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| Pursuing Your Library Career
What DO librarians do? Basic career informationFind out what librarians do. If you've worked here in the library, you probably have a pretty good idea about what academic librarians do. But, there are other options out there. Take a look at the following links to find general descriptions on the nature of the work as well as other opportunities for work, such as those reflected by titles like "information specialist," "chief knowledge officer," and "director of information research." And take a look at Image of Libraries in Popular Culture.
Graduate library schoolsTo get started in librarianship, did you know there is such a thing as a Master's Degree in Library Science? Or, by other names, Library and Information Studies, or Information Science? To become a librarian, it takes more than memorizing the LC classification number. Most employers require a master's degree from a program accredited by the American Library Association (ALA). Find out where you can get a degree using the links listed below, specifically the site listing ALA-accredited programs.And check out what changes the Chronicle of Higher Education says is happening to library education in the article, In Revamped Library Schools, Information Trumps Books.
Library specialtiesThere's a variety of libraries out there where library school grads find jobs. Check out the following examples:
Organizations and interestsWhat's your interest? There's probably a library association out there on that topic or in the discipline. The following links show the variety and diversity of types of interests and associations in which librarians can be involved.General interest:
Jobs!There are hundreds of thousands of job listings and the trick becomes sorting through them to identify the ones that match your interests. So, clarifying your interests is the first step in focusing your search: the type of library, the type of work, your education and experience, the geographic area you'd like to work in, etc. Now, where do you look? There are websites specific for librarian jobs (listed below), but don't forget the classified ads as well. Use the News and Newspapers Online site to identify newspapers by country, state, and city; most have searchable classified ads.
SalariesAccording to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, Librarians section:
along with this IMPORTANT note: "Your pay can be dramatically affected by compensable factors such as employer size, industry, employee credentials, years of experience and others."
Talk with a librarianIf you're interested in finding out more about a career in librarianship, give one of the following librarians a call or email. They represent a wide variety of library specialties and interests. We'd love to talk to you about the profession or about what we do in our jobs.
The changing image of librarians:
 
 
Links:The Bellydancing LibrarianButt kicking librarians Free Range Librarian "Librarianship, writing, and everything else, since 2003." the laughing librarian Library Humor & Stuff Librarian Avengers Librarian blogs via Technorati "Everything in the known universe about librarians" Librarians@Flickr Librarians in the Movies: An Annotated Filmography Library Juice blog On the intersection of libraries, politics, and culture Library Underground a guide to alternative library culture on the world wide web The Liptstick Librarian The Modified Librarian Librarianship and the art of Body Modification Rex Libris Warrior Librarian Unshelved Still can't decide? Ask a yes or no question of the virtual 8-ball.
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Authors: Janet Martorana and Gary Colmenar, for the WOM committee Maintained by Janet Martorana Updated: September 2007 |
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