[Web4lib] Librarians as Webmasters: Survey Results

[Ali Shaker]

Dear Colleagues,
   
  About three weeks ago, I distributed a short survey to web4lib subscribers. The main goal of the survey was twofold: to determine the job tasks/skills of library webmasters, and to evaluate the academic preparation for this job by LIS schools.
   
  26 librarians have kindly replyied the survey. The major findings were as follows:
  (1) graduation year: 75% of library webmasters have graduated after 1995, during the past 10 years. 
(2) one third of library webmasters are working on this position for more than 5 years.
(3) 1st job after graduation?: one third of library webmaster worked in this position directly upon graduation. For the other two thirds, this position was second job, mostly.
(4) methods of acquiyring webmastering skills: in the following order (1) self-study, (2) LIS school, (3) practice/experience, (4) in-the-job training.
(5) most-useful courses at LIS school: 40% none, 40% just one course (mostly web design course, but there are also courses like cataloging (for information organization, digital libraries, information architecture, HTML). 
(6) in-the-job training: 15 out of 26 said yes, but with "self-study" also. 8 said no, just self-study.
(7) minimum skills for entry-level webmasters: general skills, in the following order: (networks and Internet, general computer programming, information architecture, project management, information organization, and usability and accessibility). Web skills, in the following order: (HTML/XHTML, Web programming (php, javascript, etc.), CSS, WYSIWYG (i.e., FrontPage, Dreamweaver), Web-enabled databases, CMSs, XML, Photoshop).
   
  Thank you all who replyied the survey. I hope these results are useful to current and future library webmasters, and also to academics at LIS schools.
   


Dr. Ali K. Shaker 
Department of Library and Information Science 
Minia University, Egypt 
http://aks4lis.net 
for a better generation of guardians of information!