Evidence Summary
The
Professional Identity Experiences of LIS Graduates in Non-Library Roles Can Be
Described by the Theory of Personalizing Professionalism
A Review of:
Fraser-Arnott,
M. (2017, May 17). Personalizing professionalism: The professional identity
experiences of LIS graduates in non-library roles. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/0961000617709062
Reviewed by:
Melissa
Goertzen
Information
Management Consultant
Halifax,
Nova Scotia, Canada
Email: mjg2227@columbia.edu
Received: 2
Oct. 2017 Accepted: 2 Feb. 2018
2018 Goertzen.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative
Commons‐Attribution‐Noncommercial‐Share Alike License 4.0
International (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/),
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is properly attributed, not used for commercial
purposes, and, if transformed, the resulting work is redistributed under the
same or similar license to this one.
Abstract
Objective – To produce a theory
that captures the professional identity experiences of library and information
science (LIS) graduates employed in non-library roles.
Design
– Data collection and analysis were
conducted using semi-structured interviews and grounded theory methodology.
Setting
– A variety of industry sectors located
in the United States or Canada.
Subjects
– Twenty professionals with Master's
degrees in LIS employed in non-library roles.
Method
– This study used the Glaserian Grounded Theory methodology, which requires
constant theoretical sampling and comparison until no new data is found in any
coding category. The researcher utilized two types of sampling in this study:
snowball or chain referral sampling, and theoretical sampling. These techniques
allowed the researcher to build a potential list of participants from a
difficult to reach population. Study data was collected through semi-structured
interviews divided into three sections: 1) participants were asked to describe
their career experiences from their decision to attend library school to the
present; 2) follow-up questions by the researcher in response to comments made
by participants during the first phase; 3) questions listed in an interview
guide that examined educational experiences, communities, and how participants
identify themselves as professionals.
Main Results – Study results produced the theory of
Personalizing Professionalism, which suggests that each individual possess two
identities that interact with one another throughout the course of one's
career. The first is an internal appraisal of self that represents who one is
as a professional. It is developed as a result of socialization in the
profession and an understanding of personal motivations and interests. The
second is an externally expressed identity that represents how an individual
presents himself or herself to achieve professional goals. This can include
self-imposed labels, such as "librarian", or strategies used to find
a path within the profession. This process involves reflections and actions
aimed at identifying what type of professional to be and steps required to
achieve goals.
The results also indicate that interactions with others impact an
individual’s internal appraisal of self and externally expressed identity.
Areas of conflict were identified when commonly held views of how a
professional identity should be expressed did not match the identity that an
individual developed or displayed to others. When conflicts arose, individuals
used a variety of strategies to resolve the discrepancy between internal and
external identities: assimilation, attempting to influence or change the
perceptions of the group, or withdrawal.
In terms of self-identifying as a librarian, the study found that
participants who chose the term as a professional label believed that the work
they do in non-library settings was still compatible with their definition of
what it meant to be a librarian. Participants who identified as librarians some
of the time and by their job title at other times did so based on an evaluation
of which label would best advance their position with a given audience.
Finally, participants who chose not to use the label of librarian had never
internally associated with the role or job title; these individuals completed a
LIS program to gain transferable skills or qualify for a wide variety of
employment opportunities.
Conclusion – The theory of Personalizing
Professionalism provides insight into the development and expression of
professional identity experiences when LIS graduates work in non-library roles.
The results have value to practitioners and educators who market LIS programs
or develop course content. For instance, in the future greater emphasis could
be placed on transferable skill sets that are of value to roles outside of
traditional library settings. Many participants described potential or actual
conflicts when trying to place themselves within the LIS community because new
ideas of what it means to be a “librarian” were rejected, leading to feelings
of exclusion. Over time, this could lead to a detrimental loss of innovation
and ideas.
Commentary
To date, researchers have not examined how the professional identities
of LIS graduates working in non-library settings are developed or expressed.
The study at hand fills this research gap and supports what is known regarding
the development of professional identity: it is shaped by values and attitudes
held by others of that affiliation, alongside perceptions of context within a
professional community (Billot, 2010; Gibson, 2010).
Because the study is limited to LIS graduates, it provides value to the
information management profession in particular.
The researcher introduces the theory of Personalizing Professionalism,
which was developed over the course of the study. This theory states that LIS
graduates in non-library roles develop an "internal appraisal of self
which represents an individual's assessment of who they ‘really’ are as a
professional" along with an externally expressed identity, which
represents "who that individual presents him or herself to be" (p.
5). The theory brings valuable insight to conversations regarding transferable
skill sets, socialization within professional communities, and the career
decision-making process.
While the ideas expressed in this research, particularly those related
to the theory of Personalizing Professionalism, no doubt have value to the
information management community, there is an unfortunate lack of discussion
regarding the methodology. For instance, although the researcher describes the
method used to generate a list of potential participants, she does not discuss
the recruitment process or the response rate to requests for participation.
Also, there is no mention of how many participants completed all three phases
of the interview process. A detailed discussion on methodology would add value
to the paper and allow for reproducibility of the study.
In regard to data collection and analysis, it is not clear how the
interviews were conducted (e.g., by phone or in person), the length of each
session, and whether the sessions were recorded and transcribed. Also, the
researcher stated that qualitative data was coded to identify themes, yet there
was no discussion regarding coding techniques, software used to conduct
analysis, or trends that emerged in the data set. Finally, since this is the
first study of its kind, it would have been useful to include the interview guide
in an appendix. Because of the omissions regarding the general methodology of
the study, it will be difficult for other researchers to replicate the study or
build on the work that has been done. This is truly unfortunate as it would be
valuable to explore the topic in greater detail by expanding the sample size or
comparing the results of different demographic groups.
Despite these limitations, the research introduces an important topic to
the information management community. As the job market continues to evolve, it
is essential to understand how graduates craft a professional identity and
whether or not they continue to self-identify as librarians over the course of
their careers. Such insights provide all information managers with greater
knowledge regarding the strengths and limitations of the professional community
and how to foster feelings of membership in the community going forward.
References
Billot,
J. (2010). The imagined and the real: Identifying the tensions for
academic identity. Higher Education
Research & Development, 29(6),
709-721. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2010.487201
Gibson, D. M., Dollarhide, C.
T., & Moss, J. M. (2010). Professional identity development:
A grounded theory of transformational tasks of new counsellors. Counsellor Education & Supervision, 50(1),
21-38. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6978.2010.tb00106.x