Job advertisements for data visualization in academic libraries: A content analysis of job postings

Abstract

The digital era has fostered significant advancements in data visualization (DV) within the field of academic libraries, establishing it as a focal point of widespread interest. The objectives of this study are: i) to identify the responsibilities that professionals working in the DV field are expected to undertake, and ii) to analyze the current stated qualifications and competencies required for DV-related positions. This study adopted content analysis approach by extracting and organizing DV-related job posting data from the IASSIST Jobs Repository and the IFLA LIBJOBS website through NCapture and NVivo tools, and using VOSviewer and Pajek software to conduct frequency and thematic clustering analyses of job characteristics, responsibilities and competency requirements of 126 job advertisements identified in the final screening. The findings indicated that library professionals in the field of DV are increasingly tasked with a broader spectrum of responsibilities and duties, with a pronounced preference for those demonstrating expertise in cross-disciplinary domains and possessing exceptional general competencies, in addition to the requisite professional qualifications and skills, such as interdisciplinary liaison and commitment to equity and diversity. This study offers training and professional development direction for academic librarians and prospective practitioners, as well as practical recommendations for the transformation of library services.