Info Career Trends

May 1, 2008 - vol. 9, no. 3 - ISSN 1532-0839

This issue focuses on a topic near and dear to many librarians’ hearts: Finding the money to do what we need to do. Rather than the usual focus on funding our libraries, though, here find advice and tips on funding your personal professional priorities, from securing individual grants, to finding scholarship opportunities for conferences and other continuing education, to the advantages of post-graduate residencies and assistantships. One theme runs through these articles: The money is out there, and it’s up to you to find and take advantage of it. As always, being proactive in finding ways to develop yourself professionally helps you move forward in your career and grow as a library professional.

Check out the awards, grants, fellowships, and scholarships sections of Beyond the Job for more specific opportunities.

On the forums
While you’re waiting for that funding to attend in-person events to come through, build your network and knowledge by participating in the LISjobs.com online community. Current hot topics on the online forums include:

• Thank you letters
• Will you consider a person who was rejected for another position?
• Out-of-state interviews
• Academic to public library stigma?

Come join the community and voice your thoughts on these and other job-hunting and career-related topics. I’m also seeking volunteer moderators for a couple of forums:

* Money! (for LIS education)
* LIS Schools

If interested, email rachel@lisjobs.com with the topic you’re interested in and why you’d make a good moderator. Hint: the best way to qualify? Become active on the boards! Moderators are responsible for helping keep discussion in their forum going, on track, and professional.

In the newsletter
If moderating isn’t up your alley, how about contributing in other ways, by sharing your experiences and insights in an upcoming issue of Info Career Trends. Contributors are currently needed for the following thematic issues:

September 2008: Nontraditional Career Paths
What else can you do with a library degree, library experience, skills as an information professional? The facile answer: anything you darn well please. Submit your more thoughtful answers, stories, and advice for the September 2008 issue, which focuses on alternative career paths for librarians and info pros.

November 2008: Finding Professional Success
Share strategies for becoming a successful information professional, from the first job hunt through an entire library career. What’s worked for you may help others find similar success in their own careers.

Email a brief query outlining what issue you would like to write for, your proposed topic, and your qualifications to editor@lisjobs.com. Please do not email finished articles; query first. See the online guidelines for more information.

For review

I’m also seeking reviewers for the following titles:

1) Changing the Way We Work, by Michelle Boule
2) Fundamentals of Technical Services Management, by Sheila S. Intner with Peggy Johnson
3) Managing Library Employees: A How-To-Do-It Manual, by Mary J. Stanley
4) Leadership: The Challenge for the Information Profession, by Sue Roberts and Jennifer Rowley

Interested? Email editor@lisjobs.com with the title you’d like and why you’d be a good person to review it.

On the site
Stay tuned for an upcoming redesign, which will provide better organization, visual interest, and new content to LISjobs.com. Speaking of money, sponsorship opportunities are available — so if your organization would like to receive tremendous exposure by being associated with the largest library job and career-related site around, just let me know! Ad space is also available in the email version of the newsletter; email editor@lisjobs.com for details.
A little light reading
My new book, What’s the Alternative? Career Options for Librarians and Info Pros debuted at the Computers in Libraries conference last month. Be one of the first to check it out as you contemplate options for your own career path.

- Rachel
editor@lisjobs.com

Tags: awards, cfp, community, fellowships, forums, funding, grants, money, scholarships

by The Library Career People

Read recent posts on their Career Q&A blog:

• Moving from the public schools to a children’s position in a public library
• Moving back into the workforce after an absence (illness, stay-at-home parenting)

Email your library career-related questions to librarycareerpeople@lisjobs.com, or comment over on the blog. You could see your question answered in an upcoming installment!
About the Authors
Tiffany Allen is currently serving as the Assistant Personnel Librarian at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to her work in academic librarianship, Tiffany worked in a variety of libraries, including a small non-profit library and a large corporate research library.

Susanne Markgren is the Systems/Electronic Resources Librarian at Purchase College, SUNY. Her career experience encompasses a variety of positions in different types of libraries, including public, special, and academic.

Tags: public, re-entering, school, stay-at-home parenting, susanne markgren, switching, tiffany allen

by Kim Dority

Rethinking Information Careers covers career alternatives and strategies for information professionals. Find ideas for your own career path and learn to think more broadly about what information work entails. Recent columns address:

• Information Strategist: New LIS Role?
• The Most Important LIS Skill

About the Author
Founder and president of G. K. Dority & Associates, Inc., Kim Dority is an information specialist with expertise in information strategy, information process design, research, writing, editing, and publishing. Kim has worked with all types of organizations to design, build, and execute effective information strategies. Her work has encompassed the entire spectrum of information strategy, solutions, and implementation for both nonprofit and for-profit organizations.

