Or because you like having a large chunk of time off in the summer. Or because you like books.
This this this omg THIS. I can't tell you how many apps I get from people who say "I love books, so I figure working in a library would give me time with books." As an academic librarian, I get no time for books on the job unless it is part of either a class I'm doing or a research project I'm overseeing. And I never get the summer off--even when I worked in public libraries, I was working all summer. Only very specific jobs let you have the summer off.
There's the stereotype of the librarian being alone in the nice quiet library doing their thing. This is not the reality for most libraries. [...] A lot of librarians are introverts. A lot of library jobs expect them not to be, these days.
*draws stars around this* In some libraries I've worked in, they expected cataloguers to outgoing, work at the reference desk, set up parties... People who went to library school expecting to work in tech services with cataloguing titles are suddenly thrust into the spotlight. I've seen people who were not hired because they weren't considered outgoing enough to be a cataloguer.
I spend a great deal of my time in front of people, talking to people, working with people. I'm actually not naturally extroverted, but after being on the ref desk a goodly number of years, I learned from my job how to be outgoing, ask people if they need help, constantly be on my feet answering questions. I go to meetings, I give presentations, I talk to classes, I talk to faculty, I talk to my student workers... Depending on the job, you are absolutely expected to be working constantly with people. When I'm in my office, I'm often fielding email questions, planning out a class session, answering the phone, directing traffic, etc. I'm probably more involved with people at a small university than I was at a huge university library.
Likewise, see how many of your projects you can build that turn into something tangible you can show people who might want to hire you. Basic web skills don't hurt. Being able to link to a portfolio of work doesn't hurt. Being able to talk knowledgeably about a particular interest, or point to relevant publications doesn't hurt.
YES!!!! So many times yes yes yes yes yes! Web skills, another language or two (especially if you're a cataloguer), a masters in another subject area if you're going into research university libraries, academic publishing experience, teaching experience, video editing and equipment experience, creative writing experience, legal studies experience... there are so many things beyond just Library School that can go into helping you land a good job.
A lot of libraries are looking for those cross-over skills so you can be grown into a particular need. You may be interviewing for one position, but because of your skills in another area, you might be hired in a different position. Any kind of skill that is "non-traditional" can become part of your library job. It makes you look good. And libraries are looking for people who can come in and teach these skills to other people--video editing, sms reference, chatting, graphic design, etc.
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Date: 2010-04-27 01:34 pm (UTC)Or because you like having a large chunk of time off in the summer. Or because you like books.
This this this omg THIS. I can't tell you how many apps I get from people who say "I love books, so I figure working in a library would give me time with books." As an academic librarian, I get no time for books on the job unless it is part of either a class I'm doing or a research project I'm overseeing. And I never get the summer off--even when I worked in public libraries, I was working all summer. Only very specific jobs let you have the summer off.
There's the stereotype of the librarian being alone in the nice quiet library doing their thing. This is not the reality for most libraries. [...] A lot of librarians are introverts. A lot of library jobs expect them not to be, these days.
*draws stars around this* In some libraries I've worked in, they expected cataloguers to outgoing, work at the reference desk, set up parties... People who went to library school expecting to work in tech services with cataloguing titles are suddenly thrust into the spotlight. I've seen people who were not hired because they weren't considered outgoing enough to be a cataloguer.
I spend a great deal of my time in front of people, talking to people, working with people. I'm actually not naturally extroverted, but after being on the ref desk a goodly number of years, I learned from my job how to be outgoing, ask people if they need help, constantly be on my feet answering questions. I go to meetings, I give presentations, I talk to classes, I talk to faculty, I talk to my student workers... Depending on the job, you are absolutely expected to be working constantly with people. When I'm in my office, I'm often fielding email questions, planning out a class session, answering the phone, directing traffic, etc. I'm probably more involved with people at a small university than I was at a huge university library.
Likewise, see how many of your projects you can build that turn into something tangible you can show people who might want to hire you. Basic web skills don't hurt. Being able to link to a portfolio of work doesn't hurt. Being able to talk knowledgeably about a particular interest, or point to relevant publications doesn't hurt.
YES!!!! So many times yes yes yes yes yes! Web skills, another language or two (especially if you're a cataloguer), a masters in another subject area if you're going into research university libraries, academic publishing experience, teaching experience, video editing and equipment experience, creative writing experience, legal studies experience... there are so many things beyond just Library School that can go into helping you land a good job.
A lot of libraries are looking for those cross-over skills so you can be grown into a particular need. You may be interviewing for one position, but because of your skills in another area, you might be hired in a different position. Any kind of skill that is "non-traditional" can become part of your library job. It makes you look good. And libraries are looking for people who can come in and teach these skills to other people--video editing, sms reference, chatting, graphic design, etc.
Awesome post. :)