May 04 2009
by Heidi Blackburn
My daytime alias is Reference and Instruction Librarian, but my real title is Master of Library Science. I am a newly minted MLS graduate (May 2008) and have worked full-time at Kansas State University at Salina for almost a year. As a type A personality, I had my midlife crisis early: the [...]
May 04 2009
by Penny Scott
When I began my current position at the University of San Francisco in 2003, I knew that five years down the road I would need to apply for a promotion. This involved showing my professional development and service by creating a promotion binder that traced my career development — and seemed a daunting [...]
May 04 2009
by Virginia L. Cairns
Navigating a career path is an inexact science. All of us face constraints as we seek to develop our professional skills, enhance our resumes, and climb the career ladder to positions of increasing responsibility. While I have been fortunate in the opportunities I’ve had over the course of my 20 year career in [...]
May 04 2009
by Jill McConnell
As a new mother in a new city, I was desperate to get back into the workforce. (Not only for the money, but for my peace of mind!) I applied and interviewed for nearly every library job I could find. The one I wanted the most was a full-time Head of Reference and [...]
May 04 2009
by Brenna Helmstutler (brenna@gsu.edu)
Librarians just starting out often think ahead to where they want to be in 3-5 years, whether this is self-imposed or part of a formal goal-setting process with a supervisor. This may involve setting a goal to advance to a mid-level management position or achieving a certain level of success without official [...]
May 04 2009
by Sara A. Miller
Libraries have always been one of my favorite places, and attending graduate school and earning my MLS was one of the greatest periods of my life. I found my first few years working in a public library fulfilling and interesting, but by the time I entered my fifth year of working a [...]
May 04 2009
by Veronica Arellano
Two years ago I began working at a large academic library. Like so many new library school graduates lucky enough to secure a full-time position, I was extremely excited. I was also all of the things that turn a new grad into a neurotic librarian mess: grateful that someone had hired me; nervous [...]
May 04 2009
Donovan, Georgie L. and Miguel A. Figueroa, eds. Staff development strategies that work! Stories and strategies from new librarians. Neal-Schuman. 2009. 320p. ISBN 9781555706449. $75.00.
The editors intend this volume to present “bold new directions” for staff development and provide inspiration for supervisors and administrators faced with cultivating future library leaders. The book employs a framework [...]
Nov 03 2008
by Cari Dubiel
There are two reasons librarians should keep active in the professional community: for the benefit of our own careers, and for the benefit of the library we work for. Sometimes staying active can feel like drudgery — something we have to do — but I’ve learned that professional development can be a lot [...]
Jun 30 2008
by Dan Cherubin
My career path often shocks other librarians: I started out many years ago as a music cataloger in a not-for-profit organization, and am now a Vice President in a financial institution that specializes in agriculture, where I oversee many global-based knowledge initiatives. I am often told that I must have been “really lucky” [...]