Practical Wisdom: Advice from public library practitioners and its relevance in a post-COVID world

With the professionalisation of librarianship in the 1800s (Miska, 1988), formal expectations emerged regarding the knowledge and training required of librarians. Since then, professional education in librarianship has expanded globally, with curricula evolving to reflect the needs of each era (e.g., Batool et al., 2023). Continuing professional development has also become a core component of ethical and professional standards (e.g., ALIA (2024) and ALA (2021) codes of ethics; LIANZA code of professional conduct, 2003). As a result, research and scholarly communication in library and information studies have developed into established fields of inquiry (e.g., Tait & Pierson, 2022; Goulding & Campbell-Meier, 2024). Despite this, the role of professional advice from practicing librarians across career stages remains under-explored. Advice grounded in the collective lived experience of practitioners offers valuable insights and practical wisdom that can inform both new professionals and the broader discourse on professional identity. This paper presents findings from interviews conducted in 2019 with thirty-nine public librarians in Aotearoa New Zealand. Participants responded to the question: “What do you think the next generation of librarians will need to know, or what advice would you give them?”. This question served as a reflective conclusion to broader discussions on professional identity, allowing participants to articulate insights shaped by their experiences. These responses reveal the interplay between professional identity and practical knowledge, where each informs and reinforces the other (e.g., Pierson, 2023). Following closely after interviews occurred, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted global action. Librarianship was also impacted by accelerated change and adaptation to service provision. Public librarians worldwide responded by developing new procedures for physical resource access and expanding digital services during lockdowns and social distancing (e.g., Johnston, 2020). This paper offers a unique comparative analysis of pre-pandemic professional advice within the context of post-pandemic librarianship, viewed through the lens of Aotearoa New Zealand. Key findings include thematic categories of advice and an assessment of their continued relevance in a post-COVID professional landscape. These insights can inform future curriculum design and continuing professional development initiatives. References American Library Association. (2021). Professional ethics. http://www.ala.org/tools/ethics Australian Library and Information Association. (2024). ALIA code of ethics for the Australian LIS workforce. https://read.alia.org.au/alia-code-ethics-australian-lis-workforce-long-version Batool, S.H., Bullard, J., Campbell-Meier, J., Fourie, I., Jimenez, A. & Rutter, S. (2023). Global perspectives on inclusive curricula: Places, practices and pedagogy. Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 60, 742-746. https://doi.org/10.1002/pra2.851 Goulding, A., & Campbell-Meier, J. (2025). Continuing Professional Development of Library Staff. In D. Baker & L. Ellis (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Libraries, Librarianship, and Information Science (First Edition) (pp. 457-466). Academic Press. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-95689-5.00120-6 Johnston, J. (2020, May 1). Demand for online library content soars during pandemic. CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/libraries-online-servi ces-covid-19-1.5551682 Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa. (2003). Code of professional conduct. https://lianza.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Code-of-Profes sional-Conduct-08_19.pdf Miksa, F. L. (1988). The Columbia School of Library Economy, 1887-1888. Libraries & Culture, 23(3), 249-280. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25542068 Pierson, C. M. (2023). The role of identity moderators and perceived degree of identity separation in librarian professional identity development. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 56(2), 353-368. https://doi.org/10.1177/09610006221142311 Tait, E. & Pierson, C. M. (2022). Artificial intelligence and robots in libraries: Opportunities in LIS curriculum for preparing the librarians of tomorrow. Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association, 71(3), 256-274. https://doi.org/10.1080/24750158.2022.2081111