Tags: information strategist, kim dority, resiliency, rethinking information careers

by Stephanie Gerding

There are many grants available to individuals in the library field. Depending the type of funding you are seeking, some are not even very competitive. If you are seeking financing for research projects, fellowships, or degrees, you will frequently be up against a lot of applicants; however, if you want funding for conferences, workshops, or other continuing education opportunities, you are in luck. Library staff can find many of these types of grants and awards, and fewer people tend to pursue these possibilities. These types of applications are also relatively straightforward, although some may be time-consuming and require follow-up reports.

When completing grant proposals or award applications, follow the guidelines explicitly and answer all the questions. If there is a legitimate reason why you can’t respond to a specific question or request for information, acknowledge the request and explain why you didn’t respond. Make it easy for the grant reviewer to find the information requested by following the same format and headings as the application, and make your proposal easy to read. Avoid jargon and spell out any abbreviations or acronyms; do not presume that all readers share your knowledge of library related terminology. Unless you know that your peers will be reviewing the proposal, write for the educated layperson.

There are two major types of grant funding available, government and private. I’ll describe and give links to online resources for both of these categories.

Government grant resources
Government funders can be federal agencies or departments, state agencies, or local governmental bodies such as counties, cities, towns, or villages.

Federal agencies
Grants.gov is the single access point for more than 1,000 government grant programs from all federal agencies, with approximately $400 billion awarded each year. Grants.gov is searchable by keyword, category, or agency, and you can limit your search to include only grants for which individuals are eligible. An advanced search option allows combinations of these fields as well as limitations by date, eligibility, and status of grant opportunity. Subscribe to email alerts by funding opportunity number, category, agency, and other advanced criteria to receive customized grant opportunities to your email account as they become available. Key government sites you should check regularly for library grants are the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, the U.S. Department of Education, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and your state library agency. (Grants to individuals are only a small portion of those available.)

State libraries and state agencies
State libraries are the official agencies charged with statewide library development and the administration of federal funds authorized by the Library Services and Technology Act. Find your state library at http://www.imls.gov/programs/libraries.shtm.) I once administered a statewide continuing education program for a state library which provided $1,000 awards to attend conferences out of state, and seriously could not give this money away. I got very few applicants, usually well under 10 a year, and funded almost everyone that applied. Many state libraries have similar funding available, which is an excellent opportunity to attend a national library conference such as PLA, ALA, or Internet Librarian.

Other state agencies that might provide grants include your State Humanities Council, your State Arts Council, and your State Department of Education. Your local city or town may have professional development opportunities as well.

Private grant resources
While government grant resources are driven primarily by legislation, private grant resources have their own funding interests and priorities. Examples of private funders are professional associations, foundations, corporations, social organizations, and clubs. The Grantsmanship Center maintains information about your state’s foundations, community foundations, corporate giving programs and the top 40 foundations that give in your state.

Professional associations
Professional associations are one of the best sources available to find funding for members, and librarians have many professional associations from which to choose. Grants, awards, and scholarships are available from the American Library Association (ALA), the Public Library Association (PLA), the Special Libraries Association (SLA), regional and state library associations, the American Association of Law Librarians (AALL), and more. Access the Awards & Scholarships tab on the ALA website to browse over 150 awards, scholarships, grants, and fellowships. Be aware that some of the awards require nomination by someone other than yourself, so you might want to make sure your coworkers and supervisor are aware of exceptional projects or other accomplishments.

Your regional association website (such as Mountain Plains, New England, Pacific Northwest, Southeastern, Guam, or Virgin Islands) will list scholarships and grants, mainly for professional development and attending their regional conference. ALA maintains a list of all the regional chapters with links to their websites:

Foundations
The best source for finding grants from foundations is through the Foundation Center. Foundation Center Cooperating Collections are free funding information centers that provide a core collection of materials published by the Foundation Center. These collections focus on private funding sources and are located in libraries or nonprofit information centers; find the Cooperating Collection nearest you by following your state’s link. Many Cooperating Collections contain the Foundation Directory Online or on CD-ROM in addition to numerous print directories. Using the online and CD-ROM directories allows you to search multiple fields simultaneously, and can save you time.

