Tag Archives: Professional development

by Sarah | January 30, 2015 · 8:00 am

Further Questions: How does your organization value or consider membership/involvement in professional organizations during the hiring process?

This week we asked people who hire librarians

How does your organization value or consider membership/involvement in professional organizations during the hiring process? Is there a difference when hiring for an entry level role vs. a position requiring more experience?

We do place a high value on involvement in professional organizations but low value on just being a member. We want to see your committee involvement or presentations at the conferences for the professional organization.

For an entry level position professional involvement can be minimal such as a committee member as opposed to the committee chair or volunteering to work the registration booth.

– Laurie Phillips, Associate Dean for Technical Services, J. Edgar & Louise S. Monroe Library, Loyola University New Orleans

Membership in professional organizations can be a bonus and show commitment to the field when hiring for a professional position, but it is not mandatory. However, once a candidate is hired, they are expected to join relevant professional organizations and to be actively involved.

For entry level positions, I would be very surprised to see any applicants being a member of a professional organization. It would definitely set someone apart.

– Marleah Augustine, Adult Department Librarian at Hays Public Library

Usually I look for more than membership–involvement is a supplement to a well-rounded education and not a substitute. Continuing education is crucial for everyone. Involving yourself in professional or community organizations gives you a broader base from which to draw experience, network, gather ideas, and learn about who you are throughout the community, the profession–all of it.

But also, depending on the position–not being involved–would not necessarily disqualify someone–once employed, the hire would be encouraged to learn and grow in the community and the profession as opportunities arise.

-Virginia Roberts, Director, Rhinelander District Library

Thank you as always to our contributors for their time and insight. If you’re someone who hires librarians and are interested in participating in this feature, please email us at hiringlibrariansquestionsATgmail.com.

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Tagged as librarians, library conferences, library hiring, library jobs, membership, Professional development, professional organizations, tumblarians

by Sarah | August 8, 2014 · 8:00 am

Further Questions: Beyond conferences, what are your favorite sources for professional development opportunities?

This week we asked people who hire librarians:

Beyond conferences, what are your favorite sources for professional development opportunities? This could include anything from technology resources, e-classes, books, blogs, webinars, and beyond, with a preference for free or frugal opportunities for the job seeker wishing to stay current. These can be resources you personally use OR resources you (hope) that applicants for positions at your institution are using. No matter how basic, please share!

I find the most current developments reading e-list, particularly Autocat and RDA-L, less so Bibframe.
– J. McRee (Mac) Elrod, Special Libraries Catalouging

I think webinars, when done well, can be great ways to learn, including those offered by vendors and our professional organizations. Often you can register and you’ll get a link to the recording even if you cannot attend. Of course, the danger is that you’ll end up with lots of links to webinars that you never seem to get to (not that this every happens to me). And many of these are free or have low fees. There are a LOT of really great blogs and I strongly suggest managing them well using Feedly or some other tool. It’s also easy to let the posts stack up so it is important to be ruthless. If a post doesn’t grab your attention, move on. There is amazingly thoughtful and thought provoking writing going on out there and sharing and discussing blog posts is also a good way to encourage conversation in your library, at the coffee shop, or during an interview (!). If you are an academic librarian, sign up for the free email newsletters from The Chronicle of Higher Education and Inside Higher Ed, or find similar enewsletters from other entities. These are easy to skim each day and you can always dig around for more on a topic that interest you. For those academic librarians, consider auditing a course if you can (and I hope your director will be supportive!). Need a statistics refresher? An intro course to a discipline so you feel more confident about collection development? If your institution let’s you audit, or even take a course for credit at no cost, try it. And, don’t underestimate the value of the unplanned, causal conversation. This isn’t a way to address a specific professional development need, but every day I seem to learn something new when a conversation about one thing leads to an impromptu opportunity to learn when someone says “can I just come around the desk to show you.” The biggest challenge can be making time for this, for writing, for job searching, and for everything else. Make it a part of your routine.
– Celia Rabinowitz, Dean of Mason Library at Keene State College in Keene, NH

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Tagged as librarians, library hiring, library jobs, Professional development, tumblarians

by Sarah | August 1, 2014 · 8:00 am

Further Questions: What advice do you have for job seekers, particularly those new to librarianship, looking to build professional networks?

This week we asked people who hire librarians

What advice do you have for job seekers, particularly those new to librarianship, looking to build professional networks? What are some appropriate ways that networking can be used in the job seeking process? Please share your best tips for networking and professional etiquette.

Definitely get involved in your state library association (or if you are wanting to move to another state, get involved with that state library association) as well as the American Library Association. If you have a specialized area of expertise, such as genealogy, there are groups within both that you should consider joining. If you do not know how to get involved or feel like you cannot get your “foot in the door” by all means, just show up to a meeting of your round table and let them know you are interested and that you would like to be involved in a committee, these round tables are always looking for help! This will help you build up your professional networks and you may meet future employers, coworkers or job references in those meetings. In addition, make sure you have a 30 second elevator speech prepared so you can make a good first impression, tell everyone who will listen what your career goals are, if people know what you are looking for they are more likely to help you by introducing you to people that may be hiring.

– Julie Leuzinger, Department Head, Eagle Commons Library, University of North Texas

Over 4 decades as a librarian, I have built my network slowly but surely through professional library organizations and, particularly, NON-library groups and organizations.

My launch into public library administration was totally due to networking. I was an officer in the local Special Libraries Association chapter and got recruited and offered a job because of it. It was a career-changing moment for me. Ironically, I was in SLA to make friends and get some professional support when times got tough. SLA was my social life as a young mother and full-time working librarian in a city where I had no family and few acquaintances. Hint: if you join an organization simply to get job leads – it tends to show and can be a turn-off to other members. Make sure you have some real passion and alignment for the group’s activities. Networks help you solve work problems, not just the unemployment problem. I have many contacts who can help me with personnel, strategy, IT and other issues, and when that happens, you become a valuable asset to an employer.

I have made great community contacts through two different metropolitan community “Leadership” programs. The training and networking and friends were priceless and gave me skills and contacts that were long-lasting and beneficial. I continue to volunteer for the one in my community.

In one of my previous library director positions, the library was building a controversial new building. By joining the local and influential Rotary club, I was able to get to know many community leaders and slowly but surely change their impression of the project and libraries. Rotary is a huge commitment – weekly meetings – and by rotating around to different tables at each meeting I learned how to introduce myself, converse, convince…and even offend….some people. It was a great learning lab for professional etiquette.

