Here are the Library Specialties each MBTI type is likely to be found in based on interviews taken straight out of the MBTI Manual.
ISTJ – Cataloguer.
Enjoys:
- Deciding exact subject heading and classification of new works.
- Orderliness of the position.
- Working uninterruptedly in a quiet space.
ISFJ – Assistant Public Services Manager.
Enjoys:
- Planning and organizing events with the unofficial title of “project Queen”.
- Coordinating staffing needs and organizing training programs to meet those needs.
- Putting out a calendar of events.
- Bringing both heart and detail to their work.
INFJ – Reference Librarian.
Enjoys:
- Coming up with creative ways to meet customers needs “I can think of 50 ways to approach their need. I’ll make what I have here relate to their topic and show them how it does.”
- Seeing the patrons happy.
- Quiet activities such as paperwork tracking Library statistics.
INTJ – Collections and Acquisitions Head.
Enjoys:
- Developing and working with policies and procedures and identifying the need for new ones.
- Reviewing curriculum changes and their impact on the library.
- Monitoring the budget and moving money around to meet needs through paying attention to the big picture.
ISTP – Automation Specialist.
Enjoys:
- Keeping up with the latest equipment and Computer Applications.
- Using technology in their work.
- Teaching short courses on Computer Applications.
ISFP – Archivist.
Enjoys:
- Surrounding themselves with rare books and special documentations.
- Finding just what the patrons need to make them happy.
- Camaraderie with other staff.
INFP – Small Branch Library Manager.
Enjoys:
- Forming personal relationships with customers and enjoying their idiosyncrasies.
- Being part of the community and touching people’s lives.
- Building collaborations: “I see my library as not having any walls, both literally and figuratively.”
INTP – Acquisitions Specialist.
Enjoys:
- Analyzing what is needed in the library collection.
- Building high-quality collection through critiquing materials.
- Constantly searching for new knowledge.
- Having a quiet space in which to concentrate deeply.
ESTP – Technology Specialist.
Enjoys:
- Trying out and then adapting technologies to the library’s needs (as a “techno guinea pig”).
- Preparing and updating web pages.
- Teaching others how to use the technologies they have learned.
- Being away from their desk.
ESFP – Law Librarian.
Enjoys:
- Their colleagues and the friendships and teamwork they’ve developed.
- Variety of requests they get; “no two days are alike” and even the “law changes weekly.”
- Satisfaction of helping those lawyers find the information they need although “at times no answer exists and it’s hard to figure out when to stop!”
ENFP – Children’s Librarian.
Enjoys:
- Having a variety of duties and loving them all.
- Having freedom to move from area to area and learning something from each.
- Being creative such as developing Storytime kits for daycare providers.
ENTP – inter-Library loan Department Head.
Enjoys:
- Fielding whatever comes to them and seeing what people are wondering about.
- Determining what piece of the “library puzzle” fits a patrons needs.
- Having a variety of activities.
- Being on The “cutting edge” to better help customers.
ESTJ – Library Services Coordinator.
Enjoys:
- Planning how to provide services, thinking through various approaches and the consequences of decisions.
- Taking responsibility and efficiently following through.
- Keeping their technical skills and knowledge up-to-date so they can check the facts quickly.
ESFJ – Distance Learning Librarian.
Enjoys:
- Traveling on-site to teach others basic library skills including searching special indexes, evaluating information they find, and showing them how to order materials on their own.
- Helping students find needed resources using a personal touch.
- Providing whatever support faculty and students need.
ENFJ – Large Branch Library Manager.
Enjoys:
- Play a variety of roles such as “hostess, mother, social worker, promoter…”
- Encouraging the process of intellectual development in their patrons.
- Contributing to their staff’s own personal and professional development is including letting them make mistakes.
Entj – Library Director.
Enjoys:
- The information and systems aspects of their job: “Library work can be conceptualized as a flow, which can be done poorly or well, efficiently or inefficiently. It’s a series of events to be organized.
- Making decisions, especially about their own work.
- Staying on task, they are most bothered by personnel issues.
Source:
Myers, I. B. (2003). Mbti manual: a guide to the development and use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Mountain View, CA: CPP.
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