The librarian training to work in virtual libraries: an issue to deepen

Abstract

The research focused on the training of librarians to the work in virtual libraries (VL), viewing to answer the following investigations: (a) how do these librarians training courses prepare this professional to work in VL? (b) Which difficulties do these subjects find in their everyday work? (c) How do they keep updated? The nature of these investigations, based on these librarians’ statements directed this research towards a qualitative dimension. The data were collected from experienced librarians and recently graduated ones, supported by online questionnaires, whose responses were analyzed taking into consideration, as a theoretical support, The Contend Analysis Technique. The results found were confronted with the theoretical references adopted, that approached three topics: the modern information professional; the librarian training to work in VL; and the librarian’s continued education. Among the results acknowledged it can be highlighted: (a) the librarian’s training is far from the profile demanded by the modern information professional; (b) the subjects are concerned with the organization processes related to their database, which are currently online. There are indications that those librarians are still attached to the traditional paradigm, whose main objective is to keep the society’s collective memory disregarding the fact that in the Internet era that memory turns out to be volatile and in constant transformation.