I recently heard a talk by Renee DiPilato, who is Deputy Director at Alexandria (VA) Public Library. She is doing a dissertation on library leaders and has found that most of them belong to Rotary clubs and have utilized NON-library networks and conferences to advance their skills and networks.

– Catherine Alloway, Director, Schlow Centre Region Library

Thank YOU for reading! If you liked reading, you’re going to really love COMMENTING.

Author’s Corner: Continuing Education for Librarians

Today I’m happy to give you an excerpt from a new book on professional development. The excerpt is from the preface by Dr. Robert P. Holley, Professor, School of Library & Information Science Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, and provides an overview of the scope and organization of the book, which incorporates the thoughts of a number of different authors, gathered together under the editing eyes of Carol Smallwood, Kerol Harrod and Vera Gubnitskaia.

The title of this book, Continuing Education for Librarians: Workshops, Conferences, College, and Other Ways, only hints at the cornucopia of practical advice that the reader will discover in its twenty-eight chapters. I discovered new information and, more importantly, fresh perspectives though I have been an academic librarian and library science professor for almost forty years and teach courses that include continuing education.

Most authors in the collection combine a general discussion of the topic with practical examples of their experiences. They avoid a Pollyannaish view that continuing education is easy in today’s age of reduced staffing, higher work expectations, and complicated lives; but they accurately point out that these factors require librarians to stay on top of developments in librarianship. The library science degree is only the beginning. Employers expect librarians to acquire new skills and sometimes secure additional formal and informal credentials. Some of the case studies don’t turn out exactly as planned, but the authors agree that surprises were part of the learning process.

The book is divided into eight parts of from two to eight chapters, but the parts are not mutually exclusive. For example, Part II, “Online Education,” deals with the delivery of the continuing education activities and gives advice on how to succeed in an online course (Francis). Similarly, the chapter from “Personal Life” by Ward, “Balancing Act,” gives her account of acquiring an additional degree but with the focus on how she managed to integrate the demands of her formal education into her personal life. While the content of some chapters overlaps, the authors emphasize different aspects and share differing experiences.

The book covers all stages of a librarian’s professional career. The chapters on formal education include finding the right online library program for the MLIS (Jackson) and pursuing a certificate (McGlynn), a second masters (Rupp), or the ultimate achievement, a doctorate (Kimmel/Garrison). The reader also gets tips on how to make the most of workshops and conferences. Two authors (Mason and Butler) focus on learning more about special collections from workshops. The more adventuresome will profit from the experiences of Wise and Blackburn on attending an international conference where they discovered that different rules apply when varying library cultures come together. The two chapters on professional associations (Braccia and Farmer) straddle the line between formal and informal because these authors stress that as much continuing education occurs in the corridors as in the meeting rooms. Technology and Web 2.0 have a role to play in learning through Massive Open Online Courses (Bond) and in making contacts through social networks (Cooke and Goben).

For me, learning by doing is the most revolutionary aspect of the book. Effective continuing education is not passive but arises from actively teaching others. Three traditional ways are emphasizing the teaching function of librarians (Ross and Sweeney), becoming an adjunct professor for a library and information science program (Wright), or teaching an information literacy course (Storm). For an unorthodox challenge, Benson suggests volunteering to give a presentation on a subject that the librarian doesn’t know much about as a surefire way quickly to become an expert on the topic. Other examples of active learning include organizing a fellowship program (Mediavilla) or hosting a conference (Root).

The two chapters on mentoring (Creel and Zanin-Yost) take great care to talk about the continuing education value for the mentors as well as for the mentee. Money is the topic for two authors. Sheehan suggests casting a wide net to find scholarship funds to support getting the MLIS. From a different perspective, Soules looks at all the continuing education activities, many discussed in more detail in other chapters, that are free. Two chapters look beyond library skills. Marcus recommends acting training to improve personal interactions and to learn how to deal with unexpected situations. Similarly, Matthew Cook narrates how he profited professionally by integrating his interest in jazz into his work life.

These brief summaries cannot do justice to the richness of this book, but they will have met my goal if they tempt you to delve more deeply into this volume. Choose first the topics that interest you the most. Don’t forget, however, that many chapters weave together the multiple strands of continuing education and professional development and that you might find valuable insights in the most unexpected places.

Continuing Education for Librarians: Essays on Career Improvement Through Classes, Workshops, Conferences and More 2013. Edited by Carol Smallwood, Kerol Harrod and Vera Gubnitskaia by permission of McFarland & Company, Inc., Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640. www.mcfarlandpub.com

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by Emily@HiringLibrarians | February 15, 2013 · 8:00 am

Further Answers: Any other advice for someone preparing to be off work for a while?

This is the final post in a series of three about extended leaves of absence.

Here is what happened: a reader who is about to leave work due to the incipient arrival of twin babies wrote in to ask if people who hire librarians could give some advice to people in her situation. I thought that this was the sort of thing where the experiences of people who had been in similar situations might be even more helpful, so I collected some respondents from various listservs and the ALA Think Tank Facebook group, and am now presenting them for your edification.

This week I asked people who had returned to work after a multi-year absence:

Any other advice for someone preparing to be off work for a while?

The one thing that I wish I had done, which I didn’t do for financial reasons, was keep up my professional memberships when I was on leave. I would definitely do that if I had a “do-over” because I think it speaks to your professionalism to do so.

– Kathy Jarombek, Leave of six years.
Prior title: Department Head for Children’s Services, New Canaan;
Current title: Director of Youth Services and Member of the 2014 Newbery Committee, Perrot Memorial Library

I would advise anyone planning on taking some time off of librarianship to read! Our profession changes so quickly and the best thing you can do to prepare yourself for future employment is to stay up-to-date on library trends, practices and research.
– Veronica Arellano Douglas, Leave of two years.
Prior title: Psychology & Social Work Librarian at the University of Houston;
Current title: Reference & Instruction Librarian at St. Mary’s College of Maryland

Don’t discount the skills learned from being a stay at home parent. I feel that it has made me better at time management and juggling multiple responsibilities at work. Although I didn’t have prior work experience in doing storytime, having children was good preparation for my new role!
– Aimee Haley, Leave of three and a half years.
Prior title: Librarian (Public Library);
Current title: Librarian (Public Library)

I think it helps to remain active in the profession in some way while you are home raising children…even if you’re just going into libraries and schmoozing with librarians. And there are so many ways to stay involved through list-serves, chats, online courses, etc. Many more opportunities than were available back in the dark ages when I was staying home.

