At “Under the Hood: Exploring Academic Library Resident Programs in Practice,” a September 28 panel at the third National Joint Conference of Librarians of Color in Albuquerque, New Mexico, three librarians of color talked about the benefits, challenges, and outcomes of their current and recent residencies. Moderated by Madison Sullivan, business research and instruction library … Continue reading The Reality of Residency Programs
The discussion—which focused on libraries as an essential component in creating, sustaining, and retaining a viable workforce—brought together leaders from all levels of government and community nonprofits. The program took place at Rakuten OverDrive headquarters in Cleveland and was cosponsored by Cleveland Public Library, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Ohio Library Council, and ALA. It is the … Continue reading How Libraries Bridge the Employment Gap
After Fargo and Burns endured the stress and competition of the LIS job market, they wanted to see if this experience was common, but found little research on job searches within LIS literature. Their project responds to a familiar question: Is librarianship dying? Blogs and think pieces suggest that one shouldn’t pursue library school, and … Continue reading Emotions in the LIS Job Search
“The skills for filling out a résumé and application become obsolete once someone gets a job,” said Levandowski, paraphrasing a quote she had read from Elisabeth Sanders-Park, author and president of WorkNet Solutions, a career consulting firm. “Helping a job seeker isn’t the end,” she said. “Workforce development can get people on a career path … Continue reading Careers over Jobs
In a matter of months, Ferguson took a series of free coding classes through the library. It opened up an array of career possibilities, and he was quickly hired as a front-end web developer with an advertising agency. “When I was working as a paralegal, I had reached the ceiling,” says Ferguson. “Whereas with web … Continue reading Get Cracking on Code
The one-hour session, titled “HR Confidential: Insider Tips from Library HR Directors,” was presented by Kathryn Kjaer of the University of California, Irvine, and Leo Agnew of the University of Iowa. The search The two HR directors began by explaining what search committees look for. For starters, speak to the job duties, especially the requirements … Continue reading So You’re Looking for a Job: Now What?
But don’t despair, said David Connolly, who compiles ALA’s JobLIST, a resource for career advice and job search information. The market is back to pre-2008, he said. “We may be treading water, but at least, it’s not getting worse.” In fact, according to Connolly, experienced librarians can anticipate a relatively strong job market because the … Continue reading Toughing It Out in a Tight Job Market
