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

Reports results of a questionnaire survey of 888 UK chief librarians, condu cted as part of a British Library Research and Innovation Centre research p roject, to identify and analyse the personal qualities demanded by Library and Information Service (LIS) employers and those personal qualities that n ew graduate entrants are perceived to lack. Reviews the literature on the c hanging role of information professionals and the importance of personal fa ctors in library and information recruitment and presents a comprehensive l ist of 50 desirable personal qualities arranged under five headings: charac teristics needed for a user centred approach; characteristics needed for ef fective team work; thinking orientation; attitude to work; and style of wor king. Concludes that the ability to accept pressure, deal with a range of u sers and respond to change, are most essential for information work. The si gnificant overlap between those qualities felt to be most essential and tho se perceived to be lacking raises the concern that qualities that are high in demand are also in short supply.