One of our children’s librarians is about to go on maternity leave and I tried to convince her to work for us just one night a week and/or one weekend a month, but she wasn’t interested. We would have held her job for her if she’d been able to do that, but now we’ll just have to say goodbye and good luck. I can certainly understand her not wanting to make the commitment to our library when she’s embarking on a demanding and unpredictable new chapter of her life, but I think it is a mistake if she wants to go back to work when her children are older. (Maybe she doesn’t want to…) I know I would be more interested in a prospective employee who found ways to keep her hand in. The job market is quite different than it was twenty-some years ago.
– Miriam Lang Budin, Leave of eleven years.
Prior title: Children’s Librarian, Larchmont Public Library;
Current title: Head of Children’s Services, Chappaqua Library

Maintain and expand your network. Visit a local library and make friends with people who are already working there. Tell them you’re a librarian and ask what’s going on in the library. Also maintain your old network, even if you think you won’t go back to your old library system. For me this meant keeping up with emails from the Eureka! Leadership Institute and keeping track of former colleagues on Linked In and Facebook.

Keep an eye on what professional organizations are doing. Follow listservs, attend networking events if you have flexibility with childcare, keep your membership up to date and flip through American Libraries orChildren and Libraries when they arrive.

Volunteer doing something you enjoy, even if it’s not directly related to your previous career (extra points for volunteering doing something that IS related, but it’s not necessary). You’ll do a better job, develop skills and probably get a good reference if you’re jazzed about what you’re doing.

Start an online presence. A good old-fashioned blog did it for me, but consider starting a group on Facebook in your area of interest, a Pinterest board, or Twitter account that you update regularly.

Serve on a committee or a board in a professional, service or non-profit organization. This can be library related or not. There are so many benefits to this; learn about board governance, network, develop programs or policy, work with other motivated individuals for a good cause etc. Meetings are often in the evening or virtual, and most boards or committees welcome new members.

Most importantly: DON’T ASSUME THAT A LIBRARIAN CAN ONLY WORK IN A LIBRARY. You may have to shift your expectations for what your ideal job is, but librarians skills are in high demand in many different places, especially in start-up land. Reach out to organizations who are working on products, services or tools in areas that you are interested in and ask to speak with them about what they’re doing. (I got a consulting gig that way! It works!)

– Cen Campbell, Leave of two years, and gradually adding more part-time projects bit by bit.
Prior title: Teen Services Coordinator/Youth Services Librarian, Stanislaus County Library;
Current title: Children’s Librarian/Digital Services Consultant, LittleeLit.com, Mountain View Library, Santa Clara County Library District

I think the main take away that I would pass along is to stay connected, stay in touch, maintain professional memberships, and do something while you are away. In addition to the project and the leave replacement, I also wrote book reviews and volunteered in the library and classroom at my kids’ school, which were especially relevant given the position I left and returned to. I would imagine staying connected is even easier today than it was then (pre ubiquitous Internet and email!). And be open to opportunities or contacts that might seem tangential or not obviously super-relevant; you never know what can come of them. Part time work evenings and weekends can help you keep your awareness and skills from getting too rusty, as does taking courses, or going to conferences.

– Ann Glannon, Leave of eight years.
Prior title: Curriculum Resources Librarian (college library);
Returned to work as: Curriculum Resources Librarian (college library) – same position

I would take complete advantage of all of the social networking media available to keep on top of trends and literature. But just by raising little kids yourself, you learn a LOT about kids—child development, different styles, different kinds of parenting, too. You will bring something new to the job by having that experience and paying attention.

– Susan Dove Lempke, Leave of ten years.
Prior title: Children’s Librarian I, Chicago Public Library
Current title: Assistant Library Director for Youth, Programming and Technology, Niles, IL

Any experience that can be used for a resume is valuable. I volunteered in my children’s school library, helped run the book fair and became the webmaster for the PTO website. I also kept my association membership active, that way I could kept abreast of what was happening in the field and stay connected. There are some great professional blogs out there as well.

– Jeanette Lundgren, Leave of nine years from LIS (five spent working in the tech industry)
Prior to leaving LIS: Information Center Specialist, American Society of Training & Development (ASTD)
Re-Entry position: Reference Librarian, Hudson public library
Current title: Systems Librarian, Becker College

Volunteer in your community. Serving on town boards is a *wonderful* learning experience. If you’re taking time off to be with your children enjoy them! They are young for a very short time, but you can work your whole life. At the end of the day no one ever says they wished they had worked more and spent less time with their children. Write if you can – it clarifies your thinking. Pursue what interests you and what you love.

– Cara Barlow, Leave of sixteen years
Prior title: State Aid Specialist, Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners
Current title: Supervisor, Music, Art & Media Department, Nashua Public Library

Keep up with the library world as you can, think about how activities you do while staying home can translate to the work place (organizational skills needed with kids, participating in public library events as a parent and selecting books as a parent–these are good if you want to go into/back into children’s services).

-Anonymous, leave of eighteen months and counting

Prior title: Evening Services Coordinator at a University Library

And as a bonus, here is some final advice from a person who hires librarians, Mac Elrod:

Subscribe to and read the e0lists in your field, e.g., for cataloguers Autocat, RDA-L, and Bibframe.

– J. McRee (Mac) Elrod, Special Libraries Catalouging

I’d like to say thank you again to everyone above for sharing their stories, time, and insight. If you’d like to share your own experience in the comments below, or your questions, they are open and waiting for you.

Thank YOU for reading!

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Filed under Academic, Extended Leaves of Absence, Further Answers, Topical Series

Tagged as American Library Association, leave of absence, Librarian, libraries, Library and Information Science, Library science, maternity leave, New York City, Professional development, Public library, School Library Journal

by Emily@HiringLibrarians | February 8, 2013 · 8:00 am

Further Answers: What happened when you decided to return to the workforce?

This is a companion post to this week’s Further Questions, and the second post in a series of three about extended leaves of absence. Here is what happened: a reader who is about to leave work due to the incipient arrival of twin babies wrote in to ask if people who hire librarians could give some advice to people in her situation. I thought that this was the sort of thing where the experiences of people who had been in similar situations might be even more helpful, so I collected some respondents from various listservs and the ALA Think Tank Facebook group, and am now presenting them for your edification.

This week I asked people who had returned to work after a multi-year absence:

What happened when you decided to return to the workforce? How did you frame your absence? How long did it take to get rehired? Was the position you found similar to the one you had before you left?