State libraries and college and university libraries generally provide additional funding directories and research tools. Don’t forget to look for a state specific or community-specific funding directory or database for your area. These local resources often contain opportunities that you will not find in the national directories. Community foundations will have many resources that will be useful to you in researching local grant opportunities.

Corporations
Corporations operating in your area may have community giving programs, or may offer other help in supporting your needs. Visit websites of local corporations for information about their priorities, grant guidelines, and deadlines.

Clubs and organizations
Research your local community directory and look at Michigan State University’s list of service clubs and civic organizations that provide funding for ideas. Your yellow pages, library friends group, and staff may also help identify local clubs and organizations that provide funding. For example, the Rotary Foundation has a $3,000 grant for individuals to travel internationally to provide volunteer service.

Online resources

Library Grants Blog
Pam MacKellar and Stephanie Gerding maintain the Library Grants Blog, a free website with regularly posted new grant opportunities for libraries and librarians.

Michigan State University Libraries’ Grants for Individuals
Compiled by staff at the Michigan State University Libraries, this useful list gives information on grants available to individuals covering a wide range of subject areas. Especially note the Library and Information Science category

American Library Association
Over 150 awards, scholarships, grants, and fellowships available to members.

Public Library Association
Currently offers seven service awards and three grant opportunities.

American Association of Law Librarians
Research grants, conference grants, scholarships, achievement and professional development awards are available. You have to poke around their website a bit, as some are listed under various headings. There are also grants offered from chapters and special interest groups, such as the Government Documents Special Interest Section Veronica Maclay Travel Grant.

International Opportunities and Funding Sources for Librarians
Maintained by the IRRT international exchanges committee, this site includes opportunities such as awards for lecturing or conducting research abroad, and librarian exchanges.

Medical Library Association
MLA offers a variety of scholarships and grants to assist qualified students in graduate library science programs and to enable practicing health sciences librarians to take advantage of opportunities for continuing professional development.

Special Libraries Association
SLA’s Scholarship and Grants program provides awards for graduate study leading to a Master’s Degree, graduate study leading to a Ph.D., and post-M.L.S. study, as well as grants for research projects for the advancement of library sciences, the support of programs developed by SLA Chapters, Divisions, or Committees, and the support of the Association’s expanding international agenda.

Foundation Grants to Individuals Online
An online subscription-based database with more than 6,000 grantmaker programs giving to individuals. Check your local library to see if they have a subscription. All Foundation Center libraries and Cooperating Collections (locations available in every state) provide free public access to the print version of Foundation Grants to Individuals, and some may have the online version as well.

Print resources

Gerding, Stephanie and MacKellar, Pamela. (2006) Grants for Libraries: A How-To-Do-It Manual and CD-ROM for Librarians. New York, Neal-Schuman. ISBN: 978-1-55570-535-0
This practical guide presents an easy-to-follow grant process cycle-planning for success; discovering and designing projects; organizing the team; researching and selecting the right funder; creating and submitting the proposal; securing funds and implementing the project; reviewing and continuing the process. The important and sometimes challenging components of grant applications are covered. Managing the project, building partnerships, conducting meetings, and following up on the application are covered in detail. A unique Grants for Libraries Toolkit includes full-size reproductions of the charts, worksheets, and checklists featured throughout the book. The CD-ROM reproduces the entire toolkit (in Word format for easy printing and customization), sample grant applications, and example grant proposals. Sixteen success stories share experience and advice from successful libraries and provide inspiration and models for projects and success stories. Experienced and novice librarians, students, administrators and anyone who seeks or uses grant funding will find invaluable and practical guidance.

Foundation Grants to Individuals, 16th Edition, July 2007. ISBN: 978-1-59542-137-8.
Includes over 6,600 entries with current information for individual grantseekers-Foundation Name, Address, Contact, Program Description, Grant Amount, Application Guidelines, and more. The directory includes corporate giving programs in additional to information on foundations that award funds for educational support, arts and cultural support, awards, international applications, research, and professional support.

Annual Register of Grant Support: A Directory of Funding Sources. 41st ed. Medford, NJ: Information Today, Inc., 2008. ISBN: 978-1-57387-292-8.
Lists more than 3,500 grant-giving organizations. Grant Support 2008 is organized by 11 major subject areas-with 61 specific subcategories-which allows for researching and uncovering a full range of available grant sources. It includes traditional corporate, private, and public funding programs, and also nontraditional grant sources such as educational associations and unions. Includes information on eligibility requirements and restrictions, application procedures and deadlines, grant size or range, contact information, and much more.

