BY PRISCILLA:
Shontz, Priscilla K. and Richard A. Murray, editors.
A Day in the Life: Career Options in Library and
Information Science. Libraries Unlimited, 2007.
ISBN 1591583640.
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Libraries
Unlimited
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Many people, not just those new to the field
of Library and Information Science, are curious about their career
options. The editors of LIScareer.com have assembled 95 authors, each of
whom describes a "typical" workday or work routine, sharing joys,
sorrows, and annoyances in refreshingly candid fashion. In the process,
they offer those interested in finding a similar job exposure to useful
skills and advice across a wide variety of traditional and
nontraditional jobs. In addition to public, academic, school, and
special libraries, consortia, associations, LIS programs, vendors,
publishing, consulting, and other non-library fields are also covered.
This is a perfect guide for library and information science students,
prospective information professionals, new librarians-or anyone
considering a career change.
See the book website for
contents, excerpts, and more
information.
Shontz, Priscilla K., editor.
The Librarian's Career Guidebook. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press,
Dec 2004. ISBN
0810850346
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from
Scarecrow Press
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Are you trying to break into a career in
library science or improve your current position? In The Librarian's
Career Guidebook, 63 information professionals from diverse
positions, workplaces, and regions discuss a variety of career issues and
offer advice to prospective librarians, MLS students, and librarians in
various stages of their careers, from entry-level to the highly
experienced. Packed with more than 60 chapters, The Librarian's Career
Guidebook covers such topics as career options, education, the job
search, on-the-job experience, professional development, essential skills
and strategies for enjoying your career.
See the book website for
contents, excerpts, and more information.
Shontz,
Priscilla K. Jump Start Your Career in Library and Information
Science. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2002. ISBN 0810840847
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Jump Start Your Career in Library and
Information Science is designed to help new librarians begin to
manage a successful and
satisfying career in the library and education science profession.
Although the first years are often overwhelming, they can be the key to
creating a successful career as a librarian or information professional.
Unless one is fortunate enough to have good mentors or strong support
groups, a new librarian may drift into an unsatisfying career. This book
emphasizes the value of defining one's own idea of success and of
positioning one's self to be prepared to take advantage of opportunities
that arise. Although the book is aimed at students and new information
professionals, much of the advice may apply to a librarian at any stage
of his or her career.
This book contains advice and anecdotes
gathered from research and interviews with more than 70 information
professionals in a variety of library-related careers. The book is written
in a practical, easy-to-read style. The modular format allows a reader to
read any chapter on its own or to read the chapters in any order, choosing
which ones are most relevant at any point. The book covers eight broad
topics: career planning, job searching, gaining experience and education,
developing interpersonal skills and leadership skills, networking,
mentoring, and writing for publication. Lengthy lists of related readings,
as well as related web sites, are included to allow the reader to follow
up on any topic.
See the book website for
contents, excerpts, and more information.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
Titles below are listed
alphabetically by author. Book descriptions are often taken from
Amazon.com. This list does not include all of the books (about more
specific topics) listed on LIScareer's subject pages.
FEATURED TITLES:
Dority, G. Kim. Rethinking Information Work: A Career Guide for
Librarians and Other Information Professionals. Libraries
Unlimited, 2006. ISBN 159158180X
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now from Amazon.com
Book Description
Today, information work offers you an unprecedented number of career
options. Whether you are a student, taking your first steps in
librarianship, a mid-careerist planning your next best professional move,
or a seasoned information professional looking for new directions and
growth; this practical guide can help you sort through the options.
Leading you through a process of planning the information career of your
choice, it shows you how to determine what type of work would be most
fulfilling to you, explores what types of work are available to those with
an LIS-based skill set, and helps you create an action plan for
accomplishing your career goals and reaching your full professional
potential.
Kane, Laura Townsend. Straight from the Stacks: A First-Hand
Guide to Careers in Library and Information Science. ALA
Editions, 2003. ISBN 0838908659
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Publisher's Description:
For library students, paraprofessionals, and
librarians who are wondering if they have their ladder against the right
wall, Straight from the Stacks fills the need for an up-to-date
resource that uncovers the amazing and varied jobs available in the
library field. Encompassing both traditional and nontraditional career
paths in libraries, this comprehensive and engaging guide makes it easy
to get a grip on these and other information science career path
questions and see the possibilities!
Covering a wide range of Library Information Science professions,
Straight from the Stacks offers insiders' perspectives along with
plenty of reassurance that career opportunities do exist. Organized by
type of institution including public, school, academic, nontraditional,
medical/law, and library administration, this useful overview covers the
many areas of librarianship and typical jobs in each environment and
provides practical answers to the common questions:
- Should I move ahead for that MLIS?
- Where can I go with this advanced degree in library science?
- What else is out there?
- Am I on the right career path?
