Non-traditional employability in library science. An x-ray of the costa rican case from a project management perspective

Abstract

Librarianship work is usually associated with established information units, but what happens when professionals decide to engage in the independent practice of their profession? how do management methodologies facilitate or not the execution of their projects? and how does their application generate value to the services and products they offer? These are some of the questions analyzed in this paper. Moreover, this research provides a discussion of this phenomenon that exceeds the existing theory from a qualitative approach; it is exploratory and bibliographic. Initially, it explores the employment situation of professionals in the country, the contribution of the implementation of project management methodologies in different institutions and documentation centers, and then reflects on the value that these methodologies bring to professionals in independent practice. This research finds that librarians are less inclined to be entrepreneurs since most of them have a salaried employment relationship. It also confirms that the motivations for entrepreneurship range from economic independence to personal and professional development, and that they face obstacles that can be minimized with the application and knowledge of project management methodologies.