Good luck!
Best of luck in your grant writing endeavors! Just remember that grant writing is really about answering questions and building relationships. The research skills you have as a librarian will be of great help. Feel free to contact me at sgerding@mindspring.com.

—

Stephanie Gerding is a librarian, author, and library consultant. She presents workshops around the country on grants, training, and technology topics. Having done a variety of training during her library career for all types of libraries-school, public, academic, and special, Stephanie has presented at national conferences and conducted training across the United States, from Seattle to Florida, Maine to Hawaii, and many places in between. She has been on both sides of the grant process, having both written and reviewed grants. Stephanie’s first book, Grants for Libraries, was published by Neal-Schuman and received a starred review in Library Journal. Her second book, The Accidental Technology Trainer, was published by Information Today in Oct. 2007. Stephanie was the “Bringing in the Money” columnist for the Public Library Association’s Public Libraries magazine for the last two years. She co-authors the Library Grants Blog, which lists grant announcements for libraries in one easy-to-access location.

Formerly a trainer for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s U.S. Library Program, Stephanie worked with many public libraries, either traveling to their site or conducting week-long train-the-trainer programs in Seattle. She has also managed statewide library training programs at New Mexico and Arizona State Libraries. She managed a corporate library as a systems administrator; worked for SIRSI as a traveling trainer; and taught web-based distance education technology courses on information literacy and online learning for NorthCentral University. Stephanie has a Master of Science degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Tennessee.

Tags: awards, ce, conferences, funding, gerding, grants, workshops

by Robert P. Holley

Transitioning from writing grant proposals for your institution to writing grant proposals for yourself can be difficult, though the same general principles apply. I had an excellent record in writing proposals and winning grants as an administrator; my total was well over $1,000,000, with multiple successful proposals ranging from $200 to $300,000. Since I returned to full-time teaching in 2001, I’ve been moderately successful in getting three grants for my research — but the $14,000 total is much less than my institutional record, since the average amount for a grant to support individual, personal research is small. Researchers who are willing to put together and manage research teams can get larger amounts.

Funding sources
Federal and state agencies are much less likely to support grants for individual research projects than for institutional projects. They most often require that the grant proposal be submitted through a sponsoring nonprofit institution. The same is true for many foundations, even the smaller ones. Funding agencies also tend to focus on projects that support library service to users, such as digitization, scholarships for students, staff training, and programs for library users.

Finding support for personal research requires digging a bit deeper. My own experience has been in applying for research awards from private agencies and from foreign governments. The American Library Association and its divisions offer several such awards (though I didn’t get one that I applied for — the ACRL WESS Coutts Nijhoff International West European Specialist Study Grant — for a trip to Europe to study the use of Library of Congress Subject Headings in French-speaking libraries). I did, however, receive the 2003 LCATS Research Award, supported by the journal Library Collections, Acquisitions, and Technical Services, to study the out-of-print book market. A main reason for this award was to support research that would appear in the journal. My final two awards came from foreign governments that sponsor research awards for travel that leads to a publishable article. The first came from the Québec provincial government in 2001 and the second from the Canadian government in 2005. Both funded my research on the modification of American subject access tools in French and English in Canada. Other agencies, such as OCLC, offer similar annual research awards.

In addition to the standard sources for grant funding and the use of search engines like Google, I would suggest that those looking for grant funding monitor the discussion lists and publications in their field. While there may not be many opportunities, funding agencies normally give maximum publicity to encourage a large pool of submissions from which they can choose the best.

Find a passion for the funding agency’s objectives
I’ve taught courses and workshops on grant proposal writing for about twenty years and have distilled my advice into two key steps. The first is to show passion for the funding agency’s objectives. The grant is not about you! The funding agency doesn’t care about your need to publish for tenure or the poor level of research support at your institution. They are, however, interested in your passion for the objectives of their grant.

You should do your best to show how your objectives mesh with those of the agency. This principle was least important for the LCATS award, because what they wanted was a good proposal for an article, and I knew that I was asking them to fund the first serious research study in a new area. For the proposal to Québec, my past publications in subject access and fluency in French played a role. I believe, however, that the key point in my winning the grant was to show that Université Laval had taken a leadership role within the French-speaking community in translating LCSH into French, so the French-speaking countries of Europe came to Québec in search of this expertise. The resulting article therefore justifiably presented Québec in a very positive light as a leader in the field, and was also the first major English-language study of the subject.

