Innovative Roles for Technical Services Librarians: Extending Our Reach

Traditionally, technical services librarians have made their contributions in the background. Today, the sphere of influence of the technical services librarian extends throughout and beyond the library. The objective of this article is to encourage technical services librarians to embrace new opportunities for sharing their expertise in the development and management of knowledge in order to meet the new challenges libraries face. Technical services librarians at the University of Utah Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library have used their unique knowledge and skills both inside and outside the conventional library venue to embrace new opportunities. These opportunities have included implementing creative uses of the catalog, participating in the creation and improvement of metadata standards, enhancing the development of, and access to digital collections; knowledge management collaborations with library colleagues, academic departments, and other organizations; database development and instruction; teaching and reference activities; and technology support.