similarly, the average information organisation skills needed for employment were 2.44 (SD = 1.65, SEM = 0.25), whilst the average managerial skills needed for employment were 2.98 (SD = 1.82, SEM = 0.27). GKMC 71,8/9 806
Improvement of skills One of the survey questions asked respondents to indicate the LIS skills that needed improvement. The highest skills are listed as follows; the first skill that needed improvement was “library skills” with an average of 3.51 (SD = 1.63, SEM = 0.24, Min = 0.00, Max = 5.00). This finding contradicts previous results (regarding the institutions Table 1. Job title and affiliations of respondents # Job title Affiliations 1. Libraries’ Dean 1. Public Authority for Applied Education and 2. Libraries’ Dean Assistant Training – Libraries Deanship 3. Librarian Beginner 4. Librarian Beginner 5. General Manager 2. Kuwait National Library 6. Deputy Head of an Information Centre 3. Central Bank of Kuwait – Information Centre 7. Head of an Information Division 8. Head of an Information Centre 9. Head of a Centre 10. Administration Manager 4. Kuwait University – Libraries 11. Library Head – Science Administration 12. Library Head – Education 13. Library Head – Law 14. Library Head – Library 15. Division Head 16. Library Head – Sharea 17. Library Head – Life sciences 18. Information Specialist 19 Library Observer 20. Programmer 21. Librarian 22. Deputy Director Advisor – Centre of Medical Sciences 23. Librarian 24. General Supervisor of Public Libraries 5. National Council for Culture, Arts and 25. Libraries Specialist Letters 26. Head Information Specialist 27. Libraries Specialist 28. Librarian (Primary) 29. School Manager 6. Ministry of Education 30. Libraries Administration – Manager 31. Librarian 32. Librarian 33. Information Specialist 7. Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research – 34. Information Specialist NISTIC 35. Library Officer 8. The Australian College of Kuwait 36. Head Librarian 9. Universal American School 37. Librarian – Collection Development 10. Gulf University for Science and Technology 38. Head Librarian 11. Ministry of Health 39. Library Director 12. American University of Kuwait 40. Librarian 13. Kuwait Awqaf Public Foundation 41. Translator 14. State Audit Bureau of Kuwait 42. Librarian 15. Ministry of Justice 43. Researcher 16. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour 44. Habitat Museum Manager 17. Kuwait National Cultural District 45. Technical Assistant 18. Kuwait Oil company Library job market 807
Table 2. Demand for LIS graduates Variable n (%) The number of LIS graduates your organisation needs to hire? 2–5 25 55.56 6–9 7 15.56 More than 10 3 6.67 No need 10 22.22 The number of graduates in the LIS Department [that have] already been employed? 1 to 5 36 80.00 6 to 10 2 4.44 More than 10 7 15.56 Are jobs available periodically in your organisation for librarians? High demand 17 37.78 Low demand 28 62.22 Table 3. Employment of LIS graduates Variable n (%) Management level High 22 48.89 Low 11 24.44 Mid 12 26.67 Type of organisation Academic – Private 5 11.11 Academic – Public 17 37.78 Non-Academic 15 33.33 Others 8 17.78 Does your organisation need to employ LIS graduates? No 4 8.89 Yes 36 80.00 Yes, but employed for non-library jobs 5 11.11 Has your organisation announced hiring a LIS applicant? No 14 31.11 Yes 31 68.89 Are LIS graduates employed in your organisation? No 19 42.22 Yes 26 57.78 Does your institution require LIS applicants to have experience? No experience needed 26 57.78 Experience required from 2 to 5 years 15 33.33 Experience required from 6 to 10 years 4 8.89 Table 4. Skills needed for LIS graduate employment Skills needed for employment Mean SD Std. error mean ICT skills 2.08 1.15 0.17 Library skills 2.89 1.91 0.28 Language proficiency 3.36 2.20 0.33 Information organisation 2.44 1.65 0.25 Managerial skills 2.98 1.82 0.27 GKMC 71,8/9 808
employing LIS graduates), which stated that the job market requires no employment experience. The second required skill reported was the “language proficiency”, with an average mean of 3.47 (SD = 2.21, SEM = 0.33, Min = 0.00, Max = 5.00). This result could be due to the procedures at institutions that require English language proficiency or that employed staff who do not have sufficient language skills. Next, the managerial skills needed improvement, with an average mean of 2.89 (SD = 2.18, SEM = 0.32, Min = 0.00, Max = 5.00). The “information organisation” skills improvement needed had almost the same average mean of 2.87 (SD = 1.69, SEM = 0.25, Min = 0.00, Max = 5.00). Finally, the need for improvement in “ICT skills” had an average mean of 2.12 (SD = 1.09, SEM = 0.16, Min = 0.00, Max = 3.50), Table 5. Employability skills require improvement The research conducted a Kruskal–Wallis rank-sum test to assess if there were significant differences between the various skills and management levels. The “Kruskal–Wallis test is a non-parametric alternative to the one-way ANOVA and does not share the ANOVA’s distributional assumptions” (Conover and Iman, 1981); Table 6, thus presents the results of the Kruskal–Wallis rank-sum test. The Kruskal–Wallis test results showed that the information organisation skills needed for employment were statistically significant, x2 (2) = 6.69, p = 0.035. Consequently, this indicates that the mean rank of these skills was not similar for all management levels, with a mean of 26.34 for high level, 14.23 for low level and 24.92 for mid-level. For the “managerial skills require improvement” factor, the Kruskal–Wallis test results were also found to be statistically significant, x2 (2) = 11.05, p = 0.004. This suggests that it was not similar for all management levels, with a mean rank of 29.27 for high level, 16.36 for low level and 17.58 for mid-level. The Kruskal–Wallis test results were statistically insignificant at p > 0.05 for the rest of the skills needed for employment/improvement (such as ICT skills, library skills, language proficiency, information organisation skills and managerial skills). This evidences not only that the mean rank of these skills was similar for each of the management levels but also demonstrates that the skills needed for employment and those that require improvement remain the same across all management levels; see Table 6. Another Kruskal–Wallis rank-sum test verified whether there were significant differences in the skills and organisation types (Academic – Private, Academic – Public, Non-Academic and others). The results were statistically insignificant for all skills at p > 0.05. This suggests that each type of organisation (Academic – Private, Academic – Public, Non-Academic and others) was similar for all skills, reflecting that they remain identical in all types of institutions; Table 7 elaborates on these findings. Survey qualitative comments The survey was concluded with three open-ended questions. This survey was specially designed to collect qualitative data from the respondents. The survey majorly consisted of Table 5. Skill improvement Skill improvement M SD n SEM ICT 2.12 1.09 45 0.16 Library skills 3.51 1.63 45 0.24 Language proficiency 3.47 2.21 45 0.33 Information organisation 2.87 1.69 45 0.25 Managerial skills 2.89 2.18 45 0.32 Library job market 809