- What experience and training do I need?
First-hand accounts from real-life librarians in a variety of
information science disciplines make this career guide come alive, and
fifteen sample job descriptions for different niches of information
services offer a reality check for those committed to understanding an
ever-changing array of possibilities. Tracing career paths, everyday
duties, and qualities for succeeding, these spotlights provide perspective
from the trenches. From bioinformatics librarian to consumer health
librarian to principal and information broker, anyone entering the
profession can find an inspirational mentor as well as hard-hitting
career-building information.
Table of Contents:
-
Acknowledgements
-
Introduction
-
Chapter 1: Public
Librarianship
Spotlights: Head of Reference;
Head of Circulation/Assistant Director; Library Services Supervisor;
Consumer Health Librarian; Government Documents Librarian
-
Chapter 2: School Media
Librarianship/ Children's Services & Young Adult Librarianship
Spotlights: Library Media
Specialist; Head Media & A/V Specialist; Children's Librarian;
Reference/ Young Adult Services
-
Chapter 3: Academic
Librarianship
Spotlights: Head of Reference
Services; Director of Cataloging; Head, Serials Department and
Coordinator of Acquisitions Services; Department of Preservation and
Collection Maintenance; Library Systems Administrator; Associate
University Librarian for Collection Development and Management
-
Chapter 4: Non-Traditional
Librarianship: Corporate and Freelance
Spotlights: Principal &
Information Broker; Organizational Development Consultant Specializing
in Libraries; U.S. Catalog Librarian; Director, Business Research
Center, Knowledge Management Manager; Principal & Information Architect;
Northeast Sales Coordinator
-
Chapter 5: Medical & Law
Librarianship
Spotlights: Coordinator,
Information Management Education; Bioinformatics Librarian; Associate
Director, Library Services; Veterinary Medical Librarian; Clinical
Librarian for Pediatrics; Assistant Librarian for Reference Services;
Information Resources Systems Coordinator
-
Chapter 6: Library
Directorship
Spotlights: Public Library
Director; University Library Director; Law Library Director and
Professor of Law; Director of Libraries, University Library
Nesbeitt,
Sarah L. and Rachel Singer Gordon. The Information
Professional's Guide to Career Development Online. Medford, NJ:
Information Today,
Inc., 2002. ISBN 1573871249
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now from Amazon.com
Publisher's Description:
“A thorough why-to and how-to book,
showing librarians how to use the Web for professional training,
networking, job hunting, and becoming known in the library community.
Highly recommended!” —Marylaine Block, ExLibris
This is the first book designed to meet
the needs of Internet-connected librarians interested in using online
tools to advance their careers. Authors Nesbeitt and Gordon provide
practical advice on topics ranging from current awareness services and
personal Web pages to distance education, electronic resumes, and online
job searches. Up-and-coming librarians will learn how to use the
Internet to research education opportunities, and experienced
information professionals will learn ways to network through online
conferences and discussion lists. Supported by the Career Development
Online Web Page, featuring updated links to important reader resources.
Table of
Contents:
- Chapter
One: Getting Connected
- Chapter
Two: Networking Online
- Chapter
Three: Current Awareness
- Chapter
Four: Professional Associations
- Chapter
Five: Learning About and Participating in Conferences
- Chapter
Six: Your Online Presence
- Chapter
Seven: Professional Literature: Reading and Contributing Online
- Chapter
Eight: Making Education Decisions
- Chapter
Nine: Distance Education
- Chapter
Ten: Show Me the Money! Scholarships, Grants, and Awards
- Chapter
Eleven: Your Electronic Resume
- Chapter
Twelve: Library Job Hunting Online
- Chapter
Thirteen: Researching Employment Situations
- Conclusion:
Putting It All Together
- Appendix
A: Professional Organizations With an Online Presence
- Appendix
B: English-Language Library-Related Publishing Outlets With an
Online Presence
Newlen, Robert. Resume Writing And Interviewing Techniques That Work!: A
How-to-do-it Manual for Librarians.
Neal-Schuman, 2006.
ISBN 1555705383
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Book Description
Starting a career as a librarian, moving, or looking for a new job?
Robert Newlen offers this brand new, comprehensive resource as a guide
to get you through every step of landing the ideal library job. Detailed
guidance for authoring attention-grabbing cover letters, the most
important part of any application package, will help you capture that
administrator’s attention and get your resume and application read. This
practical and effective guide covers:
• Mapping out a strategy for navigating the interview process by
researching organizations
• Rehearsing
• Dressing for success
• Developing questions to ask interviewers
• Etiquette
• Speaking about yourself
• Following up and more
Tucker, Cory and Reeta Sinha. New Librarian, New
Job: Practical Advice for Managing the Transition. Scarecrow Press,
2007. ISBN 0810858517.
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now from Amazon.com
Book Description:
This guide for new librarians offers practical,
positive advice for entering the profession and starting off on the
right foot, with a focus on academic libraries. The book is divided
into four parts, beginning with the basics of applying for a job,
creating resumes, and interviewing. Part 2 provides an overview of
academic library departments' functions and the corresponding skills.
