Link Up the Sticks: Access and Barriers to Professional Development for Small and Rural Academic Librarians

Abstract

Participation in continuing education and professional development are crucial to the practice of librarianship as a thriving profession. However, increasingly tight budgets, stagnant salaries, small staff, and lack of access to current technologies may prevent active academic librarians who work on small and rural campuses from fully participating in professional development.  As the duties of the modern librarian continue to evolve, efforts to ensure access to quality ongoing training for 21st-century information professionals from all areas of the North American landscape remain paramount. This study explores how academic librarians in small or rural library environments keep up with modern library practices, network with colleagues, and access formal and informal opportunities for continuing education and professional development.  The study also identifies barriers to training opportunities for academic librarians on small or rural campuses and investigates the links between continuing education barriers and professional association membership.