Due to changes within the public library profession and a lack of previous research regarding its societal role, this essay explores this phenomenon. The objective of this empirical study is to explore the societal role of public library professionals in Canada through the analyzation of semi-structured interview transcripts and a guideline document for professionals. The results were analyzed and sensitized through the theoretical frameworks of Abbott’s professionalization theory (1988) and Bourdieu’s praxeology theory (1986; 1992). Through grounded theorization, the study found that the role of professionals has changed, and is changing, due to not only external but also internal factors in the form of a conflict. This conflict was conceptualized through sensitization of Bourdieu’s framework as challenging and enabling ideas of the doxa of the profession. This conceptualization was understood further through the lens of Abbott’s system of professions where claims of expertise, which is viewed as a crucial part of professionalization, was theorized as an important part of that conflict.

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Magister Bibliothecologiae - MBibl / Research, aimed at strengthening the economy and driving development, with the view to address South Africa’s numerous challenges and/or advance knowledge, generally, exists in abundance. It has highlighted the crucial role played by institutions of higher learning, such as universities, in this regard. In particular, the contribution of academic libraries in supporting the country’s agenda, with regard to its teaching and research goals, has come to the fore. Academic libraries have been portrayed, quite correctly, as the legitimate heart of the university, for majority of scholars rely heavily on their collections and services in their quest to develop new knowledge. However, the role played by these important facilities in supporting postgraduate students and researchers in South Africa is yet to be comprehensively examined. With a view to partly address this existent knowledge gap, this study examines the interaction between the University of the Western Cape’s (UWC’s) library and the institution’s Faculty of Community and Health Sciences’ postgraduate students and researchers. In accomplishing this task, I explore the skill set and competencies required of the subject librarian to best support the research needs of postgraduate students and researchers at UWC’s Faculty of Community and Health Sciences. I also investigate the perceptions and expectations of postgraduate students and researchers vis-à-vis the institution’s library. Additionally, this study explores the innovative measures adopted by UWC’s library in its quest to provide competent and satisfactory services to its postgraduate students and researchers. For its theoretical framework, this study employs the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI), also known as Roger’s model. This framework has been used to explore how innovative research services can be established and offered to support postgraduate students and researchers’ needs. This study employs a mixed methods approach and makes use of various data collection instruments, namely, survey questionnaires and interviews. The collected data has been analyzed through the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The transcribed interviews have been analyzed thematically. The findings indicated some gaps between postgraduate students’ and researchers’ expectations for library’s research support services, research workshops and skills and competencies of a subject librarian. The findings also revealed postgraduate students’ and researchers’ perception of the library’s research support services, research workshops and subject librarians’ skills and competencies to be fulfilled. Even though many of the identified needs are currently being addressed by UWC library, several potential areas for improvement were identified. One of the major challenges is the awareness of the library services and facilities the library offers to support research. Other challenges that postgraduates’ students and researchers are facing is that they are often not aware how to search for information, easy access to the library’s resources and the expertise of the subject librarians.

本論文旨在探討英美圖書館專業人員認可與檢定制度以及比較兩者之異同。主要研究目的為：1.敘述英美圖書館專業人員之定義；2.描述英美圖書館專業人員認可之途徑；3.探討英國圖書資訊學教育認可制度及圖書館專業人員檢定制度之意涵、歷史、現況與標準；4.探討美國圖書資訊學教育認可制度及圖書館專業人員檢定制度之意涵、歷史、現況與標準；5.比較英美圖書資訊學教育認可制度及圖書館專業人員檢定制度之異同。 本研究以英美兩國之圖書館專業人員之意義、圖書資訊學教育之認可制度以及圖書館專業人員之檢定制度為主題，研究範圍與限制為：1.本研究以英美圖書館專業人員之定義、認可途徑、認可制度與認可標準為主，其餘主題皆不在本研究範圍內；2.美國圖書館與資訊服務教育與人力資源利用政策所指專業人員有圖書館員與專家人員，本論文僅限於圖書館員之探討；3.本論文研究認可途徑係以英美兩國圖書資訊學教育機構認可制度與圖書館專業人員撿定制度為主，執照制度以本論文相關與必要者為度。 本論文採用文獻分析法與比較研究法，比較研究法為本論文主要採用之研究方法，其步驟有四：資料收集與描述、解釋、併排與比較。首先就英美兩國圖書館專業人員之意義、圖書資訊學教育之認可制度及圖書館專業人員之檢定制度描述，包含兩國圖書館專業人員之定義與層級、認可與檢定之意義、發展歷史、管理機構、原則、標準、程序做說明。 其次，將描述所獲得之資料加以併排，分成三部份，第一部份將兩國圖書館專業人員意義資料予以併排陳現，包括：圖書館專業人員之意義、層級、專業取得途徑、及專業授予組織等。第二部份是英美圖書資訊學教育認可制度之併排，包括：認可之意涵、認可制度之發展與認可機構、認可標準與程序等。第三部份是英美圖書館專業人員檢定制度之併排，包括：檢定之意涵、檢定制度之發展歷史與檢定機構、檢定標準與程序等。 最後，進行比較，將前述併排資料分為三部份進行解釋與比較：英美圖書館專業人員之意義、英美圖書資訊學教育之認可制度、英美圖書館專業人員之檢定制度，分別比較其相同或相異，並解釋差異之原因。 根據比較結果，證明英國圖書館專業人員之檢定制度係以國家職業資格體系為主，體系完善且全國統一；美國圖書資訊學教育之認可制度行之有年，制度、標準及程序為英國圖書資訊學教育認可制度仿效之對象，兩國之經驗皆可提供我國做為參考。最後，本論文對我國圖書館專業人員認可與檢定制度提出建議如下：1.建立圖書館專業人員層級：建議仿效美國圖書館學會圖書館人員制度，區分為資深圖書館員與圖書館員兩級，且釐訂圖書館專業人員之意涵；2.建立我國圖書資訊學教育認可制度：建議由我國圖書館專業學會推動我國圖書資訊學教育認可制度，首先應對圖書資訊學之界定與應包括之內涵與領域，建立共識，且研擬圖書資訊學核心專業課程或基礎課程，以及各校認可制度之推行與標準之建立，以提昇專業訓練，並建立社會認同；3．訂定圖書資訊學教育之認可標準：建議師法美國圖書館學會訂定之「圖書館與資訊研究碩士學程認可標準」，以學士為要求資格，採六大要件擬訂，包括任務及目的、課程、教師、學生、管理及經費支援、硬體資源及設備等；4.建立圖書資訊師制度：建議師法英國資訊與圖書館服務之國家職業資格制度，訂定不同層級之資格要求與檢定，藉由職業晉升途徑取得圖書館專業人員資格，惟需配合相關考試機關或行政單位之考量，制定完善之配套措施。