Now’s the time to start looking! Image Source

Here are some of the key reasons you should be reading library job ads now and how you can use them to shape your path:

Developing your long term goals/career path
Reading job descriptions in the field is one way to narrow down your interests and goals. A lot of us come into library school with an undecided/generalist feeling. We know we love information, people, access, and technology, but we’re unsure of how exactly that manifests into a career. By reading about the requirements and duties surrounding LIS jobs, you will be able to hone in on what exactly you want to do once you graduate!

Shaping your degree
Once you have a clearer sense of your long term goals, you can use them to shape your LIS educational experience. This seems very basic, and is probably something you’re trying to do already. But using job ads specifically has helped me in a number of practical ways. Look at the ads for the jobs you want most: what kinds of experiences will you need? Use these to shape your course choices and practicum/internship ideas. What kinds of tech skills are required? Use these to shape what kinds of tech courses you take. Don’t get too hung up on individual programs or languages, but rather focus on learning the basics of and theories behind things like database and web design.

Gaining valuable experience
The sooner you figure out what kind of practical experience you need, the sooner you can seek it out. Many students finish their MLIS in two years. That’s two years of time you can spend getting in-library experience (whether paid, volunteer, internship, or practicum). Don’t wait until the month before graduation to find out that the job you want requires a year or more of in-library experience! Read those job ads and figure it out; the sooner, the better!

Inspiration
Sometimes it can feel like your MLIS is dragging on forever. Other times you can get bogged down by the negativity of peers or coworkers. Perusing job ads can be an uplifting, inspirational experience, if you let it. Yes, it can be distressing to think about how much more you have to do before you’re on the job market. And, yes, sometimes reading job descriptions can seem daunting. But, you can choose to use it as a positive exercise: read over your dream job descriptions and think positive thoughts about graduation, your career posibilities, and the dynamic, engaging field that you have chosen to enter. Trust me, reading job ads can actually be an uplifting bright spot during rough times.

It’s a good habit to make! 
It’s never too early to start figuring out some good areas and sites to look for potential employment. If you’ve been using said sites to do all of the aforementioned things, you’ll already be well-steeping in the language, terms, and requirements when it comes time to search in earnest for a post-graduation job!

I hope at least one of these tips makes sense for you; I’ve certainly found it to be helpful advice in my own experience. How about you all? Any interesting finds or insights from reading library job ads and descriptions whilst still in school? Leave them in the comments!

Conferences provide us with opportunities to network with other librarians and information professionals and learn about things that may not be covered in library school classes.  As an added bonus, they are usually significantly less expensive for students, so now is a great time to take advantage of them! There are a variety of conferences taking place this summer, ranging from the all-encompassing (ALA Annual) to those that are much more specialized in terms of discipline and geographic location.  Here are a few conferences you might want to think about attending this summer:

New Jersey Library Association Conference: June 3-5, Atlantic City, NJ

Special Libraries Association Annual Conference: June 9-11, San Diego, CA

American Theological Library Association Conference: June 19-22, Charlotte, NC

International Conference on Management of Data (SIGMOD/PODS): June 22-27, New York NY

International Conference on Information Society: June 24-26, Toronto, ON

National Association for Media Literacy Education Conference: July 12-13, Torrance, CA

American Association of Law Libraries Annual Meeting and Conference: July 13-16, Seattle, WA

Digital Directions: Fundamentals of Creating and Managing Digital Collections: July 21-23, Ann Arbor, MI

Joint Conference on Digital Libraries: July 22-26, Indianapolis, IN

Society of American Archivists Annual Meeting: August 11-17, New Orleans, LA

Americas Conference for Information Systems: August 15-17, Chicago, IL

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy: August 23-24, Savannah, GA

This is just a sample of the conference activity happening this summer, but you can see that there are conferences in a lot of different places, spanning a wide range of topics.  If nothing on this list appeals to you in terms of subject matter or location, check out the Library Conference Planner website, this list of library-related conferences, ALA’s affiliates conference and event calendar, or the website for your state library association.

So, are you planning on attending any conferences this summer?  What have you learned from or liked about attending conferences in the past?  Let me know in the comments, or find me on Twitter @AlisonJane0306.