Part 3 deals with professional development, taking into account
promotion and tenure, service to the profession, and scholarship and
discussing mentoring opportunities. Part 4 is probably the most
down-to-earth section, talking about time management, library
politics, and technology. The tone is upbeat, which should appeal to
new librarians. Perhaps a bit more mention of negative situations and
possible ageism (against youth) might be useful, but the overall
approach is helpful. Lesley Farmer
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
EDITOR'S NOTE:
Titles below are listed
alphabetically by author. Book descriptions are often taken from
Amazon.com. This list does not include all of the books (about more
specific topics) listed on LIScareer's subject pages.
MORE CAREER BOOKS:
Bridges, Karl. Expectations of Librarians in the 21st Century.
Greenwood Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0313322945
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now from Amazon.com
Book Description:
This collection of 50
essays elucidates the many facets of modern librarianship and what is
expected of today's librarians.
Carvell, Lin. Career Opportunities in Library and Information Science.
Checkmark Books, 2005. ISBN 081605245X
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now from Amazon.com
Book Description:
The traditional concept of
a library is currently being redefined from a place to access collections
of books and manuscripts to one which houses the most advanced media,
including CD-ROMs, virtual libraries, and remote access to a wide range of
resources. Most people are unaware that nowadays an incredibly broad range
of activities takes place behind the average library doors, including
exhibitions of valuable prints, readings by authors, conferences of
scholars, and collaborative brainstorming on information technologies and
how best to exploit them for the benefit of the library community. Career
Opportunities in Library and Information Science explores this
ever-changing profession, providing clear, accessible information about
careers in library and information science. This book provides
comprehensive descriptions of more than 70 different jobs typically held
by librarians, exploring the information and resources readers would need
to pursue them. Entries are divided into seven areas that represent the
types of jobs in which librarians can expect to work, including academic,
corporate/association, library education, public, K-12, special, and
state/federal. Also offered are extensive appendixes of university
programs with accredited library and information science degree programs,
associations, and bibliographies of books and periodicals.
Eberts, Marjorie and Margaret Gisler.
Careers for
Bookworms & Other Literary Types. McGraw-Hill/Contemporary Books; 3rd
edition, 2002. ISBN 0071390316
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now from Amazon.com
Book Description:
This volume is part of a
series which shows people of varying personalities how to turn a hobby or
interest into a career. Exploring careers for bookworms, the manual helps
readers decide whether they have the abilities needed in the field, and
presents first-hand accounts and resource lists.
Fourie, Denise K. and David R. Dowell.
Libraries in the Information Age: An Introduction and Career
Exploration. Libraries Unlimited, 2002. ISBN 1563086344
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now from Amazon.com
Review from Library Journal:
Intended for those entering a library/media technician
course of study or for those pursuing a graduate library/information
degree, this textbook is designed as a follow-up to, if not replacement
for, Barbara Chernik's Introduction to Library Services (Libraries
Unlimited, 1992), which was itself an expansion of her 1982 Introduction
to Library Services for Library Technicians. Ten chapters, which each
include listings of web sites, notes, resources, and study questions, are
followed by four appendixes and two indexes. In trying to present a broad
overview of the roles libraries play in this information age, Fourie
(reference librarian, Cuesta Coll., San Luis Obispo, CA) and Dowell
(director of learning resources, Cuesta Coll.) fail to discuss adequately
librarianship as a career, including why one would choose it, or
librarianship as a profession, why it exists at all. There is no one
thread or focal point in the text on which a student might exclaim, "Aha!
That's what a library is about!"-let alone consider working there as a
career option. Rarely are the attitudes and attributes that prospective
students need to have in looking at librarianship as a career given, and,
except for Chapter 7: Reference Service, rarer still are specific skills
for successful library work listed. That such an introduction and career
exploration is needed is obvious; that this work is not the answer is
obvious as well. -- B. Susan Brown, Pamunkey Regional Lib., Hanover, VA
(Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.)
Langley, Anne; Edward Gray; K.T.L. Vaughan. The Role of the
Academic Librarian. Oxford: Chandos Publishing, 2003. ISBN
1843340577
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Book Description
Summary
This book covers the practical side of
being an academic librarian – a role that has undergone a large degree of
change in recent years. It outlines and describes the skills necessary to
succeed in these large, and often complex, organizations.
The book includes tools and techniques for
an academic librarian for managing time, meetings, projects, publishing
and research, communications (paper and electronic), the basics of
supervision, and how to work in a large organization. The impact of the
growth of electronic formats on the role of the academic librarian are
discussed in detail.
