Descriptive Impressions of Managerial and Supervisory Cataloger Positions as Reflected in American Libraries, AutoCAT, and the Colorado State Library Jobline, 2000-2004: A Content Analysis of Education, Competencies, and Experience

Employers articulate expectations for technical services managerial positions including academic preparation and professional experience (cataloging, classification, authority control, acquisitions), supervisory and training abilities, bibliographic control tasks, technical understandings and familiarities with a theoretical basis for organization technical skills (bibliographic utilities, tools) and non-library specific competencies. Therefore, technical services managerial position announcements provide insight into shifting requirements regarding graduate education, expertise, and preferred preparations for these positions. This empirical research study explores 89 technical services managerial position announcements published during a four-year period in order to determine the common aspects of employers’ expectations. A rigorouscontent analysis methodology enabled the researcher to identify employers’ expectations and requirements among types of libraries