Typically, library school takes about two years of time and effort as well as considerable expense. The purpose of a professional education and degree is to prepare you for practice -- for a career as an information professional. In school, success is focused on academic skills and performance. Are you a good student? Is your written work clear, correct, and incisive? Do you do well on examinations? Do you get good grades? The products are usually papers of some sort.
It's important to note that, although rare, you could be a good to excellent student and not be a successful professional. If you pay attention to the questions normally asked in position interviews, you will learn that the skills so important to academics may be less important in the work place. Here the emphasis is on what you can do and how you do it. Manner and style rank high. Employers value librarians who are cheerful, enthusiastic, flexible, outgoing, reliable and .... Be prepared to make the transition from student life to professional life. What you do and how you are evaluated will be different.
The more information agency work experience that you have had, the better that you will be. Employers or practicum supervisors can speak to job skills, attitudes, and performance.
Job seeking is covered elsewhere. Here the focus is on what you might do and what you should not do in your first professional position. Unless you have had considerable experience in another profession or as a para-professional in an information agency, you will find yourself in an entry level position. Normal expectations are that you would stay in this position for at least two years, perhaps longer, before you move on. When you do move, it should be to a position that is more challenging and more rewarding. If you leave a job or position unexpectedly or after a short period of time, it raises a variety of questions and may make future employment more difficult.
An entry level position is a curious situation. Since you are new to the library or information agency, your knowledge and understanding of how to do particular tasks may be minimal. On-the-job training should bring you up to speed fairly quickly. However, as a recent LIS graduate, employers assume that you do have a tool kit and can do certain tasks with minimal direction and supervision. This is especially true with information technology where the supervisor may assume that you have certain skills and familiarity because you are a recent graduate.
A key ingredient for success here is knowing when to ask for direction or guidance and when to move ahead on your own. Professionals tolerate some ambiguity. They do not need to have all the details spelled out. You will need to learn enough about the culture and the personalities of your new place to fine tune the question/direction asking.
It's always a challenge to begin anew. It's not just the position itself. Often, you find yourself in a new community where your knowledge is limited. Not only do you need to find yourself a place to live, but you must discover where the good schools are, where to shop, and all the rest. If you have a spouse or companion or children, they are also under some stress in a new environment. It's essential to have a firm grip on the personal aspects of your life before you consider the professional aspects. It's unlikely that your first professional position will be a success if things are gloomy at home.
While new colleagues at work are an important source of information about where to go and what to do, it is important to be moderate in demands. Even though others may do it, it is best not to complain about aspects of the community or the workplace that are different from what you are used to.
The better the community analysis done before you accepted the position [especially during your interview visit], the better your first professional experience will be. I hope that you accepted your first position based upon opportunities for professional growth rather than salary or location. In any profession, you will find those who seek only satisfying, pleasant, and financially rewarding work. For example, one of the negative stereotypes for school library media specialists is that they are primarily interested in short school hours and free summers. That's certainly not true of many school library media specialists.
Those with a career orientation want to do certain things that make a difference and have an impact on society. In addition, they want to progress toward a career goal such as director of a college library or being the school library media coordinator for a school district. For these professionals, positions are sought that provide opportunities to develop particular skill sets, network and make people connections, and provide opportunities for professional growth via on-the-job learning.
Librarians in an environment where research and publication are required for tenure and promotion [some ARL libraries] should have a research agenda. Librarians with a strong career orientation should have a career agenda built around what they have done and what they hope to do as well as how to secure opportunities to enrich their skills and knowledge through challenging experiences.
Often, your introduction to the new workplace will be somewhat casual and brief. Although it may be informal, do create a summary list for familiarization:
It's important to be yourself, but ....
In most information agencies, professional networking and development are expected. For the career-oriented professional, this is a crucial stage in gaining visibility and enhancing your reputation. Networking begins in the workplace where you will be assigned to or will volunteer for committees, task forces, and the like. Strike a balance, you are a newbie, between volunteering for everything and avoiding service. Be certain to deliver a quality product and avoid too much of "this is how we did it at the old place."
The second level of networking is participation in regional or state level associations. In particular, this is an essential opportunity to meet and partner with peer librarians who share your interests and responsibilities. It is easier and less expensive to participate at this level. While participation involves much more than accumulating resume lines, those lines can be helpful in annual evaluations, tenure decisions, and if/when you look for your next position.
The third level of networking is participation at the national level. This is more expensive unless your employer supports attending national meetings. The good news is that this is your best opportunity to become known as an up and coming professional. These contacts are often helpful in securing quality positions in the future.
Blogs or discussion lists are easy ways to begin networking. Begin with the New Librarian Discussion List. Take a look at the NexGen Librarian mailing list. There are a rich variety of blogs for various types of libraries and library functions.
Your first position is the beginning of your career. It is foundational and quite a learning experience. However, it is but the beginning. It typically lasts for two to three years and then.... You settle in and settle down and stay for thirty years. You move up to a position with more responsibility and more authority. You move on to another place and another position. You decide that librarianship is not right for you and you move on to something else.
Last major revision: April 2008.