the questions regarding the skills needed and improvements and challenges faced in graduate employment. The comments were grouped into subheadings, as discussed in the subsequent section. Skills needed. The employers listed the skills that the LIS graduates should develop (such as cognitive skills, communication in customer services, personal skills, teamwork, data analysis, user orientation, public relation skills, research methods, marketing of information services, bibliography preparation, interpersonal skills and self-confidence). One respondent added that the graduates mainly lacked “self-confidence, respect and like their specialisation, changing their perspectives of others and enhancing the importance of their major to the society”. These were also mentioned in the quantitative survey questions, indicating their importance, such as cataloguing, classification, ICT skills, technological Table 6. Kruskal–Wallis test to assess significant differences between management levels Management level N Mean rank Kruskal–Wallis test ICT needed for employment High 22 22.02 Chi-Square 5.820 Low 11 17.32 Df 2 Mid 12 30.00 P-value 0.054 ICT requires improvement High 22 23.86 Chi-Square 3.008 Low 11 17.45 Df 2 Mid 12 26.50 P-value 0.222 Library needed for employment High 22 23.02 Chi-Square 0.247 Low 11 21.59 Df 2 Mid 12 24.25 P-value 0.884 Library skills require improvement High 22 26.27 Chi-Square 2.985 Low 11 19.50 Df 2 Mid 12 20.21 P-value 0.225 Language proficiency needed for employment High 22 22.80 Chi-Square 1.740 Low 11 19.91 Df 2 Mid 12 26.21 P-value 0.419 Language proficiency requires improvement High 22 22.05 Chi-Square 0.507 Low 11 22.86 Df 2 Mid 12 24.88 P-value 0.776 Information organisation needed for employment High 22 26.34 Chi-Square 6.691 Low 11 14.23 Df 2 Mid 12 24.92 P-value 0.035 Information organisation requires improvement High 22 25.77 Chi-Square 2.494 Low 11 18.32 Df 2 Mid 12 22.21 P-value 0.287 Managerial skills needed for employment High 22 26.70 Chi-Square 3.926 Low 11 18.18 Df 2 Mid 12 20.63 P-value 0.140 Managerial skills require improvement High 22 29.27 Chi-Square 11.054 Low 11 16.36 Df 2 Mid 12 17.58 P-value 0.004 GKMC 71,8/9 810
Table 7. Kruskal–Wallis test to access significant differences between skills and types of organisation Type of organisation N Mean rank Kruskal–Wallis test ICT Demand Academic – Private 5 23.60 Chi-Square 3.367 Academic – Public 17 19.35 Df 3 Non-Academic 15 27.60 P-value 0.338 Others 8 21.75 ICT Develop Academic – Private 5 19.90 Chi-Square 0.599 Academic – Public 17 22.97 Df 3 Non-Academic 15 24.67 P-value 0.897 Others 8 21.88 Library Skills Demand Academic – Private 5 21.30 Chi-Square 0.775 Academic – Public 17 23.15 Df 3 Non-Academic 15 24.87 P-value 0.855 Others 8 20.25 Library Skills Develop Academic – Private 5 18.10 Chi-Square 3.125 Academic – Public 17 26.88 Df 3 Non-Academic 15 20.30 P-value 0.373 Others 8 22.88 Language Proficiency Demand Academic – Private 5 26.90 Chi-Square 1.148 Academic – Public 17 21.59 Df 3 Non-Academic 15 24.17 P-value 0.765 Others 8 21.38 Language Proficiency Develop Academic – Private 5 26.10 Chi-Square 0.610 Academic – Public 17 22.85 Df 3 Non-Academic 15 21.77 P-value 0.894 Others 8 23.69 Information Organisation Demands Academic – Private 5 23.60 Chi-Square 0.268 Academic – Public 17 22.71 Df 3 Non-Academic 15 22.10 P-value 0.966 Others 8 24.94 Information Organisation Develop Academic – Private 5 21.00 Chi-Square 0.264 Academic – Public 17 23.47 Df 3 Non-Academic 15 22.40 P-value 0.967 Others 8 24.38 Managerial Skills Demand Academic - Private 5 24.90 Chi-Square 1.021 Academic - Public 17 24.85 Df 3 Non-Academic 15 20.67 P-value 0.796 Others 8 22.25 Managerial Skills Develop Academic - Private 5 26.40 Chi-Square 6.024 Academic - Public 17 27.56 Df 3 Non-Academic 15 17.17 P-value 0.110 Others 8 22.13 Library job market 811
applications of library programmes, English language, information search and retrieval, knowledge management and professional skill ethics. However, the most frequently repeated skills through the collected qualitative data were English language, automated library skills and ICT skills, reflecting their employability needs. Skills improvement. The final question answered by the respondents added any comments stating that they would improve LIS graduate skills. One employer commented that graduates should “focus on more practical aspects rather than the theory”, indicating that LIS graduates are coming to the workplace without sufficient training in their field. They noted the lack of English language and the need for “French language skills” for a specialised library. They also suggested the necessity of “making all the contents of the library available electronically”; this, of course, requires the ICT, automated library and job training skills. Another comment was “increase[ing] the admission qualifications” as this would reveal students’ correct schooling level. Furthermore, one respondent commented, “changing their employment titles into ones that fit into the community” needs upper management decisions and approval from the CSC. A final comment was to include an “evaluation test for the graduates in which employment institutions assess their skills before employment”. Hiring difficulties. Another question sought the respondents’ comments on the difficulties they face when hiring LIS graduates. These difficulties were “shortage[s] in the number of graduate candidates to be employed”; “LIS graduates seeking non-library jobs”; “no commitment to working hours nor obligation in following the rules”; “lack of jobs offered”; “no suitable job title, low salary, the difficulty of employment procedures”; see Figure 1 for further details. Content analysis of job advertisements Public sector job applications mainly include all governmental institutions in Kuwait submitted electronically through the CSC website in which employment is mainly in schools and public libraries. Other public sector job opportunities are available through newspaper and journal adverts in both electronic and printed versions; it remains the primary advertising source in Kuwait. The private sector publicises its