Question 1

Andiswa Mzulwini recently won an award for best professional librarian of the year 2023 at the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) conference held in Netherlands, Rotterdam on 21 – 25 August 2023. Andiswa was asked to share with other fellow librarians her secret in offering excellent service delivery. In her address, Andiswa cited attributes of a professional librarian and service principles as enablers of proper service delivery.
Based on the scenario above provided answers to the following statement:

i. Identify the attributes of a professional librarian.

ii. Discuss with examples the attributes of a professional librarian.

iii. Identify and discuss the service principles using examples to illustrate your answers.

Question 2

Thembelani has problems to concentrate in class. He recently visited a therapist and was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). He was then referred to the community library to consult the librarian about their resources on OCD. The resources are compiled for bibliotherapy, which will help him understand his disorder. As a librarian, answer the following questions that may help Thembelani understand the concept of bibliotherapy:
• Explain in detail the concept bibliotherapy.

• Discuss the steps that a librarian follows when conducting bibliotherapy.

• Identify five documents (books and journal articles) that could help

Thembelani understand OCD.

Answers to Above Questions

Answer 1: A professional librarian possesses many attributes such as good communication skills, experience and knowledge about the library, adaptability and innovation, ability to change as per customer requirements and have good ethical values. These are some of the important attributes of a good librarian.