While it is a challenge to find the right initial position and a
struggle to settle into your new position and perhaps a new community
as well, most SIS graduates will move on to another position at some
time in the future. Just as researchers have a research agenda,
information professionals should have a career agenda. For
example, what sort of work would you like to be doing in five years or
fifteen? When your full-time employment is over, what would you like to
have accomplished? A good source for career information is LIScareer.com
which includes resources on a variety of essential topics
including career planning, networking, interpersonal skills, and
work/life balance.
There are situations where you may need to look for another position:
Anecdotal evidence suggests that the intellectual challenge and professional growth opportunities of many entry level positions are exhausted in two to three years. After that, challenges have largely been met and day-to-day work settles into a routine. Some graduates welcome that comfortable routine. Work life becomes reasonably interesting, but no longer challenging or threatening. Some settle in while others become bored and look for a change. Most employers are wary of those whose first position only lasts one year or so. Typically, two years is the minimum expectation for the initial position.
In many information agencies, the only or the most likely way to improve financial reward and gain status is to become a manager. You will need to consider if you wish to manage. Securing an administrative position for the rewards when you really don't want to manage and make difficult decisions is NOT a good idea. Even now, you should spend some time considering the match between what managers do in "lean years" and what you enjoy doing. Again, anecdotal evidence suggests that many librarians are not comfortable in management roles. If you do wish to become a manager, consider selecting an initial position with some management responsibility. One could even volunteer to serve in administrative or managerial roles. Technical service positions are often good stepping stones for a management career since these professionals typically manage paraprofessionals, clerks, and student assistants and also because the work lends itself to quantitative evaluation. Reference work, which is very popular, typically provides less opportunity to develop management skill/experience and there may be little opportunity to become unit head.
It is often useful to continue to scan the position announcements on the web and in the standard print sources so that you can see what skills and experiences are required and desired for positions that may interest you in the future. It is essential to determine the sort of skills and knowledge are needed for the positions that you wish to apply for. There is still time to improve your skill set as well as your visibility in the field [association activity].
After your two or three years of good experience, it is reasonable to apply for a new position that matches your career agenda. The process is much like that for job one, except that you will need to consider how and when to inform your present employer that you are considering a new position elsewhere. It is important to have a persuasive rationale that does not include negative comment about your present situation.
Moving on and moving upward is easier and more likely if you have developed professional visibility. Active participation in state and national library associations, including leadership roles, is a key ingredient in becoming visible. Publishing is another way to gain notice. Ideally, you would become visible enough so that libraries would contact you when they have an appropriate vacancy and ask you to consider applying.
Life becomes more complicated with increased family responsibilities. A new position will need to work for family members as well as for you. Thoughtful discussion of family future, including preferences and responsibilities, is a crucial element in planning your career agenda.
Many positions are discovered via personal contacts. If you are unemployed, or about to be, tell as many people as possible and ask them to look for opportunities. Those seriously interested should be given a copy of your current resume. Use the American Library Directory to identify suitable libraries within driving distance. Contact each of them and ask for an opportunity to meet with the personal librarian [or equivalent] to discuss future employment opportunities. Identify and apply for any internships that you can identify. Attend meetings of local and state library associations to develop contacts [network] and become more visible if you have not already done this.
The happy professional is often someone who is engaged and interested in developing new skills and knowledge on your own time. This may involve reading "dummies" books, attending workshops, or simply working on your own website. Creating a blog, doing some podcasting, or learning more about digital photography are examples of personal opportunities for growth than can have good payoff on your search for the next position. Classes and workshops can make a notable difference.
Current awareness is another key ingredient in success. You need to be able to demonstrate that you are aware and engaged as your profession moves forward. New employees are expected to bring new ideas, skills, and opportunities to the library. Subscribing to appropriate discussion lists and LIS blogs [RSS feeds work well] are easy ways to keep up with what's hot and what's not.
Although few are interested and success may be difficult, another possibility for those with good experience and skills is to become an independent information entrepreneur. The most common examples would be in searching and records management where there are opportunities for the individual to create a consulting business plan and move forward. The key is to begin with considerable experience, ability, and contacts. Visibility gained via professional activities, conference networking, and publication make quite a difference. You should have some clients before you begin. Two helpful books:
It is difficult to be a competitive candidate if you have been
inactive in librarianship for longer than a semester or so. Some
employers will assume that you are rapidly losing your skills or that
you may be problematic. It is important to keep your hand in.
Internships [which can really be volunteer work in some situations] are
a good solution.
Part-time work is an excellent solution if you can afford it.
