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Next step job advice question: So I recently applied and interviewed for a job and didn't get it. Without feedback I can only assume that I was beaten by someone who had more supervisory experience than I do. And they didn't provide a phone number to call and ask questions otherwise, I totally would. My current public library is very short on opportunities for people in adult services to get supervisory experience so the little I do have has been scrouged around from supervising interns, volunteers and one weird situation that I wouldn't even call supervising. But it looks good on a resume. Miraculously though, an opportunity has arisen. But it is hardly ideal. A couple of employees are getting married and one of them needs to move branches so that they're kept away from each other... or something. I'm not precisely sure, but whatever, that's another basket of library politics. The suggestion is that the male employee at the branch switch places with one of the L1s at the main branch. I am one such L1. I would still work in adult services. I would supervise shelvers. I would also supervise the maintenance of the building. There is a lot of opportunity for change. All really good resume builders. I'm also currently bored by my current position, so I am looking for a big change. Thus endeth the good list. The bad list: I would have to move to the most hated branch in the system. I would be working with people who have very bad reputations about their attitudes. The building has literally been checked to see if it has a Native American curse on it because it has more building maintenance issues than should be possible despite the fact that it is less than 10 years old (ie doors will not lock on a regular basis, brickwork has been dislodged by ice, elevators have been replaced twice, etc, etc). The supervisor of record is an incompetent (not just in my opinion either, but straight from the mouths of administration), I would have the likelihood of getting the branch manager to be my supervisor, but she is disengaged from her staff and that would set up a very weird dynamic to have me working in adult services but not supervised by the AS supervisor. And my current branch manager has said to me "If you go there, you will be frustrated by the AS supervisor. I get no pay increase. The administration is pretty blind to the situation and thinks that it is a wonderful opportunity and aren't they so generous for finding this advancement opportunity for adult staff who are clearly no priority. And their mantra is "just say yes" and "sometimes you have to take the hard jobs to advance". Coming off the fresh sting of a lost interview opportunity, it's looking way more appealing than it did last week. I also think I can fill my extra time with Continuing Education for IT related courses so that way I have another advancement possibility and I won't have to spend the whole time hating my coworkers. Am I crazy for even considering it?
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Mar 19, 2015 12:52
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Well what's your exit strategy if it goes south?
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Mar 19, 2015 13:33
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Are you the person who would lose their job/not get a step increase/get a bad reference if all this poo poo hit the fan? Are you cool with doing most of the work for 2+ years all by yourself, if you can't get folks motivated and rallied behind you to make changes? Are you cool with being your own boss, except for random flat "No"s that come down from on high with no warning and no explanation? And, most importantly, are you still job hunting right now, and would you continue to do so even if you got this transfer? Because it looks like either you'll end up doing everything, from your description. I'm not saying don't do it, but how chill are you with said people who have bad reputations about their attitudes? (I'm seriously in that exact same situation, with my past couple interviews. Do you have the folk's email? It's not impolite to ask via email what qualifications the candidate who was chosen had that you didn't, so you can work at being a stronger candidate in the future, or however you want to word it. Every time I have, I've gotten very nice and encouraging responses from the library directors.)
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Mar 19, 2015 14:35
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Exit strategy: none. And it will likely go south. But by being the new blood and coming from a healthy background of doing good work I will likely get the benefit of the doubt in any altercations. And also, since I pretty much get to make my own terms as to how and why I will go over there, I can basically keep coming back to the main branch for system-wide projects, limiting my time at the branch. I think I have to tough it out like Toph said for as many years as it takes until another opportunity shakes loose. I am willing to do the dirty work and in fact will probably thrive on it for a good year before I start putting Vodka in my coffee or whatever it is cynical librarians do to cope. But there is also the distinct possibility that I go in there and can start changing things for the better. I'm still optimistic enough to think this. I am definitely keeping my options open and do not look upon this opportunity as any sort of permanent arrangement. But after talking with my current supervisor (who has been left out of the conversation, due to the wisdom of administration) and he said that even though he doesn't want to get the new employee and lose the good employee, he wants to see me get the experience since he knows that it's practically impossible to move up without being handed the job. He said the adverse interpersonal situations while likely to be awful, will be good examples to use in future interviews. I am practically willingly turning my life into a train wreck. I hope it'll be grand. And thank you Toph, I think the woman who emailed me would absolutely answer my query for feedback. She was in the interview and seemed very nice.