job adverts in print journals and often uses online marketing channels. The research investigated social media tools and internet websites to discover new job opportunities available in the job market. It analysed LIS jobs in 42 adverts were formed into three groups as follows (the data is illustrated in Table 8): (1) Librarian jobs (librarian, librarian beginner, school librarian, whole school librarian, assistant librarian and elementary librarian). (2) Senior jobs (libraries department official, head of the library, documents classification and supervisor of library activities). (3) ICT skills jobs (librarian – tech publications work, information specialist, information technology, information coordinator and library science and information services). Job opportunities. The data revealed that the job market for LIS graduates has become broader. Employment opportunities are available in both the private and public sectors and the libraries and information centres of schools, universities, ministries, companies and research centres. However, expatriates’ local recruitment is preferable to overseas applications in the private sector due to lower salaries and more job obligations from their side. GKMC 71,8/9 812
Figure 1. Comments on skills, difficulties faced and future DLIS improvements # Skills LIS graduates should progress Difficulties faced hiring LIS graduates Improvements contributing to LIS graduates’ knowledge 1. Focus on the practical aspects of the profession such as cataloguing, classification, ICT skills and others. We face a severe shortage in the number of graduate candidates to be employed. Focus more on practical skills rather than theory. 2. Cognitive skills The shortage of graduates since most of them go to other non-library jobs. Train the graduates in English and French language skills, since the law library houses French references and does not have staff specialising in it. 3. Apply modern technological applications of library programmes. Have better communication in customer services and the facilitation of their needs. Access to and knowledge of information search and skills development. Fair use of personal skills and abilities. Working using team spirit They should have a commitment to working hours and obligation to following the rules. Lack of aspiration for technical work such as cataloguing, classification and the preparation of bibliographic lists. They prefer administrative work. Focus more on-field training. 4. Practise and teach English language, electronic search skills and users' data analysis. Lack of English language, general knowledge and desire to work mainly in cataloguing. Have self-confidence, respect and like their specialisation, changing their perspectives of others, and enhancing the importance of their major to the society. 5. Users’ orientation - indexing - classification - English language - electronic search. Lack of English language. Making all library content available electronically. 6. Perhaps have English language and public relation skills. They have little knowledge in the application of electronic skills. Increase admission qualifications. 7. Information search, user orientation, research Lack of jobs offered to them. Practical training in different libraries. Develop (continued) Library job market 813
Figure 1. # Skills LIS graduates should progress Difficulties faced hiring LIS graduates Improvements contributing to LIS graduates’ knowledge methods and public relation skills graduates’ management skills, time management and ability to deal with various patrons. 8. Dealing with patrons and how to be a successful information specialist. No suitable job title and a low salary. Changing their employment titles into ones that fit into the community. 9. Information search and retrieval, marketing of information services through automated library systems, knowledge management and bibliography preparation Lack of English language Their English language level should be developed; otherwise, it is difficult to recruit them. 10. Help and collaborate with library users. The difficulty of employment procedures and legislation through the Civil service. 11. Use of library systems. We face a severe shortage in the number of graduates. I hope to have an evaluation test for the graduates to evaluate their skills before employment. Graduates are given a certificate but without sufficient knowledge of the specialisation. 12. Cataloguing, classification, searching databases and electronic journals. The scarcity of graduates since most of them go to other non-library employers. 13. Library technical and electronic skills and be dedicated to working. 14. Have skills in library automation and information management. 15. Keeping up to date with everything new in the field. (continued) GKMC 71,8/9 814
Figure 1. # Skills LIS graduates should progress Difficulties faced hiring LIS graduates Improvements contributing to LIS graduates’ knowledge 16. Learning tact and the art of dealing with users 17. Information search and retrieval skills. 18. Computer skills, database use and English language skills. 19. Communication skills and how to improve the performance of professional skills ethics. 20. Good English. Good computer skills. Interpersonal skills. 21. Use of modern information technology. 22. Ability to manage, plan and be able to communicate with management, the public and employees. 23. Electronic indexing and classification and marketing information services skills. 24. Good user communication skills. Also, high quality English language better serves the users. 25. Skills to work at specialised libraries. 26. Have library instruction skills and public speaking. 27. Love the work environment, selfconfidence and presenting continuous work achievement. # Skills LIS graduates should progress Difficulties faced hiring LIS graduates Improvements contributing to LIS graduates’ knowledge 28. Sufficient knowledge in library science such as cataloguing and classification is a science that needs a high skill level and not just a certificate. 29. English language accuracy. Table key Skills mentioned in the survey Skills not mentioned in the survey Difficulties faced Improvement of LIS programme Library job market 815
