Business Librarians: Their Education and Training

Abstract

Subject expertise has been regarded as an important contributing factor in determining the quality of information services provided in specialized academic libraries. A telephone survey of academic business librarians was conducted to ascertain their level of business education. A survey of instructors of business information courses in library schools was conducted to discover the areas of business considered important in their courses. Results show that a minority of academic business librarians have been educated in business administration. Broad areas of business are considered important for library school course, but specialized and technical areas are considered less important. These results suggest that traditional education and training for business librarians are less than adequate. Partnerships between schools of business and schools of library and information science are suggested as one way to improve levels of business education for business information specialists.