P.S. Are you planning to attend ALA Annual? Don’t forget to make time to attend the HLS Conversation Starter, and check out our Hack ALA series for helpful tips.

Before I go, I wanted to toss out a few bits of parting advice, (hindsight being 20/20, and all).

1. Career Research. Start researching potential career paths early in your program, in your first semester if possible. Choose your courses wisely and with the long view in mind. Keep a running list of important projects that can be used on your resume. Most of all, stay flexible and open to new opportunities, ideas and career possibilities. If your program has a career center, check in with it early and often.

2. Internships. Do one! Do at least one! If you can possibly do two, do two! If you don’t already have a library job, and don’t have one waiting for you, do an internship. Really. They are invaluable. I mean it. Invaluable.

3. Network, network, network. Believe me, I know. You’ve probably heard it a million times, but networking really is really important. Really. And I say this a networking-resistant, committed introvert. Connect with people in your classes, join listserves and comments on blogs. If you’re able to, go to conferences and talk to people. It all gets you out there, participating in the profession and making connections.

So, that’s it. The sum total of two and half years distilled into 3 heartfelt pieces of advice. Good luck to all of you as you rock through the rest of your programs, and thanks for letting me contribute to the academic and professional dialogue here at Hack for the past few months. I wish you all the best!

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Kayla Birt and I graduated from Indiana University’s School of Library and Information Science with my MLS at the beginning of May.  I chose not to work toward a specialization nor a second masters while in SLIS for a few reasons: I wasn’t sure what exactly I wanted to do in the library, I did not want to pigeonhole myself in terms of coursework, and I knew I wanted my program to last approximately two years (I was worried about academic burnout going straight from undergrad to graduate school).  Now I am grateful for the advice that led me to this decision and also for the opportunities it has led me to—including my internship!

I am currently working as the Assessment and Usability Graduate Intern at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana.  DePauw is a small, private undergraduate liberal arts institution that includes a competitive music school and strong science presence.  My position is shared between the Information Services and Library offices where I report directly to the Dean of Libraries as well as the Chief Information Officer.

My technical background is rather limited, as is my statistical background.  I received a BA in English Literature from Taylor University (Upland, IN) and avoided science and math like the plague. I am slightly regretful. Slightly.

So what do you do?

As the Assessment and Usability Intern I am working to help create and mold a ‘culture of assessment’ within the DePauw Libraries and Information Services departments.  When I first came in I was completely overwhelmed and terrified of this explanation.  My supervisors revealed that there was no person in charge of assessment at DePauw and I would be sort of in charge of shaping my internship.  Twelve months.  I’m supposed to shape what I’ll be doing for the next year on a topic that I really do not know too much (really…anything) about.  WHAT?

But as time has gone on I have been able to talk to numerous people within both IS and the library about their assessment needs and wants (or lack thereof).  My supervisors have given me plenty of opportunities to speak with contacts at other schools and also participate in professional development through DePauw (including a recent trip to ACRL in Indianapolis!).  Now I am worried I don’t have enough time to finish all I want to accomplish in only a year!

So far I have helped finish national surveys DePauw participates in, which has involved communicating with multiple areas of campus.  I’ve also been able to look at data from previous surveys and analyzed this data for different functions of the IS and libraries on campus.  My current project is contacting institutions similar to DePauw asking about their individual assessment cultures.  This includes designing a survey and determining what method(s) is/are most appropriate.

Are you finding your coursework helpful in this position? In what way?

An exciting part of my internship is the ability to not only use various aspects of a few of my SLIS courses but also to look back and wish I had either taken a specific course or paid more attention in a course!  When I first started taking courses in SLIS I thought I was interested in children’s librarianship and ended up taking two different children’s literature courses.  While these may not seem applicable to my internship, the methods of assessing good children’s literature gave me an infrastructure for how to evaluate proper methods of assessing services and surveys now.  This shows that no matter what courses you’ve taken or are planning to take, they can be used in numerous ways!

Another encouraging aspect of my coursework integrating into my internship is the importance of core or required classes.  I was not planning on ever working in assessment (who does?), but my core classes prepared me to accept and succeed in this position: everything from Collection Development (checklists!), Representation and Organization (scaffolding information!), Library Management (project leadership!), and Evaluation of Information Resources and Services.