Job titles and experiences. From the 41 librarian job adverts, most of the job titles came from the librarian jobs group and the most frequent librarian recruiter was school libraries; the second was “others” (recruitment, company, institute, firm). The ICT skills and the senior job title groups indicated more experience and better job offerings. Overall, the research found no consistency in either the job titles or the experience needed by the public and private sectors; this finding is consistent with Mustafa and Ansari (2012). However, ICT skills led most of the jobs offered and are needed by the job market as a qualification for any other specialisation (Mustafa and Ansari, 2012). Several educational institutions websites announced 26 related job advertisements, 10 of which were from recruitment agency databases and the other four were from online newspapers announced by ministries. The most predominant librarianship job title was a librarian position (beginner librarian and school librarian), with 25 occurrences. The senior librarian jobs (assistant librarian, librarian head and supervisor of library officials) had eight occurrences. There were seven other specialised posts (librarian-tech publications work, qualified librarian, information specialist, information technology jobs, documents classification and information coordinator). Table 8. Groups and job titles of LIS-related jobs Group Title Public Information centre School University Other Total Librarian jobs Librarian 1 1 9 10 21 Librarian – Beginner 1 1 School Librarian 1 1 2 Whole School Librarian 1 1 Assistant Librarian 3 3 Elementary Librarian 2 2 Total 1 1 15 1 12 30 ICT skills jobs Librarian – Tech Publications Work 1 1 Information Specialist 1 1 Information Technology 1 1 Information Coordinator 1 1 Library Science and Information Services 1 1 Total 3 1 1 5 Senior jobs Libraries Department Official 2 2 Head of Library 2 2 Documents Classification 1 1 Supervisor of Library Activities 1 1 Total 1 0 3 2 6 GKMC 71,8/9 816
There are variations in the job titles offered. For example, a librarian’s position in an educational organisation can be a school librarian, an elementary librarian, a whole school librarian or a librarian beginner. Recruitment agencies or the private sector would offer a more specific title such as tech publications work, information specialist, information technology position, documents classification or information coordinator. On the other hand, ministries would offer job titles of higher-level library jobs such as assistant librarian, libraries’ department official, librarian’s head or supervisor of library activities. The job title responsibilities included typical routines (such as cataloguing, indexing and circulation); professional responsibilities (such as reviewing and working on the library’s plan and organising book fairs); and advanced responsibilities (such as conducting research, teaching research skills); see Table 9. The previous discussion shows no uniformity in either the job Table 9. Information centre/ library job responsibilities Typical library routines Professional responsibilities Advanced responsibilities 1. Cataloguing 2. Indexing 3. Circulation 4. Conducting instructional library classes 5. Collaborating with teaching staff 6. Using technology for online retrieval 7. Collections weeding 8. Developing effective teaching and learning activities 9. Presenting teaching materials and equipment 10. Organising extra syllabus activities (such as after school workshops and club activities) 11. Displaying students’ work at the library 1. Review and work on the library’s five-year plan 2. Organise book fairs 3. Organise book author visits to enhance learning experiences 4. Be an ambassador of the school 5. Actively promote the school 6. Work as an active leader within the school community 7. Meet the goals of school improvements such as any accreditation processes 8. Work collaboratively with the school to enable students to become analytical thinkers, passionate readers, proficient researchers and ethical information users 9. Share experiences by organising faculty and parent meetings 10. Creating and reviewing lesson plans with administrators before delivering to students. Participate in school improvement planning and activities 11. Have the skill to plan and present solutions rather than merely express problems 12. Have a positive attitude towards students and school expectations 13. Have cultural competence, the ability to understand and communicate with people across cultures 14. Participate in professional development and training 1. Conduct research 2. Investigate sources of special data 3. Use the automated library systems to code and monitor library materials 4. Teaching research skills 5. Doing research and development to improve the collection of digital books in the library 6. Stay up to date in professional practices and developments, ICT, and school library programme research 7. Be tech-savvy Library job market 817
title or in the responsibilities of a librarian. It also shows that the private sector job market needs more advanced skills and expertise than the public. Such librarian jobs require different qualifications such as a bachelor’s or master’s degree in library science, years of experience, ICT/computer skills, administrative library skills, English proficiency or being bilingual, a certain GPA and recent alumnus. Nevertheless, some institutions do not require any qualifications or subject experience, confirming the previous quantitative finding (LIS graduate employment levels, types and expertise, section) that reported employers needed no experience (n = 26, 58%). The other available jobs require nonlibrarian qualifications such as a degree in education, prior elementary teaching experience or passing a specialised test/interview. Further specific needs included experience with the North American syllabus; North American degrees, native English speakers; and a library-law degree. Thus, it seems that the job posts entail various experiences. Discussion The research sought to understand what employers expect from LIS graduates and the factors that can considerably enhance their employability. In total, 45 top management employers completed all the survey sections, representing 18 (47%) different institutions. Most of the employers (49%) were from high-level management. They indicated a need to hire a number (four to two) of graduates yearly and that a number (one to five) of graduates already work at their institutions. However, periodically, the jobs available for librarians were at a “low demand” level (62%). Further, LIS graduates work in most public institutions in Kuwait and employers are willing to employ them. Unexpectedly, 58% of employers indicated that they do not need previous employment expertise, whilst 42% needed at least two years of experience. This finding is not in line with Triumph and Beile (2015), which reported that nearly threequarters of academic librarian jobs needed work experience. The most in-demand skills by the employers for LIS graduates are “managerial skills”, average mean 2.98, “library skills”, average mean 2.89, “language proficiency skills”, average