Defining the UK information workerThe CILIP/ARA Workforce Mapping Project

Dr Hazel Hall

McMaster Library Symposium

Hamilton, Canada, 15th August 2017

http://hazelhall.org

Slides on SlideShare at http://slideshare.net/hazelhall

@hazelh

Mirifici Logarithmorum Canonis Descriptio (1614)

John Napier 1550-1617

CILIP/ARA Workforce Mapping Project

‘To enhance understanding of the nation’s workforce in Library, Archives, Records, Information Management, Knowledge Management and related professional roles.’

‘To enhance understanding of the nation’s workforce in Library, Archives, Records, Information Management, Knowledge Management and related professional roles.’

CILIP/ARA Workforce Mapping Project

https://www.cilip.org.uk/about/projects-reviews/workforce-mapping

The team

Hall Irving Ryan Raeside Dutton Chen

Centre for Social Informatics Employment Research Institute

The team

Hall Irving Ryan

Centre for Social Informatics

• LIS qualified• LIS research track record• Prior work on domain theme• CILIP consultancy experience• Publishing expertise

The team

Raeside Dutton Chen

• Track record of research on labour force composition and characteristics

• Experts in quantitative methods

Employment Research Institute

1. Scale

2. Antecedents

3. Scope of information work

4. Levels of penetration

An ‘ambitious’ project

August 2014 to January 2015

•Scoping literature review• Prior studies• Methods

•Statistical analysis: UK Labour Force Survey • Initial estimates workforce size• Anticipated survey penetration levels

Project phase 1

February 2015 to October 2015

•February 2015• Survey development/piloting and comms planning

•March-April 2015• Data collection: (1) demographics; (2) qualifications

and professional memberships; (3) diversity

•May-October 2015• Data preparation, analysis, and report writing

Project phase 2

9,103 usable survey responses

Main findings

86,376 information professionals

86,376 information professionals

21.6%

12.6%

86,376 information professionals

59.4% in libraries

England

Majority of workforce: 78.4%• London: 22.6%• South East: 19.4%

Higher proportion of staff in senior roles: 8%• Wales: 7.5%• Scotland: 7.3%• Northern Ireland: 3%

Highly qualified workforce

57.2% hold professional qualifications(53.6% hold professional memberships)57.2% hold professional qualifications(53.6% hold professional memberships)

Pay

•‘Well paid’: 50%+ paid above national average salary (but highly qualified workforce, some long service and low pay) •No association between level of pay and care-giving•No association between level of pay and long-term health issues

Higher earners

•Men•Professionally qualified•Members of professional bodies

•IM/KM/RM•Commerce, business, higher education, national libraries, & law

A workforce dominated by women

Women

Men

But...

Age and ethnicity

•An ageing workforce• 55.3% 45+ • UK workforce in general: 41.1%

•Low ethnic diversity• 96.7% identified as ‘white’ • UK workforce in general: 87.5%

Impact

Launch event

•24th November 2015•London•Media coverage

https://hazelhall.org/2015/12/02/who-is-the-typical-uk-information-worker-headline-findings-of-the-cilipara-workforce-mapping-project/

http://www.thebookseller.com/news/report-highlights-lack-diversity-library-workers-317381

http://www.thebookseller.com/news/report-highlights-lack-diversity-library-workers-317381

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/libraries-deliver-ambition-for-public-libraries-in-england-2016-to-2021/libraries-deliver-ambition-for-public-libraries-in-england-2016-to-2021

Impact: policy development at ‘national’ level

Public library skills strategy

•March 2016•DCMS commitment•Direct reference to project (section 6.8)

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/libraries-taskforce-six-month-progress-report-october-2016-march-2017/six-month-progress-report-october-2016-march-2017

https://www.cilip.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/document/2017/public_library_skills_strategy_2017-2030.pdf

Impact: inspiration for further research

http://dagda.shef.ac.uk/dispub/dissertations/2015-16/External/Sarah_Arkle.pdf

Impact: ‘internal’ policy development (CILIP)

It is really useful [to have] a credible data source [that] we can use in the development of policy, position statements and advocacy with stakeholders.

It is really useful [to have] a credible data source [that] we can use in the development of policy, position statements and advocacy with stakeholders.

We have used the extrapolation for the estimated size of the workforce to inform

our Business Plan and targets for growth over

the next few years.

We have used the extrapolation for the estimated size of the workforce to inform

our Business Plan and targets for growth over

the next few years.

https://www.cilip.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/cilip_action_plan_2016_2020.pdf

Impact: marketing general (CILIP)

[We have] incorporated elements of the Workforce Mapping data into the

standard CILIP PowerPoint slide deck that is used by the staff and Presidential Team for talks.

[We have] incorporated elements of the Workforce Mapping data into the

standard CILIP PowerPoint slide deck that is used by the staff and Presidential Team for talks.

https://www.slideshare.net/CILIP/data-insight-evidencebased-decisionmaking

https://www.bruynzeel.co.uk/cilip-rare-books-and-special-collections-group-conference-2016/

Impact: marketing membership (CILIP)

https://leonslibraryblog.com/category/cilip-membership/

[It] enabled us to develop the new membership model and is being used as a baseline for our sales and marketing activities…The team [has] been looking for trends in particular regions/sectors and using this as a way of targeting

groups of professionals.

[It] enabled us to develop the new membership model and is being used as a baseline for our sales and marketing activities…The team [has] been looking for trends in particular regions/sectors and using this as a way of targeting

groups of professionals.

Impact: marketing qualifications (CILIP)

We’ve started to use it to assess the profile of

different regions to assess where we should market

qualifications.

We’ve started to use it to assess the profile of

different regions to assess where we should market

qualifications.

Impact: skills (CILIP)

We will be using it as part of our Workforce Development Strategy… enabling the

development of provision to meet the needs of the entire workforce.

We will be using it as part of our Workforce Development Strategy… enabling the

development of provision to meet the needs of the entire workforce.

We’ve also been able to use the outcomes to

inform our Public Library Skills Strategy.

We’ve also been able to use the outcomes to

inform our Public Library Skills Strategy.

https://www.cilip.org.uk/research/topics/equalities/cilip-board-presidential-team-declaration-equalities-diversity-inclusion

The Workforce Mapping data also

lies at the heart of the priorities set in the CILIP Diversity and

Equalities Action Plan.

The Workforce Mapping data also

lies at the heart of the priorities set in the CILIP Diversity and

Equalities Action Plan.

Impact: equality and diversity (CILIP)

https://www.cilip.org.uk/research/topics/equalities/cilip-board-presidential-team-declaration-equalities-diversity-inclusion

[T]he impact of the Workforce Mapping project on our work and strategic direction has been pretty fundamental. In the face of a real paucity of evidence, we frequently have recourse to it to guide our decisions. We are now in the process of setting out a Performance Management framework through which we hope to build on this dataset in future.

[T]he impact of the Workforce Mapping project on our work and strategic direction has been pretty fundamental. In the face of a real paucity of evidence, we frequently have recourse to it to guide our decisions. We are now in the process of setting out a Performance Management framework through which we hope to build on this dataset in future.

To conclude

Find out more

http://www.napier.ac.uk/~/media/worktribe/output-364676/mapping-the-uk-information-workforce-in-the-library-archives-records-information-management.pdf

Contact Hazel Hall

•@hazel•http://hazelhall.org•http://slideshare.net/hazelhall

•h.hall@napier.ac.uk•+44 (0)131 455 2760

Defining the UK information workerThe CILIP/ARA Workforce Mapping Project

Dr Hazel Hall

McMaster Library Symposium

Hamilton, Canada, 15th August 2017