Possible Areas of Work in Data Science for Library and Information Professionals in Egypt : an Analytical Study in the light of the Content of Foreign Job Advertisements

The study aims to investigate the possible areas of work in data science field from the library and information specialization perspective, the skills required for the graduates in Egypt to occupy these jobs. The descriptive methodology using content analysis technique was applied on a sample of 80 job advertisements published in English via (ALA JobList - LinkedIn - Indeed - Glassdor) and related to data science field in foreign countries, requiring qualifications in library and information specialization and/or previous experience in the field,, from 01/01/2022 to 09/31/2022. MAXQDA software was used to analyze qualitative data related to job titles, skills, qualifications, years of experience, and organization type. The results showed that, the most requested job titles are "data librarian" and "research data management librarian". The advertisements were mainly from USA, especially in universities and research centers. The results revealed the role of library and information professionals in the future of data science, because of their skills in manipulating content, with the need to acquire some skills, foremost of which are technical skills, especially experience with Python, SPSS, and data visualization tools such as Tableau and PowerBi. The study recommended that the Egyptian library and information departments need to review their study plans and the relevant courses to take necessary actions to update and/or develop new courses and specializations in data science field and related topics, especially at postgraduate programs level, and the need for developing packages of training programs and workshops for professional development to overcome the labor market challenges.