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Mar 19, 2015 15:57
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a friendly penguin posted:But by being the new blood and coming from a healthy background of doing good work I will likely get the benefit of the doubt in any altercations. Unless you know for a fact the higher-ups have a habit of looking at things this way, I am confident in stating that this is the opposite of how things will go.
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Mar 20, 2015 00:01
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Uhhhh Generally the older staff are harder to reprimand. Younger staff have a bullseye on their back.
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Mar 20, 2015 00:18
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Well, no one is going to be reprimanded. They'll likely ignore the problem. Thiis is an administration of do nothings. Retire/Die already!
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Mar 20, 2015 01:09
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Took the librarian civil service exam today at a county position I applied for, if anyone's considering applying for a public library job that has a similar requirement. The majority of the exam was pretty simple customer service and management skill questions, reading comprehension questions like you'd see in a high school English test, and looking through sets of data for discrepancies. Other parts included doing basic math on pencil and paper with no calculator (PEMDAS materiel), questions about library terminology and general procedures, filing questions (put a list of authors or titles in the correct order), and looking at simulated library card applications versus a template to spot errors.
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Mar 20, 2015 03:36
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Via the Annoyed Librarian: http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/2015/02/16/advice-for-a-prospective-librarian/ "Advice for a Prospective Librarian" Original Question: quote:Do you think, with my experience, that such an investment in a MLIS degree is worth it? I know only I can really answer this question, but since I’ve been in the field for years, I am wondering if I should just make it “official” and become an “actual librarian.” Answer: quote:Has the situation gotten better? I’m not seeing as many complaints online about job searches taking years. From what little I know about library schools, they might not be quite so packed as they were a few years ago.
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Mar 20, 2015 14:39
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Wow, that was pretty tame from the Annoyed Librarian. Does anyone follow the blog on the regular? And what are everyone's thoughts on the opinions expressed therein? I think it's good for devil's advocate conversation starters but I don't follow it regularly enough to know if it's still relevant.
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Mar 20, 2015 22:57
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VideoTapir posted:Unless you know for a fact the higher-ups have a habit of looking at things this way, I am confident in stating that this is the opposite of how things will go. Insane Totoro posted:Uhhhh I've actually found this not to be the case. Unless you're jacking off in front of children, shilling religion to every patron you talk to, or something crazy like that, usually no one gets seriously reprimanded for anything, or at worst it's a slap on the wrist and a promise never to do it again, because the effort of documenting a series of behaviors, giving them to HR, getting the person fired, running an ad, shuffling schedules to fill in for the currently empty position, sifting through 100+ job applicants, forming a search committee, doing phone interviews, then 2nd round interviews, hoping that the person you get is actually the person they presented themself as in the interview, training that person on the software/equipment/procedures specific to your system... is way way harder than just doing nothing and living with the "devil you know" if they're meeting basic competence most of the time. Which is how so many of these folks have kept their jobs over the years despite not really trying very hard, as they transform from younger and mobile to older and entrenched. 
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Mar 20, 2015 23:23
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I wasn't talking about punishment for doing something wrong, I was talking about management taking sides in a conflict between a senior and a junior employee. If accusations come from the senior employee, junior is hosed, possibly even if they can be proved false.
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Mar 20, 2015 23:26
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So, I have recently decided to bite the bullet and get my MLIS. I've had a rather good run of luck so far and haven't actually needed to get the master's degree in order to be employed in libraries (I spent two years working in the Harvard archives as a Page and another four years working in Yale's archives as an assistant cataloger), but I recently had to relocate and take a few years off in order to be a Stay-at-Home Dad. Now, however, the kids are old enough that I can throw them into pre-school and get back into the work force! That being said, in the OP it mentions that your "basic" librarian should know how to code. I guess this may be an elementary type question, but which languages do you think are the most worthwhile to learn? I'd like to take a class or two at a community college while waiting for my grad. application/working as a paraprofessional to shore up the currently non-existent coding/technical side of my resume, but I have to confess I don't know which languages would be considered to be marketable in this profession (outside of HTML). I am going to try to pivot away from academic libraries and focus on public ones, since I moved to a region of the country where there just isn't nearly as many colleges or universities as there are back east (and re-locating for a job isn't a possibility anymore since my wife is the family's chief earner) - so any technical skills that would benefit me in that market will be what I'm going to focus on moving forward. Thanks!
