Impacts of scholarship and publication on entry-level hiring: Public services applicants in academic libraries in the United States

This study examines the impact of a single knowledge, skill, and ability (KSA), specifically research and publication experience, on the hiring decisions of selection committees for entry-level public services academic librarian positions in the United States. Current library and information science literature contains few studies focusing on a single KSA factor. For this study, respondents (n=141) from a selective sample of 382 institutions of higher education completed an online survey in January and February 2015. The results show that research and publication experience had a greater impact on hiring decisions at urban research universities with large full-time equivalent (FTE) student enrollments, and very large FTE library staff. Forty-five percent of respondents who hired an entry-level public services librarian in the previous 5-year period encouraged research and publication as a primary or secondary duty, and 21% felt its impact on hiring decisions had increased over the previous 10-year period. However, only 14% of respondents categorized research and publication experience as extremely or very important when making hiring decisions. A future investigation of the exact sub-skills associated with research and publication could illustrate how this KSA is currently utilized in the practice of academic librarianship.