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The Library & Information Science Professional's Career Development Center |
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Why
a Residency or Fellowship Might be Right for You |
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In her October 2004 LIScareer article “Library Residency: A Stepping Stone,” Kate Flanagan provides three reasons why residency programs may be of interest and benefit to recent graduates of library/information science master’s programs. According to Flanagan, residencies afford new graduates many opportunities to advance professionally, provide the chance to explore different aspects of librarianship of which new graduates may not have experience or knowledge, and often allow for extensive professional development. While it is true that many residency programs offer a number of practical ways in which their recipients can grow professionally as librarians, there are as many intangible benefits as there are tangible ones. Opportunities to work with mentors and to establish a professional path early in one’s career may seem abstract because they are not always readily available in entry-level positions. For these reasons alone, a residency or fellowship program is a great advantage as the experience can open new doors for professional and personal growth. Residency programs and fellowships in colleges and universities often present opportunities that other settings may not yield. New job seekers who apply for positions based solely on their academic track in graduate school and who lack preprofessional experience may not be as marketable or as in-demand as their counterparts. Calls for academic librarians, especially special collections librarians and catalogers, may go unheeded because many recent grads do not possess the skills needed to succeed in those areas. And while the basic tenets of opportunity, mentorship, career development, and flexibility are true, it is even truer that a different (and, perhaps, more interesting) perspective on postgraduate professional programs is needed. So, instead of the four basic principles usually used to attract recent graduates to these positions, let us reflect on four more reasons why a residency or fellowship might be your best bet: personal growth, engagement in the profession, commitment to the profession, and a sense of accomplishment. Graduate School Blues Many of us know people who enter librarianship knowing exactly what they want to do. They choose a graduate school based on the diverse curriculum offered or the academic tracks available. Once in school, they seek internships or fieldwork opportunities in their area(s) of interest and begin preparing quite early on for the job search that will inevitably occur a few months before graduation. These people often go on to the jobs of their choice, carving out career paths as soon as they set foot in the door. These people should be applauded. They have focus, drive, and more than likely, the skills needed to succeed in the field. However, these people are not the majority. According to the 1989 Occupational Entry: Library and Information Science Students’ Attitudes, Demographics and Aspirations Survey, the majority of respondents decided to seek graduate degrees in library science after completing an undergraduate or graduate degree program and working in the library field (30.5%); after working in a nonlibrary field (30.2%); or after a period of joblessness, raising a family, or other, unidentified reason (17.0%) (Heim and Moen, 1989: 44). More recent data shows that the trends are changing. More and more students are entering library and information science graduate programs after having careers in other fields (Josey, 1998: 51). Sometimes the fields merge—teachers become school media specialists, lawyers become law librarians—but just as often, they do not. Career paths change for numerous reasons, many of which relate to difficulties obtaining professional positions in a given field. The National Association of Colleges and Employers’ 2006 Graduating Student and Alumni Survey, which included, of a 7000-plus sample, 12.6% master’s-level respondents, indicates that the primary obstacles encountered when job seeking are competition (31.9%), lack of work experience (22.8%), and indecisiveness regarding career path (15.2%). Couple these statistics with data from the same report showing that 16.1% of those surveyed “‘sort of drifted’ into their majors” (Koncz and Giordani, 2006: 18), and it is easy to see how only a small number of people go from Point A to Point B—from graduate studies to whiz-bang jobs—in their discipline. My Experience as a Resident Librarian When I started library school at the University of South Florida, I was certain that I was on the path towards becoming a curator of education in a museum, thanks to a Careers for Dummies book borrowed from a friend. Little did I know that nearly two years later, I would be graduating with a master of arts in library and information science and very little hope of using my chosen degree in a museum setting. Now it is easy to laugh at my naïveté and my apparent lack of knowledge from the outset about library science and what the field comprises. But my ignorance notwithstanding, there are lots of people who are just as naïve as I was then. And, with the ever-decreasing availability of entry-level positions in librarianship (Galvin, 1998: 209), it is a stark reality that many new LIS grads need help finding direction. Postgraduate residency and fellowship programs are a blessing for people like me. There I was, on the verge of getting a degree that I wanted to use but did not quite know how to use. My graduate career had been spent working the only library job I had ever had: as a graduate assistant in the library’s reference department. And while I liked the challenge of reference and the engagement it gave me with the university community, I never really felt that I had found my niche. Regardless, I began to apply for positions seeking reference-type skills since, in all honesty, I had few others. I had never even shelved books, unless you count taking one off the shelf and returning it immediately upon use! As graduation loomed ever closer and I sent more and more applications to those I hoped might be potential employers, relief came in the form of two meetings—the first with the library’s director and the second with both the director and the dean. After these meetings (which I later realized were interviews) and an application review by the dean and