I had always planned to go back to work full time when my youngest entered Kindergarten but, when the time came, neither my husband nor I were quite willing to give up the family time that we enjoyed. But we couldn’t afford the status quo either, so in 2000 I approached the head of Youth Services at the Ferguson and asked if I could work there part-time on a more regular basis. Since by this time she knew my work from the subbing and the storytimes – and since I had left the library on good terms in 1986 – she was able to hire me for 19 hrs/week. I worked at Ferguson 3 days a week from 9 to 2:30 and one evening a week – the other two days I kept my storytelling job at the Perrot. This way, I was able to work and still meet my children’s bus in the afternoon. The Ferguson also agreed to give me the summers off (except for the evenings when my husband could be with the kids), since there are school librarians who are willing to work extra hours in the summer. As far as “framing my absence” – well, they all knew me so they knew why I had been out of the workforce. But they also knew that I was still interested in my library career because I made a real effort to keep up with library friends and with the latest developments and, most importantly, with the books – because knowledge of books is so crucial for a Children’s Librarian. And I could be wrong, but I don’t think librarianship is the kind of career where taking time off to have kids is viewed as a sign of lack of commitment.

In 2004, my husband and I could see that my working part-time wasn’t going to put two kids through college and that we really needed to get some medical benefits – since my husband was self-employed, we had been buying our own and the rates kept going up. But my kids were still in elementary school so I didn’t think I wanted to work year round in a public library. I made the decision to go back to school part-time and get an education degree – keeping my job at the Ferguson, but giving up my job at the Perrot. In 2006, I got my degree and immediately found work with the Greenwich Public Schools as a School Library Media Specialist, which is a shortage area here in Connecticut. Both the head of Youth Services at Perrot and at the Ferguson gave me recommendations. My kids were both now in middle school and we were all on the same schedule. Then in 2009, the Director of Youth Services job at Perrot became vacant and the director here asked me if I would come back and head the department. By now, my kids were in high school and so I said yes. So I am basically back doing the same job I did in New Canaan – heading up a small but vibrant Youth Services Department in Connecticut.

So how long did it take me to get rehired initially? Not long at all – I think because I really made an effort to keep my hand in and to keep up with all my contacts in the library world. I think that the people who hired me felt as if I never really left the field and that I still saw myself as a children’s librarian – just one who was on an extended leave. As for the rest, I kind of made it up as I went along, taking on new opportunities when I felt the time was right for me and for my family. When I applied for the school job, although I was an unknown quantity as a school media specialist, my supervisor at Perrot gave me a reference and she knew the woman who hired me well since the school job was in the same town as the Perrot.

– Kathy Jarombek, Leave of six years.
Prior title: Department Head for Children’s Services, New Canaan;
Current title: Director of Youth Services and Member of the 2014 Newbery Committee, Perrot Memorial Library

I left a continuing appointment-track academic librarian job in 2009 and ended up getting a tenure-track academic librarian job again in 2011. The job I ended up getting after my absence was with the same library where I worked part-time in circulation and reference, which I know helped move my application up the pipeline. The people who hired me knew that my work gap was related to my husband’s relocation, my pregnancy, and a period of bereavement leave, so I didn’t have to frame my absence from the profession at all.

It felt good to have a CV that maintained my professional involvement in ALA and ACRL during a period of employment inactivity.

– Veronica Arellano Douglas, Leave of two years.
Prior title: Psychology & Social Work Librarian at the University of Houston;
Current title: Reference & Instruction Librarian at St. Mary’s College of Maryland

I had not planned to leave the workforce when I had the baby, so I knew that I wanted to go back eventually. I was happy to spend those years at home, but as my son approached preschool age I began the job search. I returned to work as a part time librarian six months after the search began. I work in a public library and had several years of experience in public libraries before my absence.
– Aimee Haley, Leave of three and a half years.
Prior title: Librarian (Public Library);
Current title: Librarian (Public Library)

I actually was contacted by libraries to come back to work before I’d intended to return. The first attempt (when my oldest was 15 months) was not a success. I was hired for a part-time position, was the only children’s librarian in the library, had no full-time staff devoted to the children’s room and felt that I was doing a half-assed job at work and at home. I resigned after six months (and promptly came down with mono!).

A few years later I worked about one weekend a month as a substitute reference librarian. I think that’s a good tactic for getting back into the workforce, as it updates your familiarity with new technologies and with the collection of wherever you’re working, but doesn’t demand much in the way of program planning and execution, collection maintenance and development and the other day-to-day or long-range duties of a full-time librarian.

When my youngest had just turned five another library asked me to fill in for one of their children’s librarians who had a serious illness. They were so anxious for help that they let me bring my five-year-old with me for two months on the couple of afternoons a week they needed me to work until he could go to a full-day day camp. That was a highly unusual arrangement! I increased my hours when the summer began, but was still part-time with no benefits.

When the youngest started full-day kindergarten I applied for the first full-time children’s librarian position that opened up in our county. I don’t know how many applicants I was up against or anything like that. I got the job. I would say that the position was comparable to the one I’d left when I went into labor with the first baby: the only children’s librarian in the children’s room of a public library.

– Miriam Lang Budin, Leave of eleven years.
Prior title: Children’s Librarian, Larchmont Public Library;
Current title: Head of Children’s Services, Chappaqua Library

I wasn’t even looking for a position when I saw a recruitment for an on-call librarian position open up in my neighborhood library 2 years after I’d quit my full time job, but I thought I’d give it a shot. In the interview I addressed the fact that I hadn’t been working full time since my son was born, but the combination of my strong resume from before I quit, and the initiative I’d shown developing and implementing Book Babies was enough to convince the library to hire me. I was also told later that one of the reasons they hired me was because I’d had experience working with adults and teens as well as kids, and was therefore more flexible when it came to working in different departments within the library.

Just after I started working in my new part time position I began a blog (LittleeLit.com) where I began to document my interest in incorporating digital media into children’s services and programming. Another very part-time position opened up at another local library system, and I was hired to begin piloting some technology-based children’s programs, which I also developed and documented. That work caught the attention of other library systems, library advocacy groups and children’s content developers, and I have been implementing programs, training staff and developing reading platforms ever since. I have since begun serving on the ALSC Children & Technology committee, I’ve presented at a number of different conferences and I’ve been hired by a number of different organizations to develop professional development materials for training children’s libraries in the use of emergent technology.

NEVER in a million years could I have foreseen though that I’d someday be an “expert” in the use of technology with children in public libraries, but the time that I took off gave me some perspective on the nature of my job. When I returned to the workforce, I had a more objective view of the services that libraries offer, and that they need to begin offering. There was no one developing the kind of guidelines and content that I was looking for, so I began to do it myself. Now I enjoy the flexibility of choosing the projects I work on, having a flexible schedule to hang out with my son when he needs it, and knowing that I’m helping to build a community of knowledge that can guide the development of best practices for the future when most of the content we deal with in libraries is digital (yes, even with children). I don’t think I would have started walking this career path had I NOT taken the time off and then had to be creative about getting back in.