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Mar 23, 2015 05:00
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Hot Dog Day #82 posted:That being said, in the OP it mentions that your "basic" librarian should know how to code. I guess this may be an elementary type question, but which languages do you think are the most worthwhile to learn? Anything anything else web-related. Not just HTML, the whole suite: HTML/PHP/CSS/Javascript/SQL I've seen some job listings asking for Ruby on Rails (about which I know nothing) in academic libraries, too. Haven't noticed it outside that setting. Not that I know this language, but based on what I know about it and the kind of data that librarians and related professions routinely handle: Python. Learn how to manage databases and you'll make a good systems librarian. In a small library system, though, that might make you the de facto head of IT; so you'll need to know general PC maintenance and repair, and have a handle on networking, too. This is based on my job searches which ended over a year ago when I decided to go back to school, on things I ran across while volunteering, and on things that were woefully neglected (and which I never got authorized to fix) when I was actually working as a librarian. Second opinions are definitely required.
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Mar 23, 2015 06:42
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If they are asking for ruby in rails in academy I wouldn't be surprised if they either have or are considering a hydra repository,
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Mar 23, 2015 15:46
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Code Academy has been very helpful for me in brushing up on all of those. The documentation is a little sparse in places, forcing you to either figure it out on your own or occasionally go searching online for answers, but the method of instruction, the pacing, and the instant feedback are lovely. And the cost is exactly in my price range.
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Mar 23, 2015 16:27
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Welp I've officially enrolled for the fall.  Time to get to work on all those technical skills you guys so helpfully let me know about, thanks!
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Mar 26, 2015 08:58
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Good luck dude! a friendly penguin posted:Wow, that was pretty tame from the Annoyed Librarian. I'm pretty sure she's just trolling half the time. But the fact that she's writing this even as a form of satire and she's pushing a lot of people's buttons? Makes you think.
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Mar 26, 2015 13:34
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Depressed that it's Friday? Never fear, time for an Annoyed Librarian moment. http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/2015/02/02/the-new-trend-in-library-use/ (AKA "Camgirls, in MY LIBRARY??") quote:So would a lot of community members like to see young women baring their breasts? Absolutely. Didn't some librarian actually suggest that public libraries set up private Internet rooms in case adults had legitimate reasons to access information that wasn't appropriate for children? Win win
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Mar 27, 2015 14:02
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FYI I have a library tech position I am trying to fill in Philadelphia. If you or someone you know who fits the description and would be interested to apply please forward this on. Note that position isn't strictly for a librarian, but certainly more in line of some of what I need for digital scholarship type stuff these days: Academic Information Technology and Support Technician, Digital Scholarship Center Summary: The Temple University Libraries are seeking a creative and energetic individual to fill the position of Academic Information Technology and Support Technician. This position is an opportunity to engage with the digital humanities, digital scholarship and open source software and hardware communities. Temple’s federated library system serves an urban research university with over 1,800 full-time faculty and a student body of 36,000 that is among the most diverse in the nation. For more information about Temple and Philadelphia, visit http://www.temple.edu. Primary Duties and Responsibilities: The Academic Information Technology and Support Technician , reporting to the Librarian/Coordinator of Digital Scholarship Service Development, is responsible for configuring and managing both public and staff facing software platforms on Windows, Mac and Linux desk top and server environments. This position is critical to the delivery of essential applications and services for Temple University Libraries’ newly created Digital Scholarship Center (DSC). The AITST is expected to keep abreast of new and developing technologies, track ongoing trends in digital scholarship, and communicate recommendations to the Temple University community. The incumbent researches, recommends, tests and subsequently implements innovative, open source software applications that are well suited for digital scholarship activities. The AITST assists in setting priorities and timelines for these projects, and then defines