For the Canadian federal grant, I relied even more on my long involvement with things Canadian. I could show that I wasn’t undertaking my research just because the money was available, but because I had a long history of interest in Canadian topics. My credentials included 25 years’ service on Canadian Studies committees at two universities, sponsoring multiple Canadian Film Festivals at Wayne State University, and attending several Canadian Studies activities in my region each year. The rules for the grant required the Canadian consul for my state to add a recommendation, so it helped enormously that we had worked together for almost a decade. While my research this time was in English, the fact that I was fluent in both official languages was also probably a factor because French was most likely the first language for some of the reviewers.

In summary, one of the keys to success is to focus on what you can do for the agency rather than what the agency can do for you.

A competent proposal establishes credibility for a successful project
A well-prepared, competent proposal is a strong indicator that you have the needed skills to implement this project that you have proposed with great passion. Especially if you are undertaking a research study, the inability to write a coherent grant proposal will cast doubts on your ability to reach your objectives. I’ve reviewed grant proposals for many different agencies, and have encountered muddled narratives, budgets that don’t make sense, information in the appendices that doesn’t connect with anything in the proposal, and ungrammatical English. Too often, the proposal writer assumes knowledge on the part of reviewers that they can’t be expected to have. Make sure that you have an outsider read your proposal to help identify such “holes” in your narrative. Write your proposal in clear, simple, and forceful English with a minimum of jargon and passive voice.

Another test is the ability to follow directions. Government agencies are very strict about submission rules; foundations may give more leeway. In both cases, the ability to follow rules helps show that you are a competent individual who has the ability to complete your project.

Conclusion
The good news is that grant proposals for personal research are normally short and don’t take the months of preparation that proposals for major institutional funding require. You may also not need to get permissions from your institution to submit the proposal and thus avoid all the internal paperwork that this step involves.

Finding the funding source is the most difficult step. Actively monitor announcements in your research area, and, the next time an opportunity presents itself, go for it. If you keep these two simple principles in mind, you should have a reasonable chance for success.

Resources

Michigan State University Grants and Related Resources
This site provides access to a great number of resources, arranged in 41 categories. A local public or academic library may provide a Web portal for grantsmanship that gives additional information about local or state opportunities in your area.

David G. Bauer. The How to Grants Manual: Successful Grantseeking Techniques for Obtaining Public and Private Grants. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, ; ISBN: 9780275997908
This book focuses on the basic philosophy of writing grant proposals and does not overwhelm the reader with technical details.

—

Bob Holley is professor, Library & Information Science Program, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, after having been an academic librarian for 20+ years. His current teaching and research interests include collection development, the out-of-print book market, popular culture, and intellectual freedom.

Tags: funding, grants, holley, proposal, research

by Ramirose Attebury

Obtaining an MLS degree can financially challenge even the thriftiest of students — and once the prize has been earned, finding immediate employment can sometimes prove even trickier. As recent graduates often learn, finding a job typically requires some level of experience, and gaining experience generally takes finding a job. The oft-repeated advice of volunteering at a library to gain experience is worthwhile, yet financial pressures and time constraints can limit the practicality of such a suggestion.

One solution is to enter a post-MLS paid training program. Designed primarily for individuals interested in academic librarianship, these types of programs can be found at nearly a dozen institutions across the United States. What separates them from regular employment is their focus on helping recent graduates gain job experience and additional academic training; applicants thus avoid competing with seasoned librarians for these positions. This article identifies some common features of these programs, highlights some unique differences, and offers advice for those interested in gaining admittance. I’ll focus particularly on the graduate assistantship program at Central Washington University (CWU), which I recently completed.

Fellowships and residencies
Recently, fellowship and residency programs have been advertised at the following institutions: the University of Delaware, Purdue University, the University of Iowa, the University of Minnesota, the University of Tennessee, North Carolina State University, the University of New Mexico, Northern Michigan University, and the National Library of Medicine. Of these nine programs, the first five are diversity residencies, designed to give library experience and training to members of historically underrepresented groups; the latter four are open to all recent MLS graduates. Nearly all of these programs offer salaries competitive to those of other entry-level positions, and they also typically provide travel and professional development funding.