– Cen Campbell, Leave of two years, and gradually adding more part-time projects bit by bit.
Prior title: Teen Services Coordinator/Youth Services Librarian, Stanislaus County Library;
Current title: Children’s Librarian/Digital Services Consultant, LittleeLit.com, Mountain View Library, Santa Clara County Library District

I went back to work initially working a couple of evenings a week and every other weekend for a suburban library, and by the time they needed a new head of youth services, I was ready to come back to work part time. It all worked out extremely nicely for me!

– Susan Dove Lempke, Leave of ten years.
Prior title: Children’s Librarian I, Chicago Public Library
Current title: Assistant Library Director for Youth, Programming and Technology, Niles, IL

I started to worry about the length of time I had been away from the workforce and knew that the longer I was out, the more difficult it would be to find a full-time job when I wanted one. After being out for about five years I decided to apply for a part-time Reference Librarian position at a public library. I sent out a few applications and did get an interview at about the third job I applied for. I was honest about why I hasn’t been working. I had been working as a software developer and been laid off about the same time we started a family. While I hold my MLS, I hadn’t worked in the library field since graduate school, about 10 years prior. It took a few months to get an interview and I was offered the position. The position was entry-level and very different from where I had been working when I left. I went from there to a part-time Reference Librarian job at Becker College in 2006, a job that could grow with me and offer more hours. This year I accepted a full-time 10 month position as the Systems Librarian.

– Jeanette Lundgren, Leave of nine years from LIS (five spent working in the tech industry)
Prior to leaving LIS: Information Center Specialist, American Society of Training & Development (ASTD)
Re-Entry position: Reference Librarian, Hudson public library
Current title: Systems Librarian, Becker College

I have been working as a librarian for almost seventeen years. Back in 2004, while working full-time as Electronic Resources Librarian at the Monroe Township Public Library and serving as vice president/president elect of the NJLA Reference section, I became pregnant with my first child. After the birth of my daughter, Natalie, I stepped down to part-time employment so I could spend time with my daughter, while keeping my hands in the profession. A few months after my daughter, Natalie was born, I assumed my role as president of Reference Section, emailing my members and potential speakers with a lively baby in the room. I was fortunate to have an incredibly helpful and supportive vice president who I could rely on to pick up the slack when I could not find childcare. I also attended a few meetings and planning sessions with Natalie when she was a few months old. My employer was supportive of my choice to stay home for a few months before returning to work part-time. They allowed me to complete some tasks from home to keep thing running. Since they were so flexible with me, I made sure that I returned every email and completed each assignment as quickly as I could.

– Theresa Agostinelli, Leave from full time work of seven and a half years and counting
Prior title: Electronic Resources Librarian, Monroe Township Public Library
Current title: Instructional/Educational Services Librarian, Monroe Township Public Library

I decided to return full-time to the workforce when my oldest daughter (who was 16 years old at the time) told me that she wanted to graduate high school and get her cosmetology license. I needed to find a full-time job in order to pay for her drivers ed, to help her with a car and to pay the school tuition. I graduated Anna in Spring of 2012 and she’ll start her licensing program in Fall of 2013.

I was truthful with everyone who I interviewed with for the part-time and full-time jobs, though I downplayed or didn’t mention that I homeschooled my daughters – even just a few years ago (it’s better now) there was a stigma surrounding homeschooling your children.

I told interviewers that I made the decision to stay home with my children when they were young, but that (when applying for part-time work) I felt ready to begin re-entering the library profession. When I was searching for my full-time job I told them that I my oldest daughter had graduated from high school early and I was looking for full-time work to help her pay for what she wanted to do next – cosmetology school. I also emphasized that I was looking for new challenges and would love to work for them.

I found a full-time job within weeks. The position I have now was posted a few days after I started searching. I interviewed and was offered it within two weeks. It was at a library where I had filled in for a reference librarian’s maternity leave and medical leave, so they knew me.

My current position isn’t like any other library position I’ve had before, but my time working on boards, in small-town politics, on the newspaper and homeschooling my children along with my BFA in fine art, my MLS and library experience gave me skills that made me a good fit for the position – they needed someone with an arts background, with connections in the local arts community, who had communication skills, people skills, could build community and was comfortable thinking outside of the box.
Cara Barlow, Leave of sixteen years
Prior title: State Aid Specialist, Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners
Current title: Supervisor, Music, Art & Media Department, Nashua Public Library

I have applied for jobs periodically in the last year and a half–we toy with me going back to work now and then. In my most recent job applications, I both emphasized the professional experiences I had before my gap, and talked about what I’ve done to stay relevant.

-Anonymous, leave of eighteen months and counting

Prior title: Evening Services Coordinator at a University Library

Thank YOU for reading!

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Filed under Academic, Extended Leaves of Absence, Further Answers, Topical Series

Tagged as American Library Association, Connecticut, Employment, Greenwich Public Schools, leave of absence, Librarian, libraries, Library and Information Science, Library science, maternity leave, New York City, Professional development, Public library, School Library Journal, University of Houston

by Emily@HiringLibrarians | February 1, 2013 · 8:00 am

Further Answers: What did you do to stay professionally relevant during your leave?

This is a companion post to this week’s Further Questions. Here is what happened: a reader who is about to leave work due to the incipient arrival of twin babies wrote in to ask if people who hire librarians could give some advice to people in her situation. I thought that this was the sort of thing where the experiences of people who had been in similar situations might be even more helpful, so I collected some respondents from various listservs and the ALA Think Tank Facebook group, and am now presenting them for your edification.

This week I asked people who had returned to work after a multi-year absence:

What did you do to stay professionally relevant during your leave?

I was fortunate in that, being a children’s librarian, I had a ready-made excuse to visit places where I could “network” since I had a child (and then two) of my own. I signed my children up for storytimes, I kept up with the new picture books, I talked to the librarians. I already was good friends with the children’s librarian in Old Greenwich and I asked her to feed me books for older readers so that I could “keep up” with the latest in children’s literature. I always made sure that I read the Newbery winner and honor books each year. I introduced myself to the new head of Youth Services at the Ferguson Library, with my children in tow – and since I knew that the Ferguson often hired subs, I told her that I was available during the winter months if she needed someone to come in and work (my husband has a landscape design business and winter is a slow time for him here in the Northeast). In this way, I was able to keep my hand in working the children’s reference desk once in a while and, more importantly, keeping my name and face out there. I was very active in the storytelling community here in Connecticut before kids and I so I did a little freelance storytelling as well – and got a babysitter for a couple of hours when I had a job. Then, in 1999 when my youngest was 4 and in preschool five mornings a week, I let it be known to my library friends that I was willing to do toddler and preschool storytimes during the morning hours, as long as I could be done to pick my son up at noon. The Perrot Library in Old Greenwich immediately hired me to do Two Year Old Storytime two mornings a week and the Ferguson Library hired me to do a morning of storytimes in one of their branches.