and implements strategy for the projects he/she manages. They assist patrons with the migration and transformation of complex data sets, both large and small. The AITST is expected to train other library staff as well as DSC patrons on how these cutting-edge applications can be applied within a specific discipline or field of study, as well as engage patrons and maintain software that is regularly updated via the open source community. Performs related duties as assigned. Essential Functions: Install, upgrade, manage, and troubleshoot hardware, software, and other types of equipment that constitute the DSC server environment Keep abreast of new and developing technologies, track ongoing trends in digital scholarship, and communicate recommendations to the Temple University community Assist in setting priorities and timelines for these projects, and then defines and implements strategy for the projects he/she manages Clearly and accurately report on projects on a consistent basis Test and evaluate new software applications, hardware, and other types of equipment for use in the DSC Train patrons, DSC and other library staff in the use of software, hardware and equipment for digital scholarship use Provide support for software, hardware and other equipment specially designated for a DSC Supervise student workers who assist in supporting software, hardware and other equipment in the DSC Assist in the migration and transformation of large and small data sets for DSC, library staff and patrons Maintain a presence in and knowledge of the open source community for relevant open source software and hardware used in the DSC · Provide occasional after-hours support for upgrades or to respond to technical issues Required Education and Experience: Bachelors in Computer Science or a related field and 2 years of experience working in an academic environment. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered. Required Skills and Abilities: · System administration skills in Linux/Apache/MySQL/PHP environments · Demonstrated familiarity with Mac and Windows operating systems · Demonstrated understanding of the open source community, how to communicate with it, and how to work with and maintain installations of open source software · Strong communication skills · Excellent interpersonal skills; ability to work with and train individuals and small groups on use of software applications · Ability to manage one's time and organize small-scale projects · Ability to work well in teams · Ability to provide occasional after-hours support for upgrades or to respond to technical issues Preferred Skills and Abilities: · Familiarity with software used in a variety of digital scholarship areas including but not limited to: o GIS (ex. CartoDB, ArcGIS, Google Fusion Tables) o Data cleaning (ex. Notepad ++, Open Refine) o Textual analysis (ex. RStudio, Mallet) o Dissemination tools (ex. Omeka, Scalar) o Data visualization (ex. Gephi) o 3D Technologies and environments (ex. Sketchup, Oculus Rift) · Awareness of data management and data transformation issues · Understanding of and ability to work with and troubleshoot a local area network with a variety of devices. Compensation: Competitive salary and benefits package. To apply: To apply for this position, please visit https://www.temple.edu click on Careers at Temple, and reference TU-18985. For full consideration, please submit your completed electronic application, along with a cover letter and resume. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Temple University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer with a strong commitment to cultural diversity.
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Apr 17, 2015 17:34
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I'm interviewing in one week for a GRA archival position that would start the summer before my archival studies program actually begins. I have the language skills for the position and the historical background, but not necessarily the technical skills the job will employ. Any advice on how I should prep for this interview? Is it good to be upfront about my need and desire to learn these skills, and focus on my other strengths, or should I spend the next week scrambling to learn about the required skills I currently lack? Given the short time frame, it probably is a matter of choosing between practicing my language skills (which may be out of practice, and are essential for the job) and learning about these practical skills. And unfortunately the GRA posting has been taken down since the deadline has passed, so I can't even look up what the actual skills are. It was mostly specific archival cataloging tools I think.
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May 6, 2015 08:53
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Be honest. Create a plan for how you plan to acquire all the skills you need. Mention that you'd work with a supervisor and make that plan happen at a pace they'd be comfortable with. And mention you're dedicated to always having continuing education etc. Etc.
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May 7, 2015 00:58
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Insane Totoro posted:Be honest.
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May 14, 2015 07:44
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Woo! 
