A business librarian helps students and the public find business information, teaches library newcomers, manages the library’s budget, establishes relationships with outside organizations, and improves the way the organization stores information. They need a master’s degree in library science and strong interpersonal, organizational, and public speaking skills.
A business librarian is a professional who works for a business library at an academic institution. This type of professional should usually have a two-year master’s degree in library science, as well as experience working with software programs. A business librarian has to complete several tasks, including helping students and members of the public locate business data, teaching library newcomers how to use the library system, and planning for the library’s future success.
An important duty of the business librarian is to help students and even the general public find information. The librarian answers customers’ questions about where to find certain business books or magazines or how to access business databases in specialized areas such as accounting, economics and marketing. Additionally, this type of professional must help faculty members find commercial materials to use for teaching classes or facilitating tutoring sessions. Business librarians need to be willing to work one-on-one with instructors and students and therefore must have strong interpersonal skills.
Additionally, professionals working in a business library are responsible for leading training sessions on how the library works. This is especially important for a new class of students entering the university’s business department each year. The librarian introduces students to the library setup and explains where to find reference materials as well as who to ask for help. The development of information literacy goals and library-based tasks is also part of preparing training sessions for business library students. As a result, it is solid organizational and public speaking skills, along with teaching experience, that make a commercial librarian successful.
Following a business library’s budget and establishing relationships with outside organizations are also critical parts of one’s role when working in a library. The individual needs to understand how to interpret a budget and select library resources that will allow the library to stay within budget. In addition, he or she should liaise with external business centers and institutes to stay current on important resources in the field that the business library needs to make available.
A librarian who manages information in the business field must always develop objectives on how to improve the way the organization stores this information. For example, business librarians are responsible for determining the effectiveness of the library’s electronic equipment, including users’ computers. In addition, a business librarian must constantly evaluate the library’s electronic business databases to ensure they meet the needs of both students and instructors.
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