These types of programs most often last for two years, or have an optional second year component. Program details and areas of concentration vary, but each offers valuable real-library experience and guidance under the eye of experienced professionals. Some of the programs emphasize certain areas of librarianship. For example, the fellowship at NCSU has a technology emphasis while the University of Minnesota offers five specialized tracks for participants. Many allow participants to spend time in a number of library departments. The Association of Research Libraries maintains a listing of these types of open positions, and interested parties should also keep an eye out for announcements on professional lists and job posting sites.

Graduate assistantships
The Graduate Assistantship program at Central Washington University takes a unique approach to post-MLS training in that participants receive much of their compensation in the form of free tuition for a second master’s degree, rather than an entry-level salary. (A similar program at Minnesota State University-Mankato has recently been advertised in American Libraries magazine.)

As a quick perusal of job postings at academic libraries indicates, subject master’s degrees are often a preferred, if not required, qualification. In a competitive job market, a second degree is an excellent way to make an application stand out, but paying for yet another degree after graduating from library school can prove daunting. Those candidates outstanding enough to land a job at an academic library without an additional graduate degree do have the possibility of taking classes part-time toward a second degree. If the new librarian’s institution lacks a graduate school or does not offer tuition benefits, however, he or she can spend considerable amounts of money and time to earn the second graduate degree.

Rather than working full-time in the library, CWU assistantship holders work twenty hours per week in assigned professional library activities, while the remainder of their time is spent on a degree program. Not only do participants in the program (which is open to new and seasoned librarians alike) benefit from free tuition for their subject master’s, but they also receive health insurance and a stipend of approximately $8,000-$9,000 per year. While the small stipend may not prevent participants from needing to take out additional student loans, the two-year program does ensure that participants earn their second degree relatively quickly.

The financial benefits of obtaining the second degree will become apparent to participants as they begin their job search. Upon graduating from library school in 2005, I landed one on-campus interview and no job offers during three months of applying for positions. Following the CWU assistantship program, I applied for a similar number of jobs over four months. My newfound experience and degree earned me thirteen in-person interviews and a total of six job offers. The second master’s degree and professional library experience gained during the program were invaluable in this second round of job hunting.

Finding a program
As with any type of employment or training, seeking a post-MLS assistantship, fellowship, or residency can be challenging. Those interested in obtaining these positions might want to keep the following in mind:

First, as in any type of job hunting, it is important to tailor applications to the position description. While all of these programs are available to recent graduates, most do require that applicants demonstrate that they possess certain library skills. The majority of these skills will have been acquired during library school, and applicants need to detail specific examples in their applications.

In addition, a willingness to be flexible about doing the type of work needed by the host institution can also prove valuable. When I received an offer of admission to the program at CWU, I was asked to spend twenty hours per week working in the government documents department. Although unsure that I wanted to make this area of librarianship my career, I accepted the offer. Not only did my decision allow me to work with some wonderful people, but it proved professionally valuable as well. By the third quarter of the school year, when two participants graduated early, I was in an excellent position to request that some of my hours be spent in archives/special collections and reference/instruction. I gained even more valuable experience for my resume, and just as importantly, I gained it economically and efficiently.

—

Ramirose Attebury is a reference and instruction librarian at the University of Idaho. She participated in the graduate library assistantship program at Central Washington University between 2005-2007.

Tags: assistantships, attebury, fellowships, residencies, training

by Erin Dorney

LIS students often watch student loans pile up as their MLS graduate programs drag on and their dream positions slowly become attainable. But, just because you’re not a “librarian” yet doesn’t mean you can’t get funding to attend conferences, workshops, and continuing education events. Library students can take advantage of many scholarships and volunteer opportunities, and are in the unique position of being able to justify their interests with: “I’m still learning and poor from all of my student loans.”

I am currently finishing my last semester of graduate school at Syracuse University, and have worked in a 20-hour/week paraprofessional position for almost two years. During the past two years, I have attended over ten professional development events (conferences, workshops, unconferences) — for which I have received funding from my place of employment, an academic library in Rochester, NY. Here, find some tips and information on how you can find funding for professional development events to complement your stellar grad school grades.

Networking & visibility
So, why seek out funding to attend these type of events? When you apply for your first professional position after library school, you’ll face a lot of competition. Any recent MLS graduate will confirm that anything you can possibly do to make yourself stand out from the crowd will be beneficial. Listing a few conferences, scholarships, or continuing education workshops on your resume is just the beginning. In addition to showing that you take an interest in steering your own career, the value of the connections you make at these events can bring your name to the top of the job candidate list.

