Competencies of Information Professionals Responding to the Needs of the Labor Market in the Digital Era
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Abstract
The purpose of this research was 1) to analyze the skills and competencies required for information professionals in the digital age that are demanded by organizations and agencies, both in the public and private sectors, for the execution of information-related tasks. 2) to analyze the labor market demand for librarian and information professional positions, as well as opportunities for the development of information professionals to adapt to changes brought about by the digital age, and 3) to propose recommendations for the development of educational curricula that align with the labor market needs for librarian and information professional positions in the digital era. The research tools used were a questionnaire with 100 users of graduates from the business sector, and semi-structured interviews with 10 librarians, information scientists, and lecturers teaching in the fields of information science, librarianship, and information management from universities. Quantitative data from the questionnaire was analyzed with statistics and analyzed qualitative data by content analysis and classification approach. The results showed that the most desired professional competencies of information professionals in the digital age are personal attribute competencies ( = 4.74), followed by information technology and digital skills competency (
= 4.50), librarian professional skills (
= 4.46), and information technology and digital knowledge competency (
= 4.44), respectively. The results of the research reflect that the curriculum and higher education institutions in information science should emphasize the learning process that includes knowledge in librarianship, and digital technology. In addition, communication skills and personal characteristics are important competencies that business organizations and information practitioners are aware of and give importance to the competencies of information professionals in the digital age at the highest level.
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บทความทุกเรื่องที่ลงตีพิมพ์จะได้รับการตรวจอ่านโดยผู้ทรงคุณวุฒิ ความคิดเห็นและบทความที่ปรากฏในวารสารนี้ เป็นของผู้เขียนซึ่งมิใช่เป็นความคิดเห็นของคณะผู้จัดทำ และมิใช่ความรับผิดชอบของสมาคมห้องสมุดแห่งประเทศไทยฯ การนำบทความในวารสารนี้ไปตีพิมพ์ซ้ำต้องได้รับอนุญาตจากคณะผู้จัดทำ
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