Library Technician Job Duties

There are some generally agreed upon competencies for library technicians in public libraries, and as such most library technician roles will require some of the following duties or expectations:

• Familiarity with library catalogs and research
• Reference interviews
• Collection development and weeding
• Sorting and shelving books
• Circulation procedures
• Assisting in library programming
• Cataloging (in larger libraries or in library system headquarters)

Distance Education for LIT

I personally have really enjoyed my journey completing the LIT diploma through SAIT's distance education. I have been able to tailor my study schedule to my life, which is often incredibly busy due to family and work commitments.

Me and my youngest reviewing for a final exam at SAIT back in 2017.

In May of 2018, I started working at the Didsbury Municipal Public Library, and was considered over other applicants because I was an LIT student pursuing a career in public libraries. I had the amazing opportunity to go to Camrose Public Library and complete half of my practicum under Deb Cryderman and her amazing team, and am currently completing the final week of the other half of my practicum at the Olds College Learning Commons. It's been an adventure, and I'm loving every minute of it.

Library Education

There are a number of levels of education in Library Science, and libraries may have a variety of staff members at different education levels. At the bottom level is the Library Operations Certificate, a 1-year program that covers the basic history and operations involved in libraries. Next, there is a 2-year Library Information Technology diploma. This diploma is more in-depth and covers more complex topics such as cataloging and management; upon completion, graduates are known as "library technicians". If one chooses to complete a bachelor's degree, there is then the option to complete a Masters degree in Library and Information Science, or MLIS. There is also the option to complete a PhD in library science, though is this not common outside of special and academic libraries.

Links:
SAIT's Library Informaiton Technology Diploma program (Distance Education)
This is SAIT's LIT diploma program. Completion of this program, whether through distance education or classroom, grants one the title of Library Technician.

University of Alberta MLIS Program
This is the U of A's MLIS program. Upon completion, students may officially call themselves librarians. This is not necessarily the terminal degree in library science, as a PhD can be pursued and may be of value to academic librarians if they wish to pursue a career and tenure as faculty.

Volunteers in Public Libraries

Library volunteers contribute to the smooth functioning of public libraries in varying levels of involvement. In larger city centres, volunteers may be limited to tasks that are not vital to day-to-day functioning of the library as staff members may complete these jobs while being paid. In smaller cities and towns, however, library volunteers may play a large role in the day to day operations of the library due to lack of funds.

Links:
Calgary Public Library
The Calgary Public Library takes on volunteers. They indicate in the FAQ that volunteers may not complete jobs that paid workers do, and ask such may only fill specific roles.

Staffing in Public Libraries

Public libraries can be staffed by librarians, library technicians, and regular staff members. The minimum and ideal numbers of these staff members in Alberta has been described in the Best Practices 2018 released by the Alberta Government in July 2018.

Towns and cities with populations over 3,000 are required to have a minimum of 0.5 FTE per 1,000 residents. If the surrounding population is over 10,000, then a library is required by law to have a librarian holding an MLIS degree on staff. Towns with a population over 5,000 should have at least one library technician on staff, but it is not required by law.

Links:
Best Practices 2018
This article describes the best, or ideal, practices for libraries in Alberta. It was released in July 2018, and it indicates the minimum best practices for libraries in a variety of categories.

Legislation
This website covers the relevant legislation for public libraries in Alberta.