– Kathy Jarombek, Leave of six years.
Prior title: Department Head for Children’s Services, New Canaan;
Current title: Director of Youth Services and Member of the 2014 Newbery Committee, Perrot Memorial Library

To stay connected to librarianship during my leave from professional practice, I worked a few hours over the weekend at a college library circulation desk and did one evening reference shift each week during the academic school year. I also volunteered at my local public library and a charter school media center. I didn’t do all of these things at once! I realize that not everyone on leave has time to do this, especially those at home with infants or small children, or those who are caretakers for relatives, but if you have just a few hours in the evening or on a weekend you might want to consider a very part-time gig or volunteering.

I renewed my ALA membership and continued serving on various ACRL committees, which I felt was crucial for maintaining ties to the profession.

I also started my own blog about librarianship to help motivate me to stay up-to-date on trends and research in libraries and librarianship. Because I was no longer a practicing librarian I didn’t have professional experiences to draw upon for my blog. So I focused on reading the library-related literature (journals, blogs, books, etc.) and making connections between my part-time work and what I’d previously experienced as a professional librarian. I would highly recommend writing or starting a blog to anyone taking some time off.
– Veronica Arellano Douglas, Leave of two years.
Prior title: Psychology & Social Work Librarian at the University of Houston;
Current title: Reference & Instruction Librarian at St. Mary’s College of Maryland

The first year, I didn’t do very much. My husband took a job that moved us out of state when I was halfway through my pregnancy. Between the move and the new baby it was a bit overwhelming to say the least. Gradually I started attending training classes, joined the state chapter’s library association, and kept up my ALA membership. The ALA offers a good rate for librarians that are not currently employed. Joining the local state’s listserv provided insight into the local job climate.
– Aimee Haley, Leave of three and a half years.
Prior title: Librarian (Public Library);
Current title: Librarian (Public Library)

I am sure it was helpful in terms of my re-employment prospects that I’ve always been a children’s librarian. My first child was born in 1983 and my third in 1989.

To stay relevant professionally during my maternity leave I reviewed children’s books for School Library Journal and Kirkus (as I’d been doing before I had children.)

I also devised a program for parents (which they attended with their babies) called “Baby Booktalks” during which I introduced a substantial number of books which my own baby (later babies, plural) enjoyed having read to them. This was beginning in 1983 when it was not so widely acknowledged that babies loved to be read to. It was even before the explosion of board book publication, so there were fewer books for very young babies available. I took this program to many libraries in Westchester County and New York City over the next five years or so.

I was lucky enough to be asked to serve on the Caldecott Calendar Committee of ALSC in 1983-84 and then later the Caldecott Award Committee itself (1989) and both those opportunities were exciting and rewarding professionally.

And, of course, I used public libraries unceasingly the entire time I was home with the kids.
– Miriam Lang Budin, Leave of eleven years.
Prior title: Children’s Librarian, Larchmont Public Library;
Current title: Head of Children’s Services, Chappaqua Library

By the time my son was 3 months old I had a serious case of cabin fever, and I really missed being a children’s librarian. I had been attending prenatal and then post-natal classes at a local non-profit organization called Blossom Birth Services and I had gotten to know the director and the organization pretty well. I approached them with an idea for a weekly Book Babies storytime that I could lead on a volunteer basis and keep my little boy with me while I did it. The program is still going; I lead it for 3 years and it has now been taken over by one of my regulars now that I’m busier. Volunteering gave me positive references, a fresh resume, new storytelling tricks and the confidence that came from knowing that my professional skills were not getting rusty.

– Cen Campbell, Leave of two years, and gradually adding more part-time projects bit by bit.
Prior title: Teen Services Coordinator/Youth Services Librarian, Stanislaus County Library;
Current title: Children’s Librarian/Digital Services Consultant, LittleeLit.com, Mountain View Library, Santa Clara County Library District

I was fortunate to live in Chicago and to have worked for five years for the Chicago Public Library. I had made some good relationships, so when there was consulting work to do (like make presentations in library branches about their “preschool boxes” or to come up with booklists for a particular project) they called on me. It made me feel better about myself, and it also forced me to keep up with the field.

I also did some networking so that companies like Scott Foresman knew I was available to do consulting work, so I had a number of projects with them. The pace of work was extremely uneven, but it all helped me stay relevant. As a result of the writing jobs I had done, I was contacted by the editor of the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books when they needed a reviewer, and I have continued to work as a children’s book reviewer ever since. These days, you can do some of the same things by blogging regularly—look at Betsy Bird (Fuse 8)—but it does take a lot of commitment to build a voice.

I also volunteered in my sons’ school in their library—I helped them weed their collection (“Someday, man may land on the moon!”) and helped them with automation. It’s great real-world experience, and helps keep you up to date with kids and with teachers.

– Susan Dove Lempke, Leave of ten years.
Prior title: Children’s Librarian I, Chicago Public Library
Current title: Assistant Library Director for Youth, Programming and Technology, Niles, IL

Any experience that can be used for a resume is valuable. I volunteered in my children’s school library, helped run the book fair and became the webmaster for the PTO website. I also kept my association membership active, that way I could kept abreast of what was happening in the field and stay connected. There are some great professional blogs out there as well.

– Jeanette Lundgren, Leave of nine years from LIS (five spent working in the tech industry)
Prior to leaving LIS: Information Center Specialist, American Society of Training & Development (ASTD)
Re-Entry position: Reference Librarian, Hudson public library
Current title: Systems Librarian, Becker College

Professional Associations: You may want to consider continuing or adding professional memberships. Sections and committees are always looking for people to help out. If you cannot attend physical meetings, some groups conduct virtual meetings. Look for newsletters that you can contribute articles to. Maybe you can help by making phone calls or updating the website or wiki? There is always work to be done you just need to let people know that you are willing to help. Keep you eye out for conference submission dates. You may want to share your knowledge by presenting as part of a panel or poster session. Staying involved will keep you happy and allow you to maintain and grow your professional network.

