Information Technology, Change and Information Professionals’ Identity Construction: A Discourse Analysis

摘要

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) arernoften identified by librarians and information professionalsrnas being a driving force behind the way they perform theirrnday-to-day activities and how they interact with theirrnclients. This study considers the role ICTs play in thernshaping and constructing of the identities of librarians.rnUsing data gathered from interviews, email discussion lists,rnand the professional literature, this study employed arndiscourse analysis to examine the language resourcesrnlibrarians use when constructing their professionalrnidentities, with particular attention to the role of ICTs inrnthis construction. ICTs both challenged and enhanced thernidentities of librarians. While the changes related to ICTsrnhave left librarians feeling insecure about their professionalrnpositions, they have also opened up new roles andrnopportunities for librarians to pursue. Librarians have arnservice-oriented identity that is influenced by ICT-relatedrnchanges affecting their work. These changes will challengernand benefit librarians as they engage with ICTs andrndetermine how, if at all, they can be incorporated into theirrnday-to-day practice.