director, I was offered and appointed to the position of Dr. Henrietta M. Smith Resident at the University of South Florida Tampa Library. What Residents Think As many residents can attest, the first year in any program can be challenging, especially if, like me, you are the first person to hold the position. But every challenge leads to growth, each development to something newly learned, and every bit of knowledge to an eventual accomplishment. Accomplishments—whether seen or unseen—are derived from the actual and perceived experiences of those involved. In the 2001 publication Diversity in Libraries: Academic Residency Programs, both former and current residents outline their experiences, from good to bad to everything in between. By focusing on what many of the residents stated as their greatest achievements during their tenure as resident librarians, it is apparent that their perceived accomplishments are primarily focused internally. Working and recently “retired” residents reflected on the skills and interests they uncovered (Cichewicz, 2001: 43) as well as the confidence they attained (Daix and Epps, 2001: 139) while serving as residents. Others viewed their experiences as what one resident deemed “a window of opportunity” (Winters, 2001: 99). My experiences as a resident and resulting post-residency sentiments are not unlike those presented in Diversity in Libraries. And if you are wondering what my greatest accomplishment as the Dr. Henrietta M. Smith Resident was, it was realizing that I wanted to use my library degree to be a librarian. Conclusion The prospects a postgraduate residency or fellowship often provide—the four fundamentals of opportunity, mentorship, career development, and flexibility—are the foundations of personal growth, professional engagement, professional commitment, and feelings of accomplishment derived from the residency experience. Although some may view residencies and postgraduate fellowships as stepping stones, it may be more appropriate to think of them as building blocks. Library residents and fellows enter their positions with the same trepidation, curiosity, and excitement as their colleagues hired on a permanent basis. Residents and fellows, however, have a greater chance of getting more out of their first one or two years in an institution than their peers. If a resident enters a position with little to no experience, then he or she may be able to “learn by doing” though active engagement. If he or she needs help wading through the confusion of professional development—whether deciding which workshops and conferences to attend or in which journals to publish—he or she may have mentors to help guide the way. And if he or she is unsure about certain aspects of the profession, including which areas of librarianship and types of positions to pursue, he or she may work with different librarians within those settings to help gain focus on a viable career path. Individually, the principles behind most residency and fellowship programs are laudable; they give recent graduates the chance to develop their professional identities while learning about and becoming increasingly involved in the profession, whether through networking with more seasoned professionals or by contributing to the scholarly record. Taken as a whole, these principles signify the impact that these experiences can have on the personal and professional development of budding librarians. They expand the new professional’s perspective, present a variety of people, places, and things with which to interact, and break down many of the roadblocks that new librarians may encounter when entering the field. Residencies and fellowships also open the symbolic door to the profession. And, if an open door—or window—is presented, the possibilities of achievement are great. Finding Information on Specific Academic Library Residency and/or Fellowship Programs Use your favorite search engine to find information about academic library residency or fellowship programs. There are a number of websites featuring lists of programs; unfortunately, many of these sites have not been updated in a while. A fairly comprehensive listing of programs available in the United States is presented in Diversity in Libraries: Academic Residency Programs. Position announcements also can be found by searching job lists such as those provided by national library associations. Works Cited Cichewicz, E. Joy. “My Residency at the University of Michigan: Rewards.” Diversity in Libraries: Academic Residency Programs. Raquel V. Cogell and Cindy A. Gruwell, eds. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2001. Pp. 37- 44. Daix, Erin C., and Sharon K. Epps. “The University of Delaware Library Residency Program: Two Former Residents’ Perspectives.” Diversity in Libraries: Academic Residency Programs. Raquel V. Cogell and Cindy A. Gruwell, eds. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2001. Pp. 131- 141. Galvin, Thomas J. “Options, Choices and Consequences: Prognosis for the Future of Library and Information Science Education.” Library and Information Studies Education in the United Sates. Loriene Roy and Brooke E. Sheldon, eds. Washington: Mansell, 1998. Pp. 199- 211. Heim, Kathleen M., and William E. Moen. Occupational Entry: Library and Information Science Students’ Attitudes, Demographics and Aspirations Survey. Chicago: American Library Association Office for Library Personnel Resources, 1989. Josey, E.J. “Students of Library and Information Science.” Library and Information Studies Education in the United Sates. Loriene Roy and Brooke E. Sheldon, eds. Washington: Mansell, 1998. Pp. 49- 64. Koncz, Andrea, and Giordani, Pattie. “What Students Think: A Report on NACE’s 2006 Graduating Student and Alumni Survey.” NACE Journal. Summer 2006: 18-23. Winters, CM. “Keeping the Window Open.” Diversity in Libraries: Academic Residency Programs. Raquel V. Cogell and Cindy A. Gruwell, eds. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2001. Pp. 97- 101. Tomaro I. Taylor, M.A., C.A., is an Assistant University Librarian for Special Collections/Latin American & Caribbean Studies at the University of South Florida Tampa Library. She served as the library’s first Dr. Henrietta M. Smith Resident (2003- 2004) shortly after obtaining her master of arts degree from the USF School of Library and Information Science. Article published Dec 2006 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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Page last updated
11/28/2006
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