LIScareer.com -- The Librarian & Information Professional's Career Development Center

The Library & Information Science Professional's Career Development Center

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Career Planning

This topic includes why should one be a librarian; career options; a description of your position or type of job; alternative careers; switching careers; personal career goals & skills assessment; and more. Interested in writing an article on this topic? See the Article Submission Guidelines.

Advice | Websites | Print Resources

Advice

Aho, Melissa. "Career College Libraries: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly." (LIScareer, Nov 2006)
Arnold, Jennifer. "The Other Academic Library: Librarianship at the Community College." (LIScareer, May 2005)
Baggett, Kevin. "The Accidental Academic Health Sciences Librarian." (LIScareer, Feb 2008)
Bradley, Phil. "A Librarian's Career as an Internet Consultant, or How a Library Degree can Get You around the World." (Feb 2005)
"Branching Out." (Info Career Trends, Sept 2003)
Brookover, Sophie R. "Finding Your Niche as a Youth Services Librarian." (LIScareer, Sept 2004)
"Building Your Career." (Info Career Trends, May 2003)
Burchfield, Amy. "Experience the World as an FCIL Librarian." (LIScareer, June 2006)
Chamberlain, Clint. "Librarians on Center Stage: Being a Teaching Librarian." (LIScareer, Mar 2002)
"Changing Careers" (Info Career Trends, May 2001)
Craig, Bryan. "My Job as Research Librarian at Monticello." (LIScareer, Nov 2003)
Craig, Bryan. "Wanted: Chief Knowledge Officers." (LIScareer, Nov 2003)
DeZelar-Tiedman, Christine. "A Very Special Specialty: Cataloging for Special Collections and Archives." (LIScareer, Mar 2002)
Doyle, Beth. "Careers in Preservation Librarianship." (Feb 2005)
Eddington, Sam. "Out in the Country: Making Rural Librarianship Your First Career Step." (LIScareer, Apr 2008)
Emery, Jill. "So You Want a Career in LIS?" (LIScareer, Nov 2001)
Fawley, Nancy. "Taking Your MLIS Overseas." (LIScareer, Oct 2005)
Ferrer-Vinent, Ignacio J. "How I Got My Dream Library Job." (LIScareer, Apr 2006)
Flanagan, Kate. "Library Residency: A Stepping Stone." (Oct 2004)
Gore, Sally. "Designated for Assignment." (LIScareer, Feb 2006)
Harrington, Heather. "From Library School to Museum Library: Cataloging as an Unlikely Career." (LIScareer, Nov 2004)
Harvie, David I. "Libraries: Our Last Best Hope: Towards a Personal Philosophy of Librarianship." (LIScareer, July 2005)
Helmstutler, Brenna K. "Becoming a Subject-Specialist Librarian." (LIScareer, July 2004)
Ho, Dora. "An Advocate for Teens: the Young Adult Librarian." (LIScareer, Mar 2002)
Kane, Laura Townsend. "Medical Librarianship: A Niche for Every Interest." (LIScareer, Mar 2004)
Keller, Larry. "Not an Endangered Career: Looking It Up" (CNN.com, 2000)
Keogh, Kristina. "Solo Librarianship: Unique Challenges and Opportunities for New Librarians." (LIScareer, May 2006)
King, Douglas. "What’s So Special About Cataloging Special Materials?" (LIScareer, Oct 2005)
King, Sarah C. "Being a New Librarian in a New Library: What to Expect When You Take the Plunge." (Oct 2004)
Kugel, Karin. "Working for a Vendor: a Lesser-Known Way to Enter the Business." (LIScareer, Nov 2005)
Li, Judy. "Swinging between Academic and Public Librarianship." (LIScareer, Mar 2006)
Long, Dallas. "See the World - Be a Librarian!" (LIScareer, Jan 2005)
Longo, Brunella. "How a Librarian Can Live Nine Lives in a Knowledge-Based Economy" (Computers in Libraries, Nov/Dec 2001)
Massengale, Lisa. "Working in a Joint-Use Facility." (LIScareer, Mar 2005)
McGuire, Darwin. “Librarians in the Information Age: Alternative Uses of MLS Degrees.” (LIScareer, Dec 2003)
McNew, Christina Bennett. "Work Outside the Box." (LIScareer, Jan 2005)
Merritt, Tanzi. "Being a Reference Librarian in a Virtual Library." (LIScareer, Apr 2002)
Minkus, Kim. "Librarian or Fundraiser? How About Both!" (LIScareer, Aug 2003)
Murray, Richard A. "The Whimsy of Cataloging." (LIScareer, Feb 2002)
Muturi, Elisheba. "Networking Through Information Interviews : What Works." (LIScareer, Mar 2004)
Owen, Tim Buckley. "Leaving Information Management to the Professionals: Why You Can’t Start Too Early." (LIScareer, Apr 2005)
"Paths to Librarianship." (Info Career Trends, July 2003)
Powell, Jessie Bishop. "Contract Cataloging in the 21st Century." (LIScareer, Aug 2007)
"Rejuvenating Your Career." (Info Career Trends, May 2002)
Rink, Tom. "Librarians on the Cutting Edge of the Information Age: or, the Roundabout Story of the 'Gun-toting' Librarian." (Library Careers of Choice, 2004)
Schimming, Laura. "And Now for Something Completely Different: Moving From One Library to A Very Different One." (LIScareer, July 2004)
Smith, Felicia A. "Weary Helper: From Private Investigator to Librarian." (LIScareer, Feb 2006)
Spear, Martha. "Top Ten Reasons to Become a Librarian." (American Libraries, Oct 2002)
Taylor, Tomaro I. "Why a Residency or Fellowship Might be Right for You." (LIScareer, Dec 2006)
Vertone, Regina. "Which Side of the Pond Are You On? Focus and Variety in Librarianship." (LIScareer, June 2006)
"Specialization." (Info Career Trends, Nov 2002)
Zafran, Enid L. "'Do You Actually Read the Entire Book?': The Life of an Indexer." (LIScareer, Jan 2006)

