Paraprofessional

A paraprofessional is "a trained worker who is not a member of a profession but who assists a professional"  (WordNet, 2005).

In Library and Information Science (LIS) the term "paraprofessional" is used for library assistants with qualifications in LIS on a lower level than fully educated librarians. A further specification presupposes a rather specific definition and delimiting of the library profession.

Oberg (1992, p. 111) defines paraprofessionals in libraries:

"The definition of paraprofessionals that I wrote for my 1990 survey-based to a large extent upon ALA and IPEDS definitions-follows: "The term paraprofessional designates library positions with entrance-level requirements that are distinctly different from those of librarians. Paraprofessionals are assigned high-level support responsibilities in positions whose tasks are specific to libraries. They commonly perform their duties with some supervision by a librarian. The term is often applied to personnel classified as library assistants, associates, technicians, and technical assistants. Examples of parapro­fessional position titles include: head of circulation, interlibrary loan assistant, acquisitions coordinator, catalog assistant, periodicals supervisor, reference assistant, etc. The following members of the support staff should not be included as paraprofessionals: secretaries, typists, bookkeepers, and others whose positions require primarily office-related skills; student library assistants, photographers, photocopy room and mailroom employees, audiovisual technicians, etc.; or professionals who may not hold a master's degree in librarianship, for example: system analysts and other computer specialists, library business officers, library personnel officers, etc.".
 

Literature:

Oberg, L. R. (1992). The Emergence of the Paraprofessional in Academic Libraries: Perception and Realities. College & Research Libraries, 53, 99-112.

Harbo, O. (Ed.). (1991). Om uddannelse af biblioteksassistenter - en hilsen til Kirsten Bering. [On the education for library assistants - a festschrift for Kirsten Bering]. Copenhagen: Royal School of Library and Information Science.

McDaniel J. A. (1993). Training paraprofessionals for reference service. New York : Neal-Schuman.

Sue, E. (1998). The roles of professionals, paraprofessionals and nonprofessionals. University of Illinois, Graduate School of Library and Information Science.

Woodard, B. (1989). The Effectiveness of an Information Desk Staffed by Graduate Students and Nonprofessionals. College & Research Libraries, 50, 455-467.
 

WordNet (2005). http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=paraprofessional

See also: Laymen as knowledge organizers; Professional aspects of LIS

Birger Hjørland

Last edited: 22-09-2006

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