mean 2.89, “information organisation skills”, average mean 2.44 and “ICT skills”, average mean 2.08. From the perspective of the employers, the graduate skills that needed improvement were the “library skills” with an average of 3.51, the “language proficiency” skills with an average mean of 3.47, “managerial skills” with an average mean of 2.89, “information organization” skills with an average mean of 2.87 and “ICT skills” with an average mean of 2.12. Employers need staff who can achieve the essential work that a library does and who have the skills necessary to move the organisation to where it needs to be and to “meet the challenges of the future” (Bradshaw, 2015). It is obvious that there is a gap between the skills needed by the job market and the courses offered at the DLIS; this is consistent with the findings of Buarki and Al-omar (2019). A list of skills, courses and job titles recommended has been collected, revised and added to that published by Buarki and Al-omar (2019); see Appendix 4. The employers’ qualitative data revealed several skills that were also highly rated in the survey; these were English language skills, automated library skills, ICT skills and the need for “French language skills”, reflecting their importance. By tracking the graduates through regular gatherings or social media channels, the DLIS can realise their accomplishments, difficulties and challenges and, as a result, maintain the profession. In addition to the employers’ opinions of what LIS graduates need, the research sought employers’ comments to discover what impediments they encounter whilst hiring LIS graduates using open-ended questions. Their comments recommend improving the teaching GKMC 71,8/9 818
of the LIS syllabus; the DLIS should review and redesign the content of some of its courses in line with the job market’s needs; this is itself agrees with the findings of Buarki et al. (2011) and Buarki and Al-omar (2019). The DLIS should also collaborate with the job market and stakeholders in providing adequate training for students, such as internships and voluntary information-related jobs. This finding is in line with that of Tella (2020), who suggested collaborating with employers to remove any difficulties and implement LIS graduate training to gain sustainable employability skills. The content analysis of the job advertisements showed various public and private employment opportunities in Kuwait’s different libraries and information centres. Thus, a list of institutions where graduates are/can (be) employed published by Buarki and Al-omar (2019) was revised and added to Appendix 5. The results indicated no consistency in either the job titles or the experience needed in both the public and private sectors. It also shows that the private sector needed more advanced skills and expertise. Nevertheless, ICT skills led most of the offered jobs and appeared to be a needed qualification, as it does in any other specialisation. The librarian job titles have been devised but remain unchanged, especially in the public sector. The introduction of ICT in the librarian role has appointed new job titles such as cybrarians, digital librarians, information scientists, digital library operations officers, library technologists, IT resource managers and knowledge managers (Mustafa and Ansari, 2012). Therefore, the CSC should cooperate with the DLIS and take immediate action to modify the job titles and responsibilities of librarians. The unification of LIS graduates’ job titles, experiences and skills amongst the private and public sectors is the first step of sustainable relevancy toward better job opportunities reflecting graduates’ employment social status and economically increasing their pay. Recommendations This research recommends hiring LIS graduates and equipping them with multidimensional skills to work in Kuwait’s job market. These are the skills that students must possess, and they are suggested as managerial skills, information organisation skills, ICT skills, English language skills, automated library skills, ICT skills and the need for “French language skills”: The employers indicated that they do not need previous employment expertise, despite previous research violating this (Triumph and Beile, 2015). Collaboration with the job market is, therefore, fundamental in recognising its employment needs and offering job employment opportunities in the future. The research showed a gap between the skills required by the job market and the courses offered at the DLIS differs. Job placement should be augmented from one semester to two [1] to improve graduates’ skills, relate them to job training and connect the syllabus’s theoretical and practical courses to their skills. The employers’ recommended that the LIS faculty develop its syllabus. The LIS department has redesigned its programme to stay updated with new technological developments in the field and continue the programme’s accreditation process, as suggested by Buarki and Al-Omar, 2019. Therefore, it is recommended to collaborate with employers to offer graduate sustainable employability skills. Both the DLIS and its stakeholders should survey the job market continuously. Data collected will show the needed skills that the DLIS should teach, emphasising the practical learning approach, assignments and hands-on learning Library job market 819
to improve students’ abilities, thus equipping them with all future long learning skills. Conclusion LIS is considered as one of the unique and innovative domains. Technology even had played a vital role in developing education and has enabled institutions in bringing continuous change. The findings of this research, therefore, are of essential significance to the LIS domain. The employers that completed the survey, representing 18 different institutions, indicated that the DLIS graduates already work at their institutions and that there is a need for their yearly employment. Previous employment expertise was not a requirement; however, two years of experience was preferred. The most in-demand skills by the employers for LIS graduates are “managerial skills”, “library skills”, “language proficiency skills”, “information organisation skills” and “ICT skills”. These skills were also highlighted to be improved from the employers perspective. A comprehensive list of employability skills, LIS courses and job titles recommended, as well as a list of institutions where graduates can be employed, are the results drawn from this research. However, even from the current study, it was found that graduates lacked having the skills and experiences required. Thus, a gap is notable between the skills needed by the job market and the courses offered