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May 14, 2015 13:47
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I've been sending applications all over and I've just been rejected by the fourth place to interview me.  I've been a reference librarian for years and I'm trying to move out to a new city, but the job search has felt as hopeless as it did when I was just out of library school. There just aren't enough Smiths to describe how I feel right now.I worry that I'm a terrible librarian, but no one's telling me. My employee evaluations are good. I seem to do OK at my job. Yet I'm paranoid that I'm actually quite stupid and maybe everyone at my library is incompetent or not that bright (a few for sure) by comparison. Or maybe I'm just a contemptuous rear end in a top hat and that's not true? I don't feel challenged at my library, and it bothers me. In my most recent interview the panel had really sharp questions and they knew exactly what they were doing. At my dept. we never talk about developments in the field of library science and we don't get enough time to do library instruction at all, let alone analyze it. I've developed a lot professionally since I began working here, but lately I feel stuck in a rut. Does anyone have any advice for early-to-mid career librarians? My advice to prospective librarians so far is: don't expect it to get any better 
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May 30, 2015 17:35
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My advice to prospective librarians: If you're not challenged, start looking for ways to get challenged. Volunteer for or suggest projects of substance at your work. Have you read any recent library publications? Sort through the chaff and be inspired. Apply the lessons to your library. Analyze the processes at your library and find ways to improve it. There is often a very basic tech or work flow solution to implement. Does your library have all of its processes and procedures documented? If not, hop to it and start writing. Have your patrons expressed any sort of need? If they haven't, are there liaison committees that bridge that gap in communication? No? Start one. Any underrepresented groups in your community? Put the professional development in high gear and get into committees or local associations. Attend continuing education sessions. Volunteer to develop a continuing education session. If you have time to say you're not challenged, you have time to commit to volunteering or otherwise contributing time and resources to professional development. And if you talk it up right you can do it on work time! Basically don't be complacent. Do something. Get back to basics. Everyone wants to be a special snowflake librarian because we're told we need to be. That's a lie perpetuated by the library hipster industrial complex. Hone those traditional librarian skills and fill that practical librarian role. Insane Totoro fucked around with this message at 20:38 on May 30, 2015 |
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May 30, 2015 20:32
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quote:Put the professional development in high gear and get into committees or local associations. Attend continuing education sessions. Volunteer to develop a continuing education session. I do a lot of stuff like that. I've worked with library associations, been to webinars and conferences, done some presentations of my own. I've been proud of that work, but my work within the actual library has become much less fulfilling over the years. quote:Does your library have all of its processes and procedures documented? If not, hop to it and start writing. Oh Lord! If I tried to do that my supervisor would get her panties in a twist. Since I'm the person who edits our website, I've had conversations like this before about our policies. One of our bosses is currently working updating the polices, because our college keeps its official policies in a special part of the site which I cannot edit. I asked them, "Shouldn't we have our rules in plain sight on the website so that people might actually read and obey them?" But they said no. As far as I know, she hasn't updated them all yet because she has to consult with other depts. within the library. quote:If they haven't, are there liaison committees that bridge that gap in communication? No? Start one.  "Does that clear up why I'm feeling so all the time and why I'm thinking of leaving? What I don't understand is why I keep getting interviews and then not getting jobs. Maybe I'm terrible, I don't know.