What would you say are the lessons you’ve taken away from this internship?

After completing almost half of my internship thus far, the greatest lessons I’ve taken away do not directly concern assessment and usability but instead the community of librarians.  I have quickly realized the investment not only DePauw is making in the future of academic librarians but the greater community of academic librarians that are taking active initiatives to help young librarians gain experience and contacts within the profession.  The staff at DePauw has been overwhelmingly helpful, as has networks that I’m currently in contact with for my long-term project.

Another lesson reflects the path that lead me to this internship: do not think you are not qualified for a position.  It cannot hurt to apply for an internship or job where you don’t meet every single ‘preferred qualification’.  And don’t hesitate to use contacts you have already made to help you through the process!

How do you think this will help your career?

This internship will have a drastic effect on my career, I’m sure of it–for the networking opportunity alone, not to mention the practical, hands-on experience as well.  The professional development experience is also incredibly valuable.  I’ve attended multiple webinars and web workshops with faculty and staff at DePauw where I’ve been able to contribute to current discussions on MOOCs, student technology use, social media, etc.  I’ve also been asked to lead some of these discussions as well.  These small leadership opportunities and participatory situations are already helping me navigate the landscape of academic libraries.

While I still have about seven months left of my internship, I am grateful for the launch into the profession I feel this position has afforded me thus far and will afford me in the future.  I fully believe this internship is not only fulfilling the “1-2 years of academic library experience” we often see on librarian postings, but above and beyond that through the projects and responsibilities I am tasked with and the people with whom I am able to network.

A practicum is, in a nutshell, an opportunity for a student to get some experience working in a library for academic credit. Not every library school encourages them — not every library school even offers them — but to my mind, every library student should do one. At a fundamental level, the practicum is a chance for you to put into practice everything that you’ve learned throughout your LIS education. If you’ve not managed to find much library work during your school career so far, it’s a vital opportunity to accrue some early experience, while also performing necessary work and making a first contribution to your community.  It’s a perfect win-win scenario: the library gets some much-needed trained help, and the student gets some fresh insight and knowledge, and probably a nice reference.

The possibilities are endless, and can be tailored to your professional interests and strengths. Here are a few examples from my own cohort:

My project is a combination of needs assessment and collection development. It involves working with a nursing liaison librarian and nursing faculty to come up with a list of complementary, alternative, and natural medicine resources for the library to potentially add. – Sarah H.

I arranged and described the collections of two deceased nuns and created EAD compliant finding aids for the Archives of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. – Kathleen F.

I am planning a family resource fair, and developing story time grab and go kits. – Kathy S.

[I’m doing] original cataloging of CDs & DVDs going into the Archive section of the Instructional Media Center. – Dhyana W.

I’m working on creating surveys and conducting usability testing for the library’s database subject page (in collaboration with the research librarian). The test will inform whether the web page needs to be redesigned. – Clara J.

Or read about Nicole’s practicum in “So What Do You Do? My Practicum Experience at a Small Academic Archive.”

At its best, a practicum can be even more than a chance to get your foot in the door: it can be an opportunity to pull all of your accumulated knowledge together, and then build upon it at a professional level. The best practicum is not advanced-level student work, but an accomplishment that demonstrates your readiness to join the ranks of the professionals.

We accept you, one of us…

So how do you go about finding a practicum? If your school has an established program, they may well be able to point you toward likely host sites through your academic advisor. But even if the practicum isn’t really a “thing” at your school, you can still go out and get one for yourself. You’d be surprised how far you can go just by asking nicely. Find institutions that are doing the kind of work you’re interested in, pinpoint a person there who is involved in that work, and send a friendly inquiry. You’re offering to give them free skilled labor in return for some of their time and attention; why wouldn’t they take you up on it? They may well have a neglected project hanging around, waiting for some enterprising person to come adopt it as their own. And whatever work you do, when your practicum is complete you’ll have something to be proud of on your resume.

Did you do a practicum in library school? Do you plan to? Are you in the middle of one now? Tell us about it in the comments!