at the DLIS; the DLIS should improve the teaching of its syllabus. LIS degree providers in Kuwait should collaborate to equip graduates with experience. Further, the latter must be provided with new skills and professional development. It was found that the librarian position was the most dominant librarianship job. Unification of LIS graduates’ job titles, experiences and skills amongst the private and public sectors is a necessity for better employment and pay. Thus, the current study recommends that investigation must be performed on the gaps as those results are still imperative. Experiences of the LIS graduates should be identified as this will help in bringing improvements in their skills and will help them in eliminating any unnecessary ones. The current research will largely benefit institutions that are teaching and developing the LIS staff. Thus, it can be stated that employability skills also play a pivotal role in getting good employment opportunities. Therefore, LIS graduates must engage themselves in having sustainable employability skills and must brush their knowledge regarding the same domain. Future research The research represents a cursory look into several factors in library employment. Future research can be conducted on how to understand the demand for library employment. Further, which factors are helping employees in getting good future employability. Also to examine the library job market’s growing demands and potential roles in the social media era. In addition, to this, the research guides academic departments within the same background to develop their syllabus. It is also advisable that the DLIS approaches regular syllabus development, and employers’ views must be gathered to anticipate improvements suggested. Note 1. The DLIS has applied two practical job placement courses into its new major sheet and the first class are expected to graduate in summer 2021. GKMC 71,8/9 820
References American Association of Colleges and Universities (2010), Raising the Bar: Employers’ Views on College Learning in the Wake of Economic Downturn, Washington, DC: Hart Research Associates. Antúnez, M.Y. (2018), “Perspectives in hiring academic librarians with frequent job changes”, Journal of Library Administration, Vol. 58 No. 3, pp. 205-229. Ashiq, M., Rehman, S.U. and Batool, S.H. (2018), “Academic library leaders’ challenges, difficulties and skills: an analysis of common experiences”, Libri, Vol. 68 No. 4, pp. 301-313. Awan, W.A. and Ameen, K. (2020), “What do the business employers want? A sequential mixed methods exploration of information professionals’ competencies”, Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, Vol. 69 Nos 8/9, doi: 10.1108/GKMC-03-2020-0029. (accessed 28 September 2020). Beile, P.M. and Adams, M.M. (2000), “Other duties as assigned: emerging trends in the academic library job market”, College and Research Libraries, Vol. 61 No. 4, pp. 336-347. Bettinger, P. and Merry, K. (2018), “Follow-up study of the importance of mapping technology knowledge and skills for entry-level forestry job positions, as deduced from recent job adverts”, Mathematical and Computational Forestry and Natural-Resource Sciences (MCFNS), Vol. 10 No. 1, pp. 15-23. Bradshaw, A.K. (2015), “Strengthening the pipeline talent management for libraries: a human resources perspective”, Where are all the Librarians of Color? The experiences of people of color in academia, Sacramento, CA, Library Juice Press, available at: http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/ libraries_pubs/37/ (accessed 20 August 2020). Buarki, H. and Al-Omar, M. (2019), “Library and information science as a career in Kuwait”, Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, Vol. 52 No. 3, pp. 764-780, doi: 10.1177/ 0961000619871992. Buarki, H., Hepworth, M. and Murray, I. (2011), “LIS students’ ICT skills in Kuwait: perspectives of employers, teaching staff and students”, US-China Education Review, Vol. 8 No. 6, pp. 89-97. Cheng, J. and Hoffman, P.,S. (2020), “Librarians and administrators on academic library impact research: characteristics and perspectives”, College and Research Libraries, Vol. 81 No. 3, p. 538. Conover, W.J. and Iman, R.L. (1981), “Rank transformations as a bridge between parametric and nonparametric statistics”, The American Statisticia, Vol. 35 No. 3, pp. 124-129. Dempsey, L. and Malpas, C. (2018), “Academic library futures in a diversified university system”, Higher Education in the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Singapore, Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 65-89. Denda, K. and Hunter, J. (2016), “Building 21st century skills and creating communities: a team-based engagement framework for student employment in academic libraries”, Journal of Library Administration, Vol. 56 No. 3, pp. 251-265. Eckard, M., Rosener, A. and Scripps-Hoekstra, L. (2014), “Factors that increase the probability of a successful academic library job search”, The Journal of Academic Librarianship, Vol. 40 No. 2, pp. 107-115. Goodsett, M. and Koziura, A. (2016), “Are library science programs preparing new librarians? Creating a sustainable and vibrant librarian community”, Journal of Library Administration, Vol. 56 No. 6, pp. 697-721, doi: 10.1080/01930826.2015.1134246. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) (2009), “Museums, libraries and 21st century skills”, available at: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED507729.pdf (accessed 5 June 2021). Kaba, A. (2017), “Online library job advertisement in United Arab Emirates: a content analysis of online sources”, Library Management, Vol. 38 Nos 2/3, pp. 131-141. Lynch, B.P. and Smith, K.R. (2001), “The changing nature of work in academic libraries”, College and Research Libraries, Vol. 62 No. 5, pp. 407-420. Library job market 821
