| The objectives of this investigation were two-fold. The first was to determine the personal characteristics of Bibliographic Network Coordinators, both past and present; the second was to compare these identified characteristics with those of persons working in traditional library positions at comparable levels of responsibility.;To gather data on personal characteristics, surveys of the target and comparison groups were undertaken. Packets consisting of three measurement instruments (the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire, the Response to Power Measure, and the Interpersonal Coping Test), plus a demographic questionnaire were distributed to prospective participants. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS computer programs for factor analysis and discriminant function analysis. These analyses indicated that, contrary to formulated hypotheses, members of the library/information field appeared to differ little from one another, but that as a group they appeared to differ significantly from the general population. The latter finding is of interest because, while it seems reasonable, based upon the results of the survey data, to expect that individuals in traditional libraries and information centers could successfully fill positions held by Bibliographic Network Coordinators, and vice versa, it appears quite uncertain that persons from the general population could satisfactorily handle either one.;The findings from this study shed light upon a previously unexplored aspect of the library and information field. The results also suggest areas for future investigation.;The position of Bibliographic Network Coordinator is relatively new in the library/information community. This is the case because bibliographic networks had their beginnings in the 1960's, and they assumed significant importance as information providers only in the 1970's. No studies were found to have considered whether or not the same type of person was filling these new positions as was holding the traditional library and information jobs. |