Online Classes: Since I have an interest in web design, I enrolled in online courses through my local community college, including CSS and PHP. I had to pay to take these classes but there are tons of free learning opportunities out there. Take a look at offerings from your local public library. My county library system offers access to Lynda.com for blocks of time. This resource offers video tutorials for technical topics including programming, image editing, and web design. My place of work and local library offer free online adult education courses through Universal Class. If you have access to this site, check it out. Course offerings range from Feng Shui to Basic Parenting 101. Free training can be found on sites such as GLC Learn Free or even You Tube.

Facebook: I joined WordPress and Librarians, a Facebook group, a little over a year ago and have been blown away by the level of support provided by its members. It is so helpful to go back into the archives and locate information in any WordPress question I can think of. I have also asked questions of the group and received responses within seconds. My experience with WordPress & Librarians led me to form Technology Training & Librarians. The group has members from across the country, sharing skills and resources. Asking questions of the group will help you to expand your knowledge, while answering questions is a great way to help others while enhancing your professional reputation.

Online Magazines and Websites: Many magazines offer free access to articles through their websites. Current articles on a variety of topics are always available through EbscoHost and other online subscriptions. One great resource is the American Libraries website at http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/. Click on “Archives” to view articles from past and present issues.

Blogs: Subscribe to library and non-library blogs through Google Reader or other subscription services. With the popularity of Facebook and Twitter, it is easy to forget about blogs, but following your favorites through RSS feeds is a fast and easy way to stay informed. Different sites, including EduBlogs put out a list of the best library blogs each year and can provide some good starting points for you.

Twitter: The first step is to find some librarians to follow that tweet about your interests. Then find a few to follow that tweet about topics beyond your interests. If I cannot attend a conference, I will often locate the hash tag to find out what was discussed, as well as read the reactions of attendees. This is also a great way to find links to conference handouts, presentations, audio, and video. If you are having trouble finding librarians to follow, the section of Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki can help you get started. You can also use the Twitter search feature to find people to follow. Perform a search on a topic that interests you and then start following the person with the most interesting tweets.

Listservs: Listserv memberships are a great way to learn about free webinars and services that other libraries are offering to their users. Members often ask for advice and this is a great opportunity for you to share your knowledge and expand your network. Do not limit your memberships to local organizations. It is always interesting to hear what people are doing in other parts of the country or even the world.

Webinars: The number of free webinars out there is amazing. Nobody has to know that you are home with two babies while you are listening. Webinar archives can often be accessed if you are unable to attend at the time that are originally offered. You may take advantage of webinars through your local consortium but free webinars are also available from other parts of the country or even the world.

Volunteer Work/ Part-Time Employment: After the birth of my first daughter, I became involved in my local Mom’s Club where I volunteered a great deal of my time. Maybe you have a talent that you could apply towards teaching an adult education class or a program once a week at your local library? Maybe you can volunteer your time at your child’s school? You may want to consider something tangible that will eliminate gaps in your resume. There are options out there that do not require a large time commitment.

Conclusion: My intention was not to overwhelm. I have listed several options here but you do not have to do everything all at once. Have fun and keep learning!

– Theresa Agostinelli, Leave from full time work of seven and a half years and counting
Prior title: Electronic Resources Librarian, Monroe Township Public Library
Current title: Instructional/Educational Services Librarian, Monroe Township Public Library

I left the full-time library world for 16 years, so there was a lot of time for me to do things. < g >.

When I first left work it was to take care of my infant daughter. I knew that I needed to have some professional activities to put on my resume for the time I was home with her. I wanted to keep building skills that would be useful in my professional life, but didn’t want to be committed to a rigid or full-time schedule – my baby was my priority, not work. I decided to search out volunteer opportunities and part time employment that would fit around my family commitments.When Anna was about 1.5 years old I ran for and was elected to my town library’s board or trustees. I served for six years, five of them as chair. During that time I also I wrote for my local paper as a part -time reporter and columnist, and ran for and was elected to the school board. Through these volunteer positions and part-time work I kept my hand in the library world, gained experience with boards, budgets, politics, and learned how to write clearly and on a deadline.

When my daughters were ages 6 and 8, they were increasingly unhappy with school and given my knowledge of child development and how schools worked (from serving on the board for four years at that time) I knew that things were not going to get better. My husband and I decided to pull Anna and Molly from school to homeschool them. My library experience proved invaluable to me as a homeschooling parent. I was already was confident that people could learn independently, outside of school, and I understood how to use the resources a library offered.

When Molly and Anna were 9 and 11 years old I began working as a reference librarian part-time. I took jobs that had evening and weekend hours so that my husband could be home with the girls. I did that for approximately five years.

– Cara Barlow, Leave of sixteen years

Prior title: State Aid Specialist, Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners

Current title: Supervisor, Music, Art & Media Department, Nashua Public Library

Kept up library association memberships–for me, ALA and NCLA (North Carolina Library Association), and some years, YALSA; volunteered for 1 2-hour shift each week for NCknows, an NC virtual reference collaboration (I did this while employed, so it was easy to keep doing it from home); reading library blogs and magazines; submitted and had accepted one chapter to a library book publication

-Anonymous, leave of eighteen months and counting

Prior title: Evening Services Coordinator at a University Library

Thank YOU for reading!

4 Comments

Filed under Academic, Extended Leaves of Absence, Further Answers, Topical Series

by Emily@HiringLibrarians | November 1, 2012 · 7:09 am

CLA for Job Hunters

The California Library Association Conference is this weekend in San Jose.

Looking over the program, I can see they’ve created a Career and Staff Development track, which includes three sessions that should be of interest to job hunters:

SATURDAY 11/3: Session B: 10:30AM-11:30AM:

Testing the Limits: A Toolkit Check-Up for Prospective Academic Librarians

Adolfo Prieto, CSU Fullerton

Do you think you have reached the limits of what you can do to prepare for a career in an academic library? There are a variety of resources available to help prospective academic librarians prepare for their careers. In this session, participants will have an opportunity to review the tools they use to be competitive for academic librarianship as well as to learn about new tools and approaches they may incorporate into their plan for landing their first position.

SATURDAY 11/3: Session C: 1:00PM-2:00PM

Follow Your Heart: Parlaying Your Interests into Career Opportunities

Cindy Mediavilla, California State Library and UCLA Department of Information Studies

Are you at a crossroads in your career and don’t know which way to go? Follow your heart by taking a self-inventory of your interests and what skills and knowledge you can offer others. Cindy Mediavilla will discuss how to market your services to potential employers and clients by first identifying what’s of most importance to you. Audience members will have a chance to brainstorm potential career paths based on their professional–and personal–interests.