Key Features
* Explains how, in practical terms, to stay organised, communicate
successfully, network and navigate through an often politicized
environment
* Applies business practices to the field of librarianship
* Shows how to use organizational behavior techniques to manage yourself
and your work
* Provides a plan for moving up through the organization
Readership
The book is aimed at all librarians and informational professionals; it
will be of interest to practicing and new librarians. Graduate students in
library science and administrators in academic libraries will also find it
of interest.
McCook, Kathleen De La Pena, Margaret
Myers, Blythe Camenson. Opportunities in Library & Information
Science Careers. McGraw-Hill, 2001. ISBN 0658016415
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now from Amazon.com
Publisher's Description:
Opportunities In Library and
Information Science Careers offers job seekers essential information
about a variety of careers within the field of information science and
includes training and education requirements, salary statistics, and
professional and Internet resources.
Pantry, Sheila and Peter Griffiths.
Your Essential Guide to Career Success. Facet Publishing,
2004. ISBN 1856044912
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now from Amazon.com
Book Description:
How ambitious are you? Do you have a career
plan? Are your skills up to date? Where do you want to be in three, five
or ten years' time? Offering useful advice for any information
professional eager to prosper in the library and information environment
of the 21st century, it offers guidance on managing every stage of your
career, whether you are a new entrant to the profession wishing to know
how to get a foot on the ladder, an information professional in mid-career
wishing to progress, or a candidate for a more senior position needing a
view of the current state of the profession. Since publication of the
first edition there have been a number of changes in employment law, and
in the range of skills - online, linguistic, negotiating and consultancy,
for example - required for an information professional to be able to
deliver the information services of the future. Making full use of case
studies, summaries, further readings and referrals to websites and other
sources of practical help, this guide offers advice on: challenges and
changes in employment for LIS professionals; acquiring new types of
skills; your master career plan; starting your career in information work;
applying for a job; your successful interview; going for promotion and
looking sidewards.
Pantry, Sheila and Peter Griffiths. Your
Successful Lis Career : Planning Your Career, Cvs, Interviews and
Self-Promotion
(Successful Lis Professional Series).
Library Association Publications Ltd, 1999. ISBN 1856043290
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Table of Contents:
-
1. Scene setting: the challenges of today's
employment market
-
2. Your master career plan or, Do you have to kiss a
lot of frogs to find a prince or princess?
-
3. Starting your career
-
4.
Applying for a job
-
5. Your successful interview
-
6. Next steps in your
career (includes moving to other jobs, etc)
-
7. Looking sideways ... and
back (includes temp work, losing a job, etc)
-
8. Other considerations in
career planning (includes returning after a break, goals, etc)
-
Appendix
1. Typical questions on an application form
-
Appendix 2. A possible CV
for a library or information professional
-
Appendix 3. Further reading
-
Appendix 4. Other organizations cited
Raddin, Rosemary.
Your Career, Your Life: Career Management for the Information
Professional. Ashgate Publishing, 2004. ISBN 0754636348
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Roberto, Katia and Jessamyn West, eds.
Revolting Librarians Redux: Radical Librarians Speak Out. McFarland
& Company, 2003. ISBN 0786416084
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Book Description
"Revolting librarians
aren’t defined by what they are, they are defined by what they do. In
fact, it’s not even what they do, but how they do it"—Katia Roberto
and Jessamyn West, in the Preface.
This compilation of witty, insightful,
and readable writings on the various aspects of alternative
librarianship edited by two outspoken library professionals is a
sequel to Revolting Librarians, which was published in 1972.
The contributors, including Alison Bechdel, Sanford Berman, and
Utne Reader librarian Chris Dodge, cover topics that range from
library education and librarianship as a profession to the more
political and spiritual aspects of librarianship. The contributions
include critiques of library and information science programs,
firsthand accounts of work experiences, and original fiction, poetry
and art. Ten of the original librarians who wrote essays for
Revolting Librarians back in 1972 reflect upon what they wrote
thirty years ago and the turns that their lives and careers have taken
since.
Sellen,
Betty-Carol. What Else You Can Do With a Library
Degree : Career Options for the 90s and Beyond. Neal-Schuman,
1997. ISBN 1555702643
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now from Amazon.com
Publisher's Description:
The work that librarians do can be applied to a wide variety of
interesting and lucrative working 90's version of Sellen's classic
presents over 50 success stories with a broad range of library
backgrounds. These librarians have moved from traditional career paths
to fulfilling jobs in non-library settings. Authors include
entrepreneurs who have founded thriving companies, information brokers,
corporate information professionals, booksellers, storytellers, Internet
trainers and consultants, and more. Whether you are considering a career
change or are simply intrigued, here is valuable and inspiring
first-hand information that will help you succeed.
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