Member Resources

Employment

Studies suggest the majority of jobs are found through personal connections or knowing the 'right' people; in other words “through networking”.   Networking is getting known and knowing others so you can be in the right place at the right time for that job.

The SLA and other professional associations are ideal networks to develop. We invite you to join the SLA (and the WCC listserv), attend a few meetings, talk to other members and, know your strengths so you can promote your value as a potential employee or co-worker.

Between meetings and networking revise your resume and checkout some of the following sources to see what positions are open.

Job ad sources

Western Canada

SLA WCC Discussion List
This is the main communication tool of the Western Canada Chapter for relevant news articles, Chapter event announcements, and for the weekly "Employment Dispatches". The focus is on special library positions (technician and professional) in Western Canada (BC, AB, MB, SK, YK, NT or NU). To join the list, see the Discussion List instructions. For more information about the Employment Dispatch, please see the bottom of this page.

The Partnership Job Board
The Provincial and Territorial Library
Associations of Canada provides The Partnership Job Board, a listing of positions available in the library and information sector in Canada. 

Foothills Library Association Jobs Page
This job web page is maintained by the Foothills Library Association of Calgary and lists positions in public, academic, and special settings across Western Canada. Postings are updated once per week on Mondays with new postings marked. Be sure to scroll down the screen to see additional "ad scan" postings which the Association has located.

Manitoba Library Association job listings
The MLA has a web page on its site for posting job notices. Job announcements are also usually included on the association's regular listserv. See the instructions for joining the listserv. This site also includes links to articles on resume tips and interview suggestions.

SlaisJobs (UBC School of Library, Archival, & Information Studies Jobs Listserv)
This list is open to all students and interested professionals. The listserv picks up many BC and Western Canadian positions, but also includes some American and overseas positions. Instructions for joining SlaisJobs.

Rest of Canada

This list is not exhaustive but several sites a job seeker might use.

Atlantic Provinces Library Association
This association site includes information about subscribing to the APLA bulletin and listserv. The listserv is free to join however, there is a fee to join the Association and receive the APLA bulletin.

Canadian Library Association Careers Page
The CLA site lists positions from all types of libraries from across Canada, and occasionally US positions.

Canadian Association of Law Libraries
The CALL listserv sometimes includes job announcements. To subscribe to the list, see the instructions.

Library Job Postings on the Internet
A list of association listservs and websites from across Canada that lists job ads.

<Ontario Library Association
The OLA has a Career Toolkit webpage with useful tips and information for managing your career.

Public Service Commission of Canada
The Public Service Commission is responsible for hiring all federal civil servants.

U of T Faculty of Information Studies job postings
This site includes jobs in Canada (particularly Ontario) and US jobs. Ads are posted in the order they arrive so check the site regularly and scan the new postings at the top of the list. The postings can be sorted by location (Greater Toronto, Rest of Canada, International) and by type (Full time, Part time, etc.).

University of Western Ontario jobs page
The library school at UWO has a page listing a number of positions, although it is usually less comprehensive than the FIS site.

Non-library-specific Job Web sites

If you are looking for something outside of a traditional library setting here are three commonly used job posting sites you can explore. Searching job web sites like Monster can takes a bit of skill because very few of the ads will ever use the word 'librarian'. In fact companies may not realize that a librarian has the skill set they are looking for.

Workopolis
Part of the Globe and Mail's empire, it claims to be Canada's biggest job site. You can search for jobs by keyword, and apply various limits such as job category, industry, and geographic location. There are job categories for 'library' and 'library and archives', but I would recommend sticking to keyword searches to pick up on those positions where the employer didn't think to check the 'library' box.  Try using the search string 'knowledge management' or 'information specialist' or 'librarian'.

On the Workopolis search page you can restrict the search to specific provinces and/or a city.  Furthermore you can save your search and have future jobs (that match your save search parameters) automatically emailed to you as 'Career Alert'.

Monster.ca
Monster is not as sophisticated as Workopolis, but allows similar functionality. In the search box try two different searches using 'librarian' in one search and 'information manager' or 'information specialist' or 'knowledge management' in the second search. Again these searches can be saved and future jobs emailed to you. Scroll to the bottom of the list and click the "OK" button to save your search.

Working.com
Formerly known as CareerClick, this site includes ads from the Southam/National Post chain, which includes the Vancouver Sun, Edmonton Journal, Calgary Herald, Star Phoenix and Leader-Post. You can search specific newspapers or nationally.

United States and International

There are countless websites and listservs announcing jobs in the United States and many more for positions abroad. Here are a few of the best known sites.

• The SLA maintains a searchable list of positions mostly located in the United States. If you are a member it is also possible to post your resume.
• The SLA Toronto Chapter Career Development section has a page entitled Links to Job Sites.
• The library school at the University of Illinois has a page of job related links.
• Listjobs.com is perhaps the most famous site for library jobs, mostly in the US but a few from elsewhere.
• IFLA has a jobs listserv for positions (mostly US). To subscribe, see the instructions (scroll down to LISJOBS).  If you do not want to subscribe you can simply view archived job postings.
• TFPL is the definitive site for cutting-edge information management jobs in the UK. Note the categories they use: Taxonomies, KM, RM, IM, etc.  [This site is best viewed with IE.]

Placement Firms

There are a number of 'headhunters' or placement firms which specialize in placing candidates in positions.

• Ken Haycock & Associates, Inc. - specializes in placement of middle and senior management positions.

Other Advice for Job Seekers

• The Canadian Library Association has Library Careers web page with links to resources about library careers, career development, foreign credentials, and so on.
• The Ontario Library Association has a Career Toolkit web page with useful tips and information for managing your career.
• The Toronto SLA chapter has a Career Development web page which includes a career reading list and information about alternate career choices and personal development.

Employment Dispatch

If you would like to post a position on the list serve or in the Employment Dispatch, please send the following information to the Employment Chair:

• Position title
• Organization/company
• Location
• A link to the job ad online (Please no attachments – they will NOT be forwarded to the listserv)

If you know of any other employment resources (job ad lists, career resources, etc.) that may be relevant to the SLA WCC membership, please contact the Employment Chair.

The Employment Chair for SLA WCC is responsible for:

• Posting job notices to the SLA WCC Discussion List
• Creating and updates the Employment web page information, and,
• Answering any employment questions you may have.

Last updated June 3, 2010 11:53