Looking to the Past to Inform the Future: Core and Transferable Skills and Knowledge of Information Professionals

Information professionals’ roles in libraries, records management, and archives are continually changing to meet the needs of users and because of changes in information and communication technologies. Since user needs and changing technologies are unpredictable, this research set out to identify the most useful transferrable skills and knowledge for information professionals (and those who qualified but are no longer working as information professionals) in New Zealand. Research into the library and information studies (LIS) qualification landscape in New Zealand is now dated. This is the first research that explicitly enquires into the skills and knowledge acquired during undergraduate qualifications in relation to workplace needs and career trajectories in this country. The findings are relevant to LIS programmes. This paper reports on ‘Where are they now?’, a project exploring the career paths and perceptions of an undergraduate LIS programme alumni. Two aspects are covered: What were the most useful skills and knowledge that alumni gained from the qualifications? and, How might this research influence future curriculum planning? It considers both core and transferable skills and knowledge. It draws conclusions about potential changes to curricula in light of the identified ‘most useful’ skills and knowledge, including a move from pedagogy to heutatogy.