Websites

Librarycareers.org (ALA)
Info*Nation (CLA)
Careers in the Information Profession (CILIP)
Library Science as a Career (Library HQ)
Become A Librarian! (Central Jersey Regional Library Cooperative)
ABC's of Library Careers (Oklahoma Library Association)
Make the Library Your Career (California State University)
Librarians' Career Manifesto (Catholic University of America)
Occupational Outlook Handbook: Librarians

Print Resources

Carvell, Lin. Career Opportunities in Library and Information Science. Checkmark Books, 2005
Dority, G. Kim. Rethinking Information Work: A Career Guide for Librarians and Other Information Professionals. Libraries Unlimited, 2006.
Eberts, Marjorie and Margaret Gisler. Careers for Bookworms & Other Literary Types. McGraw-Hill, 2002
Kane, Laura Townsend. Straight from the Stacks: A First-Hand Guide to Careers in Library and Information Science. ALA Editions, 2003
McCook, Kathleen De La Pena, Margaret Myers, Blythe Camenson. Opportunities in Library & Information Science Careers, McGraw-Hill, 2001
Pantry, Sheila and Peter Griffiths. Your Essential Guide to Career Success. Facet Publishing, 2004
Pantry, Sheila and Peter Griffiths. Your Successful LIS Career: Planning Your Career, CVs, Interviews and Self-Promotion. London: Library Association Publishing, 1999
Raddin, Rosemary. Your Career, Your Life: Career Management for the Information Professional. Ashgate Publishing, 2004
Rubin, Richard. Foundations of Library and Information Science. Neal-Schuman, 2000
Sellen, Betty-Carol. What Else You Can Do with A Library Degree: Career Options for the 90s and Beyond. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, 1997
Shontz, Priscilla K. Jump Start Your Career in Library and Information Science. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2002
Shontz, Priscilla K., ed. The Librarian’s Career Guidebook. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2004

Disclaimer: The ideas expressed in LIScareer articles are those of their respective authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the LIScareer editors.

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