Supply and demand: the workforce needs of library and information services and personal qualities of new professionals

Reports results of a questionnaire survey of 888 UK chief librarians, conducted as part of a British Library Research and Innovation Centre research project, to identify and analyse the personal qualities demanded by Library and Information Service (LIS) employers and those personal qualities that new graduate entrants are perceived to lack. Reviews the literature on the changing role of information professionals and the importance of personal factors in library and information recruitment and presents a comprehensive list of 50 desirable personal qualities arranged under five headings: characteristics needed for a user centred approach; characteristics needed for effective team work; thinking orientation; attitude to work; and style of working. Concludes that the ability to accept pressure, deal with a range of users and respond to change, are most essential for information work. The significant overlap between those qualities felt to be most essential and those perceived to be lacking raises the concern that qualities that are high in demand are also in short supply.