McClelland, T. (2014), “What exactly do you do here? Marketing-related jobs in public and academic libraries”, Journal of Library Administration, Vol. 54 No. 5, pp. 347-367. Ministry of Education (2016), Jobs Available for Appointment for Years 2016-2026 (Alwathaef Almoqtaraha Liltaieen Lilaawam 2016-2026), Kuwait. Mustafa, G. and Ansari, M.N. (2012), “Job openings for library professionals in Pakistan: a content analysis”, Library Philosophy and Practice, Vol. July No. 1, p. 1. Paradis, E., O’Brien, B., Nimmon, L., Bandiera, G. and Martimianakis, M.A. (2016), “Design: selection of data collection methods”, Journal of Graduate Medical Education, Vol. 8 No. 2, pp. 263-264. Schwartz, M. (2013), “How to become a 21st century librarian”, Library Journal, available at: www. libraryjournal.com/?detailStory=how-to-become-a-21st-century-librarian (accessed 5 June 2021). Tait, E., Martzoukou, K. and Reid, P. (2016), “Libraries for the future: the role of IT utilities in the transformation of academic libraries”, Palgrave Communications, Vol. 2 No. 1, pp. 1-9. Tella, A. (2020), “Repackaging LIS professionals and libraries for the fourth industrial revolution”, Library Hi Tech News, Vol. 37 No. 8, pp. 1-6, doi: 10.1108/LHTN-02-2020-0016. (accessed 20 August 2020). Tella, A., Titus, F. and Segun, S. (2018), “ICT knowledge and skills needed for recruitment of academic librarians of the digital age”, available at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/1953/ (accessed 18 August 2019). Triumph, T.F. and Beile, P.M. (2015), “The trending academic library job market: an analysis of library position announcements from 2011 with comparisons to 1996 and 1988”, College and Research Libraries, Vol. 76 No. 6, pp. 716-730. Ur Rehman, S. (2016), “Developing new competencies among LIS professionals: challenges for educators”, Pakistan Journal of Information Management and Libraries (PJIM&L), Vol. 9 No. 1, pp. 67-81. Further reading Salkind, N.J. (Ed.) (2010), Encyclopaedia of Research Design, Sage, Vol. 1. GKMC 71,8/9 822
Appendix 1. Job market survey Figure A1. Job market questionnaire to study the employment need of the Department of Library and Information Science graduates – College of Basic Education Library job market 823
Figure A1. GKMC 71,8/9 824
Figure A1. Library job market 825
Figure A1. GKMC 71,8/9 826
Figure A1. Library job market 827
Appendix 2 Table A1. Adverts chosen announced by official Kuwaiti newspapers, social media tools and job recruitment websites Recruitment agency/private Educational (private and public) Ministries (public) 1. www.aecom.com 1. American Academy for Girls 1. Communication and Information Technology Regulatory Authority 2. Aerospace and Defence Industry 2. The American Baccalaureate School 2. Kuwait Military Camps 3. Arab Times announcement for a firm 3. American School of Kuwait 3. The Public Institution for Social Security 4. Chase Resourcing Ltd 4. American United School – Kuwait 4. State Audit Bureau of Audit 5. Edvectus 5. A Bilingual school 6. Hot Engineering and Construction Co 6. A British Syllabus School in Kuwait 7. Law firm 7. Canadian Bilingual School 8. Sims Kuwait 8. An Educational company 9. Teachanywhere 9. An Educational institution 10. Arab Open University, Kuwait 11. Al Ghanim Bilingual School 12. Salmiya Indian Model School 13. Institute 14. An International school 15. Kuwait UniversityLibraries Administration 16. A leading Educational company (N = 2) 17. Ministry of Education 18. Private school (N = 2) 19. Resala Bilingual school 20. al-tamayouz School 21. A School GKMC 71,8/9 828
Appendix 3 Table A2. Skills grouped and calculated using a weight reference ICT skills Weight مهارات تكنولوجيا الاتصالات والمعلومات reference Electronic publishing 1 الالكتروني النشر Web design 0.5 الالكترونية المواقع إنشاء Information search and retrieval 1 المعلومات واسترجاع بحث Computer use (devices, accessories and programmes) ) استخدام الحاسوب (بما فيها الأجهزة وملحقاتها والبرمجيات 1 Database construction and maintenance ادارة وصيانة قواعد البيانات 1 Web 2.0 (social media, blogs, wikis, RSS feeds and blogs) معرفة تقنيات الويب 0.2) الويكي والشبكات الاجتماعية والمدونات 5.0 ) لإعادة استخدام المحتوى RSS وصيغة Total weight 5 المهارات الآلية للمكتبة skills Library Bibliographic instruction 1 1 الببليوجرافيا اعداد Electronic indexing 1 1 الإلكترونية الفهرسة Electronic classification 1 1 الالكتروني التصنيف Use of automated library systems 2 2 للمكتبات الآلية الأنظمة استخدام Total weight 5 المهارات اللغوية proficiency Language English language (writing) 3 كتابة (الانجليزية اللغة) English language (speaking) 2 محادثة (الانجليزية اللغة) Total weight 5 مهارات تنظيم المعلومات skills organisation Information Knowledge organisation 1 المعرفة تنظيم Information management 1 المعلومات إدارة Marketing of services and information تسويق الخدمات والمعلومات 5.1 Records and archives management 1.5 الالكترونية والارشفة السجلات إدارة Total weight 5 المهارات العامة skills Generic Management (organising, planning, coordinating, guiding and supervising) ) الادارة (الترتيب التخطيط، والتنظيم، والتنسيق، والتوجيه، والرقابة 2 Leadership (communicating, listening and dealing with others) القيادة (القدرة على الاتصال والاصغاء والتخاطب والتعامل مع 1 ) الآخرين Knowledge of the ethics of the LIS profession (professionalism, intellectual property, responsibility and commitment) معرفة أخلاقيات مهنة المعلومات والمكتبات (الكفاءة المهنية والملكية 2 ) الفكرية والمسولية اتجاه المستفيدين والالتزام بأخلاقيات المهنة Total weight 5 Library job market 829
Appendix 4 ICT skills Computer operating systems (Microsoft Windows, Mac OS) Computer basics Computer security (antivirus) PC troubleshooting and maintenance Wireless networking configuration and troubleshooting Scripting languages (HTML, PHP, JavaScript) Photo editing/digital imaging software Electronic database searching (Boolean search) Online metadata schemas (Dublin core) Webpage creation Internet protocols (HTTP) Web 2.0 (Blogs, Wikis, RSS Creating online information literacy tutorials Social networking Evaluating websites Podcasting Online searching skills Database management Information storage and retrieval Web knowledge Computer skills (including hardware and software) Non-ICT skills Managerial skills Interpersonal skills Service delivery competencies Time management Communication skills Writing skills Communication and interpersonal skills Managerial skills Leadership skills Report writing skills Research skills Marketing LIS services Presentation skills Interview skills English and foreign language Cognitive skills Teamwork Data analysis Public relation skills Research methods Self-confidence Public speaking Self-confidence Library and information science skills Modern technological applications of library programmes Cataloguing (continued) Table A3. Employability skills, LIS courses and job titles recommended GKMC 71,8/9 830
