LIBRARY TECHNICIANS: NEED, TRAINING, POTENTIAL.

Abstract

The desperate shortage of librarians could be alleviated by training library technicians to work under the supervision of qualified librarians. Just as the training and accreditation of practical nurses have elevated standards of the registered nurses and freed them from routine duties, so could the training and accreditation of library technicians favorably affect programs of librarians. Courses have been given to assist untrained personnel supervising small libraries. However, our goals should be (1) to train technicians to perform nonprofessional library tasks; (2) to set standards for accreditation, ensuring a clear differentiation, one obvious to the librarian, the technician, and the administrator; (3) to advise administrators of the possibilities of developing small but effective libraries under a local system, using a trained librarian as supervisor and trained technicians in individual institutions; (4) to persuade doubting administrators of the worth of an efficient library. Action should come from authoritative bodies such as library schools and library organizations.