Sometimes, part-time positions lead to full-time ones. The key here is
the probability that full-time positions will open in the near rather
than the far future. You will need to develop strong, positive
relationships with your co-workers. Do your job well. It may be helpful
to volunteer for special projects, but be careful that you are not too
assertive in expanding the dimensions of your position.
Para-professional positions do provide ample opportunity to develop
specific skills and learn much more about the agency. However, these
positions can also be problematic. It is difficult to be a
para-professional with limited opportunities for professional growth
and challenge. It is tempting to act like a professional when that may
not be appropriate. Too, the salary is likely to be marginal. Again,
the key is the opportunity to develop skills and experiences relevant
for professional opportunity as well as the probability that
professional opportunities will be open to you in the near future.
Sometimes, your first position is not what you had hoped. A survey report published not too long ago in Library Journal
found that a substantial minority of recent graduates were unhappy with
some aspects of their first position. Typical negative feelings
regarded being "overwhelmed, under appreciated, disillusioned, and
underpaid." Too, there may be limited opportunity to participate in important decisions and new librarian comment may not be well received. Low salaries are especially dire if substantial student
loans must be repaid. Sometimes minor issues such as a dress and
appearance code can irritate. A more serious issue for more new
librarians is the need to work beyond the "normal" forty hours per week
when the library is understaffed or overwhelmed. You will need to
decide how serious these issues are and whether or not they warrant
looking for another position.
Decide if you can stick it out for the minimum year or two expected
by most employers. When you quit a professional position during the
first year, it raises issues with most future employers who will not
want to hire a "problem" candidate.
Pat Wagner [Business & Finance Bulletin,
no. 1224, Fall 2004] listed six warning signs that it is time to leave.
Richard Chang uses the phrase "passion deficit" for that time when you
no longer really care about your work.
Consider and weigh internal reasons for dissatisfaction:
Also consider external [to the position] reasons for dissatisfaction:
It is important to discover both the nature of the problem and potential solutions, especially those short of departure. It is especially useful to be able to discuss professional concerns and issues with those who have considerable experience and understanding. These might include faculty from your library school, librarians you have met via professional organizations, and others in the library where you work [but it must be a trusted relationship].
It is normal to discover that library work is not what you had hoped
for and that the employing library has problems and rough edges. There are some irritations in every workplace. The
key is whether the irritations or frustrations continue and are so
large as to make going to work an increasing challenge. It is one thing
to work for a difficult supervisor who will retire in eight months. It
is quite another thing to work for one who will be in place for ten
years.
Typical problems faced by new professionals include:
It is useful to consider each of these variables in terms of how important they are for you. Surely, that will lead to questions and observations when looking for employment. Also note that some problems may be as much personal as professional. You may have unrealistic expectations and be too critical. All positions have some warts and downsides. Be as positive as you can and limit complaints to issues that really matter.
While it is possible to go through the motions with your thoughts somewhere else, this is not likely to help your mental health or allow you to provide quality customer service. Better to focus on those aspects of the position that are enjoyable such as interaction with users and those staff members you are comfortable with. It may be possible to volunteer for activities or special assignments that will remove you from a difficult situation. Some librarians increasingly focus on their personal life, hobbies in particular, so that that becomes central and work becomes a passing episode. I have worked with librarians who have done this. Work becomes a 9.00 to 5.00, or whatever, task and no longer a career. Work life becomes dull and boring. Better to begin planning for a better situation so that you can leave. While life style changes can help [eating better, more exercise, meditation] in reducing stress, they are not likely to be sufficient in an unhealthy environment.
If you must leave, develop a persuasive rationale for departure. For example, the need to be closer to elderly parents or an ailing family member. Being a trailing spouse or companion can also work well. As much as possible, attempt to leave in such a way that there will be no negative evaluations of your work or potential. While you can fall back on an earlier employer or a faculty member, questions are likely to be asked about a gap or why you left so soon.
At the same time, it is necessary to create a list of those
activities [can dos] that you enjoy and where you are highly
competent. You may be able to introduce some of these activities into
your present position via volunteering or a change in tasks and
responsibilities. The list should also inform when you look for the
next position. If you don't have a portfolio of your best professional
achievements, now is the time to develop one. This should include
noteworthy projects completed while at school and at your professional
positions. Information or management related activities or products in
non-library positions may also be included.
A dismal economy and a decline in funding for libraries may result in downsizing although this is somewhat unusual. Ideally, this may be seen as an opportunity for personal and professional growth, but it may be a severe challenge now. It is important to believe that skills associated with being a successful librarian or information professional should create employment opportunities elsewhere. If you are in an environment where funding appears to be an acute problem, prepare a plan B now.
Last major revision: April 2008.