SUNDAY 11/4: Session H: 11:00AM-12:30PM

A New Career Path for Library Support Staff: the Library Support Staff Certification Program

Nancy Bolt, Nancy Bolt & Associates

The ALA sponsored Library Support Staff Certification (LSSC) Program is a new, alternative career path, in the library profession that recognizes the critical role of support staff in libraries. Through certification, support staff can demonstrate existing and learn new knowledge and skills, gain self-confidence and self-esteem, and contribute to the betterment of the library where they work. This interactive program will discuss LSSC eligibility, the ALA competencies that make up the program, cost, and assistance available to candidates, and tips for success. LSSC candidates in California will be invited to share their reasons for applying to become an LSSC candidate.

And it looks like a couple of the poster sessions might be of interest as well, at least from the perspective of understanding what hiring managers are thinking:

SATURDAY 11/3: 12:00-1:00PM

Partnerships for Launching Successful Recruitment

Julie Mason, UC Riverside; Patricia Smith-Hunt, UC Riverside

The IE LEADS initiative is a successful collaboration of libraries (public, academic, and special) in the greater Ontario-Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area (Inland Empire) committed to recruiting and educating new librarians to serve in our diverse communities. This poster illustrates the many unique opportunities (professional development, internship, and mentoring ) that the IE LEADS project provides for MLIS students and library staff through the support of the IMLS Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program.

SUNDAY 11/4: 12:30-1:30PM

Leading Innovation: LAPL’s Residency Program

Amy Bradley, Los Angeles Public Library; Gloria Grover, Los Angeles Public Library; Cindy Mediavilla, Project Manager

Although most post-MLIS residency programs occur in academic libraries, the Los Angeles Public Library recently conducted a 6-month pilot to test the various elements contributing to a successful public library residency. Project participants will be on hand to discuss their experience.

And oh yeah…

I’m doing a poster session too!

On SATURDAY 11/3: 12:00-1:00PM, my research partner and I will be presenting: Ready, Set, On The Go: How Bay Area Libraries Use On-Call Librarians. We’ll be talking more about the results of an exploratory survey study about the hiring, management, and treatment of on-call librarians in the San Francisco Bay Area. We first introduced our work at the Library 2.012 conference. If you’d like to listen to a recording of that presentation, look at our slides and script, or preview our topics for CLA, please visit our project website.

BUT, even if you are not interested in our research, please stop by and say hi!

I would love to meet you!

Library 2.012 for Job Hunters

Do you know about the Library 2.012 conference?

Co-founded by my alma mater, the key concept for this conference is “inclusive.” There are over 150 presentations from all over the globe, covering a wide range of today’s (and tomorrow’s) library issues. Best of all, it’s FREE! You won’t even occur any travel costs, because the content is all delivered virtually to you in the comfort of your own home or office.

I combed through the 150 presentations and picked out four which look particularly relevant to job hunters. You can click on the link to learn more about them, and you can figure out when they will be presented by looking at the schedule. I don’t really know anything more about these, so I’m not endorsing them, just pointing them out, ok?

Campaigning for a Library Job: Maximizing Professional Development Opportunities to Differentiate Yourself From Other Applicants

Presented by Suzanna Conrad, Digital Initiatives Librarian, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

In tough economic times it can be daunting to even get interviews, much less land a job. The library field has been heavily impacted by budget cuts and the stagnated economy. How can new librarians navigate the limited opportunities and still differentiate themselves from the hundreds of applications many HR departments are receiving for one position? Within this presentation, the co-presenters will talk about their “campaigns” to find full-time professional librarian positions in two different types of institutions and how they augmented their resumes with professional development activities such as association and committee involvement, publications and speaking engagements to differentiate themselves from other applicants. The presentation will also address the importance of professional development involvement to the future of the profession.

Social Media Trifecta: Tools for Your Job Search

Presented by Africa Hands, Librarian/Information Professional, Hands On Research Solutions

Librarians have been using social media for several years to promote their services and institution. This presentation will focus on ways librarians can use social media for self-promotion and career advancement. Presenters will discuss how to take your blog efforts from soap box and sounding board to sales and professional marketing material; how to use LinkedIn to build online relationships, find opportunities, and demonstrate expertise; and provide an overview for setting up and using your Twitter profile to network and mine the Internet for employment opportunities.

Librarians A-Twitter: how to use Twitter for networking and professional development

Presented by Elizabeth Psyck, Liaison Librarian, Grand Valley State University

This session will look at what Twitter is and how librarians across the country are currently using it to meet and keep in touch with colleagues and participate in events. This will not be a discussion of how to use Twitter to promote your library and its services. The emphasis is on personal/professional development and networking. Different types of accounts (personal and/or professional; anonymous/semi-anonymous/named) will be discussed along with the benefits and drawbacks of each. New users will learn what Twitter is and how to use it. More advanced users will get tips on how to develop personal learning networks and participate in conversations with colleagues. Strategies for finding accounts to follow, how to participate in discussions, and how to keep from being overrun with spam will be presented. Participation in conferences and events via Twitter will be demonstrated.

Leadership and Career Success for the 21st Century Information Professional

Presented by Lisa Chow, Library Journal Mover & Shaker, People Interact

Anyone can be a leader. You don’t need to be in a leadership position to develop leadership skills. In three simple and easy to remember concepts, participants will learn valuable tips, tricks and tools for paving the way to leadership and career success in the 21st century.
Objectives:
1. Participants will conduct an individualized career analysis.
2. Participants will receive an overview of useful tips and tools.
3. Participants will be equipped with practical career strategies that can be implemented immediately.

And oh by the way! Because I know you appreciate shameless self-promotion:

I’m presenting!

My former classmate Sarah Naumann and I will be presenting the results of our study of the way that San Francisco Bay Area libraries use on-call librarians. It will take place on October 3rd at 7PM Pacific. Come and check it out! It’s my first time ever presenting at a conference, so only the most gentle of heckling, please. When the conference has started, this link should take you directly to our presentation:

https://sas.ell uminate.com/d.j nlp?sid=2008350 &password=L20Pa rt60

Will you be presenting, attending, or volunteering? Leave a comment and let us know!

Tag Archives: Professional development

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SATURDAY 11/3: Session B: 10:30AM-11:30AM:

Testing the Limits: A Toolkit Check-Up for Prospective Academic Librarians

SATURDAY 11/3: Session C: 1:00PM-2:00PM

Follow Your Heart: Parlaying Your Interests into Career Opportunities

SUNDAY 11/4: Session H: 11:00AM-12:30PM

A New Career Path for Library Support Staff: the Library Support Staff Certification Program

SATURDAY 11/3: 12:00-1:00PM

Partnerships for Launching Successful Recruitment

SUNDAY 11/4: 12:30-1:30PM

Leading Innovation: LAPL’s Residency Program

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