Abstract

The new definition of the professional profile of information managers in the digital era cannot be uniformly considered, but will be determined by particular variations in each sector. The specific field of audiovisual production, defined by the ever increasing consumption of image-based digital content and a fragmented market of providers, will require a multi-skill profile that is not always compatible with the former monographic identity of information managers in some organizations. This change will not be viable without the provision of appropriate training opportunities that cover all the main new skills requested by this sector, which are identified in this paper.

Abstract

Since March 2007, a group of information professionals from the autonomous region of Madrid has been working voluntarily and independently on the creation of a professional college for archivists, librarians and information scientists. However, it is necessary to present a bill at the region’s Parliament to be finally approved into law. This action developed as a reaction against the lack of an official organism to regularise this profession. The professional college will be in charge of representing and defending the profession and maintaining the relations with central and regional governments, the private sector, other professional colleges and universities.

Abstract

Although many analogic audiovisual archives are still awaiting a digitization project that guarantees their preservation and public access, a massive generation of audiovisual content is taking place, once the source has completed the transition to digital production and distribution. The demand for an increasingly diversified production at TV stations is leading to the need to prioritize image retrieval from the archives for reuse. Efficient alternatives for automatic metadata extraction, indexing and searching are sought, and text information to describe images continues to be necessary. The documentary image processing is extremely costly in human resources, with dedication times of two, three or even more times the length of the treated material. In parallel, part of the audiovisual production is indexed during the production process by people other than archivists, librarians or information scientists. Therefore, a transformation of the traditional tasks carried out by the above mentioned professionals is becoming more evident; on the other hand, these professionals continue to be isolated and less hybridized than expected with other labor profiles.

Abstract

New technologies require an upgrade of LIS professionals’ skills. This study analyzes changes in the field and suggests guidelines to improve LIS curriculum. We have carried out a content analysis of 20 curricula from LIS educational programs to identify terms associated with technological skills. In addition, we identified terms related to new competences from 735 job openings published on generic web sites and 170 on specific web sites. These terms include marketing, management, and content management, mainly related to web applications. The results confirm a positive trend in the demand for technological skills related to LIS. Nevertheless, there is a need to increase awareness about the competences and abilities of LIS professionals, because many relevant job openings are listed in other job categories. Therefore, we have collected a list of key technological skills. In conclusion, it is clear that computer science and the Internet are bringing new opportunities to LIS professionals.