Like Danielle, I graduated from FIS less than
a year ago. I too found that involvement in professional associations in
general and SLA in particular proved to me a big help in both finding the
right job and preparing for it.
Getting involved with a professional association shows employers that one
is committed to personal professional development and continuous improvement.
Regularly attending association events allows one to maintain currency in
his or her profession. In my current job I am a solo librarian, and thus
I report to someone who does not have a library or information background.
I am therefore the only person who can determine what skills I will need
to acquire in order to do my job and it is up to me to acquire them myself.
Getting involved in SLA and other professional associations allows me to
keep current and determine what skills I will need to develop.
Involvement in a professional association also allows one to create a valuable
network of professional colleagues. The time that I had invested in meeting
other SLA members during my student years turned out to be very rewarding
when I was job hunting. I first heard about my current position's availability
through chapter members. When I was offered the position, I also had several
knowledgeable colleagues who I could turn to for their opinions on whether
or not the offer was a good one.
Now, as a solo librarian, I very much depend on my professional network.
As there is no one else within the company with an information background,
there is no one here with whom I can exchange knowledge or go to for assistance.
With a network of colleagues, there are always people I can turn to for
help, guidance or support.
My recommendation for current FIS students is to start as early as possible.
Starting your job search early is very important, but it is just as important
to begin preparing for your career afterwards by acquiring skills and building
a network. It takes time to accomplish these tasks but the rewards are worth
it.
Career Resources Guide
Are you interested in pursuing a career in special libraries, but haven't
figured out exactly what you want to do? Here are some resources to give
you some ideas and help you with your job searching. All three books are
available in the FIS Inforum:
Sellen, Betty-Carol, ed. What Else You Can Do With A Library Degree:
Career Options For the 90s and Beyond. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers,
1997. (Call no. 020.23 W555WA).
Sixty-two people with MLIS degrees (or equivalent) give personal accounts
about how they found careers outside of traditional library work. Careers
range from information brokers to private investigators. Each author talks
about the skills required in his or her job and how the degree helped them
obtain the job.
Special Libraries Association. Special Librarianship As A Career.
Washington, D.C.: Special Libraries Associations, 1995. (Call no. 023.20973
S741S).
A fairly brief book (just over 100 pages), this book contains a series of
articles of different topics related to special libraries including skill
requirements for different fields. Several SLA services and resources for
job searchers are listed as well.
Arnold, Barbara J. and Maureen Welch. The Job of Finding a Job:
An Employment Guide for Librarians and Information Specialists.
Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin, 1993. (Call no. 650.14 A752J).
Although this book is somewhat U.S. based, it does provide a general overview
of the process of finding a job. Many resources and places to look for jobs
are listed. This book is also brief - only 32 pages.
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