This essential guide provides professional development resources for library staff at every phase of their career—from those just entering the field, to paraprofessionals building a career trajectory, to seasoned librarians looking to explore additional career options.
Like most industries in a volatile economy, the field of library and information science faces constant change, prompting those new to the profession—as well as established professionals—to question which career route will offer the greatest opportunity. This book guides users to the information resources that will help them to make smart career choices.
Thousands of students graduate with a Master of Library and Information Science degree every year. Unfortunately, budget cuts at libraries diminish available job opportunities and prompt administrators to hire less qualified—and less expensive—professionals. However, armed with the right information, library science professionals can successfully build and sustain a resilient library and information science (LIS) career inside—or outside—the traditional library setting.
LIS Career Sourcebook: Managing and Maximizing Every Step of Your Career provides a chapter-by-chapter overview of key career stages and strategies, and identifies for each the best information resources to help readers develop a successful LIS career. The author lays out the typical stages that workers are likely to encounter as they move through their professional life, highlighting important issues associated with each stage and providing insights and resources for making smart career choices along the way. Covering the entire career lifespan from entry level to retirement, the resources cited will help readers make informed choices about career options, professional development, and personal career satisfaction.
Features
• A career lifecycle approach to building a career in the library and information sciences field
• Practical guidance and resources for every stage of a career
• Resource annotations detail the importance of a particular source
• A comprehensive list of resources for further reading
Highlights
• Offers practical strategies for creating a rewarding career path
• Addresses topics such as creating a professional brand, building a professional network, and job hunting
• Explores alternative career paths, including entrepreneurship, and describes the information resources available to support those career choices
• Identifies hundreds of the best topical information resources, both print and online, that readers can immediately turn to as they encounter career transition points and opportunities
• Broadens the universe of best-in-class knowledge to encompass resources from the LIS field, as well as from other relevant disciplines
G. Kim Dority is the founder and president of Dority & Associates, an information consulting and content development company. Additionally, Dority teaches a course in alternative library and information science career paths at the University of Denver, CO. She is the author of Rethinking Information Work: A Career Guide for Librarians and Other Information Professionals and a blog entitled Infonista.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: The LIS Career Universe
Framing Your Career Options
Who Needs What Information?
Exploring Your Career Options
Resources
Chapter 2: LIS Education Options
Do You Need an MLIS?
Finding an MLIS Program
Evaluating MLIS Programs
What about Online Programs and iSchools?
What Courses to Take
Financial Aid Sources
Does Getting an MLIS Make Sense? 5
Resources
Chapter 3: LIS Job Hunting
Decide on Potential Job Opportunities/Career Paths
Research the Relevant Job Market(s)
Understand Your Value Proposition
Polish Your Job-Hunting Tools (E-Portfolios, Resumes, and Cover Letters)
Build Your Professional Brand Online before Applying for Jobs
Launch Your Job Search
Interviewing and Negotiating
Should New Grads Take Non-LIS Jobs?
Temping as an Interim Job Solution
Resources
Chapter 4: Start Your Career off Right
Communicating Effectively
Becoming an Effective Team Player
Responding Positively to Change
Getting Things Done
Staying Professionally Current
Importance of Self-Leadership to Your Career
Resources
Chapter 5: Learning
What Will You Need to Learn?
How and Where Will You Learn?
Finding Your Learning Path
Resources
Chapter 6: Building Your Professional Network
What Is a Professional Network?
Building and Sustaining Your Professional Community
Introverted? You Can Still Build a Network
Still a Student? Start Building Your Network in Grad School
Networking Strategy
Benefits of a Professional Network
Resources
Chapter 7: Establishing Your Professional Brand
Key Characteristics of a Professional Brand
Career Branding, Social Media, and Introverts
Building Your Brand in Grad School
Why Your Professional Brand Is Really Important to Your Career
Resources
Chapter 8: Managing
What Is Management?
Management Insights
Key Management Challenges
Resources
Chapter 9: Leading
Definition of Leadership
Becoming a Leader—The Outside Perspective
Becoming a Leader—The LIS Perspective
Gender/Gen-Y Frames and Leadership
Resources
Chapter 10: Going the Independent Route
Types of Independent Work
Is Being an Independent for You?
Ways to Approach Independent Work
Questions to Consider before You Leap
Creating Additional Revenue Streams
From Solo to Small Business (and Everything in Between)
Resources
Chapter 11: Transition Points: Finding Opportunity in Change
Taking a Career Time-out
Relocating Your Career
Moving into a New LIS Career Opportunity or Industry
When Your Career Change Is a Layoff
Retiring—Or Not
Exploring New Directions
Resources
Appendix: ALA, CLA, and SLA Groups
Index