Events at the national, state, and local level provide you with opportunities to interact with people on current and future search committees. Taking an interest and being honest (not necessarily talkative) about what you seek in this profession can make your name stand out from the pile of cover letters. Even if you’re not necessarily looking for a position in the state of a particular event, the library community is rather closely-knit. If you make a good impression on one person, contacts will quickly begin to develop. But how do you find the funding to attend all of these fun events?

It never hurts to ask
If you hold a library position while attending school, your employer may provide funding options. Most libraries see value in keeping their staff up to date on current trends and skills, and have a certain amount of money built into their budget for continuing education. (In many cases, this budget line cannot be spent on anything else, and may be lost if not spent by the end of the fiscal year.) Students in part-time employment situations are usually eligible for these opportunities as well — and it never hurts to ask!

Some employers will pay part or all of your costs (registration, travel, lodging, and food). Others may simply provide release time (in which you get paid for the regular number of hours you would have worked on the day you attend the event, due to the fact that you are working on your professional development). Keep in mind that you will probably be asked to justify your request. Many libraries will have a form for you to complete, on which you should always include information about what the event is (with links to additional information), how your library will benefit from sending you, how the event relates to your current position, and exactly what you are asking for. Also be sure to state if you are presenting a poster or paper or volunteering at the event. Employers are more apt to fund your remaining costs if you’ve already demonstrated your commitment and interest.

Student status rocks!
While library students sometimes like to complain about our endless papers and group projects, being a student actually works to our benefit in this instance. Many conferences and workshops offer discounted rates for those of us still in the learning stages. If these discounted student rates are not advertised up front, it’s a good idea to contact the organizers. If you explain your situation, they may be willing to offer you a special price, or at least point you in the direction of available scholarships or grants. Use your student status to explain why you would benefit from attending the event (i.e., “I am interested in learning how professional conferences are run”). Occasionally, if you volunteer to help out, they may waive your fee altogether! The power of networking truly comes into play here, and as your connections grow stronger, more opportunities will arise.

Tips

• Keep business cards with you at all times. Include the URLs for your online portfolio, professional blog, LinkedIn profile, and contact information. Don’t forget to hand them out! Employers are looking for graduates who take an interest in the profession and who can present what they have to offer in a clear, concise way. (If you don’t have a business card, create some for free at VistaPrint.com.)
• Sometimes students think that there is too much competition for a scholarship opportunity, so they don’t bother to apply. In fact, there is usually not very much competition, especially for local opportunities (sometimes scholarships are not even given out because no one applies!). Students should apply to anything they have an interest in, as the odds are in their favor.
• You never know who you could meet. A potential employer, a like-minded peer, or even other (literally) poor library students!

Erin Dorney is a soon-to-be-librarian (Syracuse University, May 2008 graduate) and staff member at the Rochester Institute of Technology Wallace Library. She blogs at Library Scenester.

Tags: ce, conferences, dorney, funding, loans, scholarships, students, volunteer, workshops

Tucker, Dennis C. & Shelley Elizabeth Mosley. Crash Course in Library Supervision: Meeting the Key Players. Libraries Unlimited. 2008. 139 p. ISBN 978-1-59158-564-0. $30.00.

Written for the new public library supervisor, manager, or director, this volume begins by guiding readers through the steps of making a positive first impression and becoming acquainted with library staff, the community, local government officials and media. A significant portion of the book focuses on personnel issues, providing information about personnel laws; hiring, training, evaluating, disciplining and firing staff; and basic management tips. Chapters on volunteers, Friends of the Library groups and library boards are especially useful, containing practical information that a supervisor can apply directly when working with these groups. Chapters on the importance of knowing the needs of library customers, being aware of key community members and their roles, and maintaining positive relationships with schools, places of worship, businesses, organizations, agencies, and other libraries are invaluable. A concluding chapter on managing change addresses the importance of long-range planning; readers might benefit by reading this chapter first. A glossary and list of links to state library websites round out this handy and readable primer for librarians new to supervision.

Pamela MacKellar is a library consultant, coauthor of Grants for Libraries: A How-To-Do-It Manual (Neal-Schuman, 2006), and author of The Accidental Librarian, to be published by Information Today, Inc. in 2008.

Tags: crash course, lu, mackellar, mosley, supervision, tucker

Budd, John M. Self-Examination: The Present and Future of Librarianship [Beta Phi Mu Monograph Series]. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2008. ISBN: 978-1-59158-591-6. 296 pages. $60.00.

