WILL I BE PREPARED?

Sometimes I wonder if I will be prepared for the increasingly technological field of Library Science. As a graduate student, my first priority when I graduate to find a good job where my education can be put to good use. Correct me if I'm wrong, graduate school is supposed to prepare us for future employment in our field of study. So why do I find myself hesitant to enter the workforce? Is it because I don't know if Ill be prepared for it? A recent article by Debra A. Riley-Huff and Julia M. Rholes called "Librarians and Technology Skill Acquisition: Issues and Perspectives," describes their study on how well librarians are prepared for IT positions within libraries. Their studies found that most librarians offered IT positions turned down the offer because they did not think they were qualified enough to take the position. On that same note, studies also showed that employers had great difficulty finding librarians qualified enough for IT positions within their libraries. While the results of these studies made me worry, the most worrisome part of the article was their research on Library Science programs and courses. Riley-Huff and Rholes found that out of all of the 57 ALA (American Library Association) accredited programs in the United States, only 7 courses were offered on average that were technology-centered in the program. While this is more than half of the number of total courses offered in a graduate program for Library Science, I still find it troubling that even with these courses, studies showed that most librarians when offered IT positions turned them down because they did not think they were qualified enough. Do we need more technology-centered courses in ALA-accredited programs or are librarians being intimidated by the overwhelming stream of new technologies nowadays? On the other hand, looking at other parts of Riley-Huff and Rholes' research, it was found that out of the majority of the technology-centered courses in the program, less than fifty percent of them were being offered in the 57 ALA-accredited programs in the United States. So are programs the one to blame for librarians hesitancy to take IT positions or has technology become intimidating for librarians? Either way, it doesn't ease my mind when entering the workforce. 

Riley-Huff, D. A., & Rholes, J. M.  (2011). Librarians and Technology Skill Acquisition: Issues and  Perspectives. Information Technology & Libraries, 30(3), 129-140. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.queens.ezproxy.cuny.edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=57838c5c-8d51-4bdb-99b0-d94442b8b53b%40sessionmgr13&vid=4&hid=106