ICT skills Electronic indexing and classification Patron services Integrated library automation skills Information search Enhancing the importance of their major to society Use of library systems User orientation – indexing Digitising/scanning of printed resources Database construction and maintenance Library technical and electronic skills Marketing of information services Knowledge management Information management Bibliography preparation Searching databases and electronic journals Ethics of profession skills Library and information science courses Digital libraries Network media and hardware Internet and electronic publishing Communication technology Design and development of databases Citation analysis Internet resources Work assignments on technical writing Personality development and communication skills Health science information sources Multimedia and institutional repositories Content analysis Emerging technology in libraries Information sources and products in science and technology Marketing of information Business information Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 2 Blogs, RSS, wikis, bookmarks in library and information centres Preservation and conservation of archival documents and digital documents Multimedia application development Research skills and data analysis Job titles Librarian Information specialist Technical assistant Documentation officer Library manager Assistant librarian Knowledge manager E resource manager Content manager Library officer Resource manager (continued) Table A3. Library job market 831
ICT skills Deputy librarian Assistant librarian Knowledge manager Documentation officer Consultant Consortia manager Information scientist Technical assistant Table A3. Resource manager GKMC 71,8/9 832
Appendix 5 Figure A2. LIS graduates’ employment institutions Library job market 833
Figure A2. جھة التعیین Employers# المركز الدبلوماسي للدراسات الاستراتیجیة .22 Diplomatic Centre for Strategic Studies معھد الدراسات المصرفیة .23 Institute of Banking Studies الجامعة الأمریكیة – المكتبة .24 American University - Library جامعة الخلیج – المكتبة .25 Gulf University – Library جامعة الشرق الأوسط الأمریكیة – المكتبة .26 American Middle East University - Library الكلیة الأسترالیة – المكتبة .27 Australian College - Library الجامعة العربیة المفتوحة – المكتبة .28 Arab Open University - Library البنك المركزي – مركز المعلومات .29 Central Bank - Information Centre وزارة الأوقاف والشئون الإسلامیة -إدارة المخطوطات والمكتبات الإسلامیة .30 Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs - Department of Islamic Manuscripts and Libraries الادارة المركزیة للإحصاء .31 Central Administration of Statistics مكتبة المسجد الكبیر العامة .32 The Grand Mosque Library مكتبة الموسوعة الفقھیة .33 Encyclopaedia of Jurisprudence مكتبة المخطوطات .34 Library of Manuscripts مكتبة مسجد الشیخ عبدالله المبارك الصباح .35 Library of Sheikh Abdullah Al - Mubarak Al - Sabah Mosque مكتبة مسجد المشاري .36 Al-Mashaei Mosque Library مكتبة مسجد لولوة الزبن .37 Library of the Mosque of Lulua Zaban مكتبة مسجد الزیر .38 Library of the Mosque of Zeer مكتبة مسجد بلقیس الزھیر .39 Library of the Mosque of Balqis Zuhair مكتبة مسجد الشیخ صباح السالم .40 Library of Sheikh Sabah Al - Salem Mosque مكتبة مسجد العباس بن مرداس Library of the Mosque of Abbas bin Mirdas مكتبة مسجد الشیخ سالم العلي الصباح Sheikh Salem Al Ali Al Sabah Library مكتبة مسجد صالح سلیمان .43 Library of Saleh Mosque الأمانة العامة لمجلس الأمة .44 General Secretariat of the National Assembly الھیئة العامة للمعلومات المدنیة .45 Public Authority for Civil Information وزارة الداخلیة .46 (continued) Ministry of Interior GKMC 71,8/9 834
Figure A2. جھة التعیین Employers# وزارة الشئون الاجتماعیة والعمل .47 The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor وزارة الكھرباء والماء .48 The Ministry of Electricity and Water شركة نفط الكویت – المكتبة .49 Kuwait Oil Company – Library الإدارة العامة للطیران المدني .50 General Directorate of Civil Aviation الإدارة العامة للإطفاء .51 General Directorate of Fire المؤسسة العامة للرعایة السكنیة .52 Public Authority for Housing Welfare بنك الخلیج .53 Gulf Bank بنك الكویت الدولي .54 Kuwait International Bank بنك بوبیان .55 Boubyan Bank البنك التجاري الكویتي .56 Commercial Bank of Kuwait البنك الأھلي الكویتي .57 Kuwait Ahli Bank بیت التمویل الكویتي .58 Kuwait Finance House شركة الاتصالات المتنقلة .59 Mobile Telecommunications Company شركة الاتصالات الكویتیة .60 Kuwait Telecommunications Company وزارة الخارجیة .61 Ministry of Foreign Affairs وزارة المالیة .62 Ministry of Finance الأمانة العامة لمجلس الوزراء .63 Secretariat of the Council of Ministers الرئاسة العامة للحرس الوطني .64 General Presidency of the National Guard وزارة الأشغال العامة .65 Ministry of Public Works وزارة الاعلام .66 Ministry of Information الإدارة العامة للجمارك .67 General Administration of Customs الإدارة العامة للطیران المدني .68 General Directorate of Civil Aviation الأمانة العامة للمجلس الأعلى للتخطیط والتنمیة .69 General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development المدرسة الأمریكیة العالمیة .70 Universal American School Library job market 835
About the authors Mashael Alomar is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Library and Information Science (DLIS), College of Basic Education (CBE), the Public Authority of Applied Education and Training (PAAET), Kuwait. She obtained a BA in Economics and Information systems build on computers minor (1997), a MLIS (2003) from Kuwait University and her PhD (2014) from The University of Sheffield. Her main interest is in Information and Knowledge Management, use of social media in marketing and education and developing ICT skills in teaching. She teaches ICT related courses such as Database Management, Software Evaluation and Digital Libraries and Computers in Libraries. Munirah Abdulhadi is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Library and Information Science (DLIS), College of Basic Education (CBE), the Public Authority of Applied Education and Training (PAAET), Kuwait. She obtained a BA in Library and Information Science (2005) from CBE, Kuwait, and a master’s degree in Librarianship (2010) and her PhD in Information Studies (2016) from The University of Sheffield, UK. Her main interest is in Web development in online library services and resources discovery, IL development, the use of social media in the education environment. She teaches ICT related courses, such as Information Retrieval, E-resources and Evaluation in LIS. Hanadi Jumah Buarki is an Associate Professor and Head at the Department of Library and Information Science (DLIS), College of Basic Education (CBE), the Public Authority of Applied Education and Training (PAAET), Kuwait. She obtained a BA in English Language and Literature (1992) and a MLIS (2000) from Kuwait University and her PhD (2010) from Loughborough University, UK. Her main interest is in ICT education, curriculum updating, ICT skills application, professional development, skills updating and social media application in education. She teaches courses related to Information and communication technologies such as Information Retrieval, Epublishing and Computer Applications. Hanadi Jumah Buarki is the corresponding author and can be contacted at: [email protected] For instructions on how to order reprints of this article, please visit our website: www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/licensing/reprints.htm Or contact us for further details: [email protected] GKMC 71,8/9 836