Being a successful librarian means more than knowing how to catalog, read a MARC record, or find resources for a student writing a paper. It means having soft skills that fill in gaps when theory and technical knowledge don’t answer patron questions or tell you how to be a team player.
Soft skills often speak to personality or character or the way a person works – things that are not necessarily definable or even measurable. In reviewing job postings, the soft skills librarians should have cover the ability to be a team player, collaborate, adapt to change. Librarians need to have interpersonal and communication skills, be organized and courteous.
But, what does it mean to be collegial, creative, or detail-oriented? Most importantly, are they skills that can be taught? The answer is unequivocally yes, but the key is being aware of them first so you can learn how to master them.
In this webinar, Melissa Lockaby addresses some of the knowledge, skills, and abilities that aren’t covered in a classroom, why they are important, and how they can make you a better librarian.
Click below to experience this webinar as a tutorial. When you continue past the introduction to the webinar, you'll be prompted to log in. We require login to view the whole tutorial so we can provide certificates of completion for your records and for professional development credit. No purchase is required and you can create a Niche Academy account if you don't already have one. The certificate will be available for download when you have completed all sections of the tutorial.
Click the link below to download the presentation slides:
Soft Skills Slides
Click the link below to download additional resources:
Soft Skills Reading List