John M. Budd answers some good librariana trivia questions in chapter one of his philosophical tome, Self-Examination: The Present and Future of Librarianship. For example, do you know what year Benjamin Franklin started the Library Company of Philadelphia? He answers this within a discussion of early efforts to make libraries accessible to the public. I found several interesting sound bites inside this book, like the expression “species of librarianship,” with Budd’s example being academic librarians. Budd also states, “Librarianship must be concerned with truth” and lastly he says, “All libraries serve some civic purpose (even corporate libraries).” There is so much material contained within these chapters, spot on and controversial, depending on your library-world view, that I would love to have the author engage those of us interested in continuing the discussion. After all, he states in his introduction that, “If as librarians, we are to be authentic individuals and professionals, we can only become so through dialogue.” Let the dialogue begin in today’s style - via a podcast!

Joyce Fedeczko has been the Information Resources Director on assignment with Library Associates Companies at BP in Naperville, IL for over five years. Her interests include library advocacy and service to library boards.

Tags: budd, fedeczko, lu, self-examination

March 3, 2008 - vol. 9, no. 2 - ISSN 1532-0839

You might note this newsletter is going out a couple of days late. We’re passing a horrendous stomach bug around over here, and I do hope it’s passed over your house! So, this month’s theme, “setting priorities,” struck a personal chord: given the choice between editing articles and soothing a sick kid, family has to win out.

But now, I’m making it my priority to tell you about some of the new goings-on at LISjobs.com and in the newsletter. First, the newsletter, in which this month’s contributors tackle multiple aspects of setting priorities — from choosing a work environment that best suits you, to balancing work and family, to juggling multiple jobs, tasks, and commitments. Find tips and tricks to help you create balance in your professional life, and think about ways to integrate their suggestions into your own mix of time management strategies.

So, what’s new on LISjobs.com?
I’m pleased to announce improvements to the combined library jobs database at LISjobs.com/Library Job Postings on the Internet.

For job seekers: You can now save searches as RSS feeds! Only interested in jobs in Illinois, reference positions, or those that mention Web 2.0? Do a search and click “Save this search as an RSS feed” to subscribe. Any new additions that match your search results will automatically show up in your aggregator.

For employers: The job submission form now includes a mini-editor, allowing you to create live links and to easily apply formatting to your ads. Make your listings stand out!

As always, the site remains free to both job seekers and employers.

Have you visited the LISjobs.com forums yet?
Get active on the forums during March, and win big! OK, “big” may be a relative term. But here’s the deal: Anyone who writes a post on the LISjobs.com online discussion forums during the month of March will be entered into a drawing to win, what else — books! Keep them, give them away, donate them to your library, or make book art out of them, but you could win:

1. A brand-new copy of FRBR: A guide for the perplexed, by Robert L. Maxwell.
2. Signed copies of ANY two books I ever wrote.
3. Three, count em, three paperback/ARC supernatural romances.
4. A whole darn box of random (yet recent) computer guides, for yourself or your library.

(Forum moderators are ineligible for this contest, sorry!) The four winners will be chosen in a random drawing from registered users who post on the LISjobs.com forums in March 2008.

Speaking of the forums…
I’ve added a new discussion board on alternative careers, in honor of my new book on the topic (out this April). Discuss nontraditional career paths and opportunities, and be sure to check out the new book: What’s the Alternative? Career Options for Librarians and Info Pros. If you’re interested in exploring nontraditional career paths, also don’t miss Kim Dority’s monthly “Rethinking Information Careers” column.

And, one alternative for you…
When choosing where to focus your professional attention, you have a number of options. Why not choose to make Info Career Trends one focus? I’m currently seeking writers for two upcoming issues:

September 2008: Nontraditional Career Paths
What else can you do with a library degree, library experience, skills as an information professional? The facile answer: anything you darn well please. Submit your more thoughtful answers, stories, and advice for the September 2008 issue, which focuses on alternative career paths for librarians and info pros.

November 2008: Finding Professional Success
Share strategies for becoming a successful information professional, from the first job hunt through an entire library career. What’s worked for you may help others find similar success in their own careers.

Please query Rachel, outlining the issue you’d like to write for, your topic, and why you’re a good person to write on your subject. Consult the contributor guidelines for more information.

- Rachel
editor@lisjobs.com

Tags: alternative careers, cfp, LISjobs.com, rss