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May 31, 2015 22:02
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Syntax Erin posted:Does that clear up why I'm feeling so I am almost 100% in your position, and have been looking to move on from my present job for about a year now. I've sent out about 80 resumes, and have gotten 5 interviews. It's not just you, it's that's the job market is insanely competitive depending on where you live, and where you're applying. If you're looking anywhere in New England, for example, it's a really tough market. Everyone wants to work there, and there are a lot of schools. The first interview I had was one of the worst experiences I've ever been through. I spent most of the day being dressed down by an elderly African American woman whose best friend had just retired, and who definitely knew more than I did. She didn't like me, and made it clear throughout every interaction that she thought I was an unqualified idiot who had no business being anywhere near a university, in a library, or even speaking with her. A good number of my answers to her questions resulted in an explosion of anger, where she shout-lectured me using the same voice you use to address a small child who was just about to touch a lit stove. I seriously considered abandoning librarianship as a career after this. They ended up hiring no one for the position, and the person they did eventually hire was someone with the exact same qualifications as me. She quit the job a month or two after. I then resolved to stop being creepy and letting this bother me. Sometimes it works. The others were perfectly lovely experiences, with very nice people that seemed genuinely interested in me and my ideas. I was the close runner up in a couple of the cases, with the other candidates having slightly more managerial experience or being slightly better catalogers. It's always been just slightly, the sort of thing where there isn't actually anything you can do to improve or work on without changing your focus completely. One of the directors was nice enough to write me a letter of introduction to another library I applied at, though sadly that library already had a candidate in mind when they posted their opening. Such things are totally out of your control. But I still worry sometimes that it's me, that I'm a huge failure that had just floated through somehow without anyone noticing that I don't belong here. Like a lot of professions, we're very prone to imposter syndrome. If you're someone who does conference presentations, who works alongside library associations, etc. it's obvious that you aren't bad at your job, and from what you're saying, it seems a lot more like you're caught in a bad organization rather than a bad librarian. If you were. when you did your self analysis, you'd probably have located some of the areas in which you were deficient, right? Are your reference transaction skills up to snuff? Do you know all the best resources in your subject areas? Can you always suss out what the patron is actually asking for? Sure. You wouldn't be asking yourself these questions if you didn't know the answer. You'd be kicking yourself for not knowing about XYZ, rather than wondering about what you don't know. Every time you get a rejection letter, it's completely disheartening, and it leaves you feeling like absolutely poo poo. But (and I hope you'll forgive me getting a little new agey here), because there's nothing we can control but ourselves and our own actions, and without putting yourself back to the wheel and continuing to try, you're not going to get the position you're looking for. Every bad day at work, every frustrating interaction with a clueless superior or lovely co-worker, is fuel for putting out more resumes and writing cover letters. Unfortunately, that poo poo can be like trying to hit the lottery. But you only need to hit it once, you know? It doesn't make it any easier, and it doesn't make it suddenly feel good (because it doesn't, I know and I agree with full sympathy), but what else can we do? As far as early-to-mid career advice goes, as well as things to make your current position more bearable: --Do you have any friends at work? Are they the sort of people you'd enjoy working on projects with? If so, collaboration with others is basically the gold standard, plus you get to hang with folks you enjoy most of the day. --Are there any younger employees you'd like to get to know better? Spending time with the junior librarians will have the double effect of boosting your confidence in your own skills, cluing you in on new developments, and fostering that important "mentor" role. --Are there any jobs above the current one you have you sights set on? If so, how are your managerial skills? Have you volunteered to take over night shifts to be in charge? Can you take on some grad students to help you scan and transcribe records into Omeka? (Or whatever it takes; I have no idea if supervision is part of your current job or not) --Do you spend much time with your immediate supervisor? Do you get along with them? If so, is there anything else you can learn from them? If you don't, is there anything you can learn from this? What do they like and dislike? Does gentle pressure, of the "Great, when can we meet to put something like that together?" work? Figuring out why they don't want to do things and how to address this can often be the key to a better working relationship. --How are you at organizational politics? This is one of those stupid, lovely things about life, and one of the things no one likes to talk about at all, but learning to play them will make life a ton easier. For example, I play D&D once a week with one of the assistant directors, and this has done more to advance my projects than any sort of bargaining or presentation ever could. And I love D&D, so in addition to doing something I would be doing anyways, I'm adding someone in my corner pretty much by default if I don't make an rear end of myself when presenting my idea. I help another out with the local musical theatre group. In any sufficiently large organization, you should find folks with hobbies in common (or at least hobbies you don't hate). If folks are going out after work, go out with them. Accept invitations to go to concerts, go hunting, go crochet, whatever. Being part of an in group will lead to more sympathy, fewer things coming up out of nowhere, and people being more inclined to let you try things. Don't think of this as some weird PUA thing, where "if I go drinking with her, it's worth 3 points, and at 10, I get to ask for a favor" or some kinda BS like that. Think of it more like "People are more willing to do favors for friends" and "Social cues and circumstances are important to bear in mind when asking people to do things for me". --Related to the above, how good are you at making problems not your fault? Can you deflect blame, shift anger, and play "lets you and him fight, so I'm not involved"? Can you calm down someone who comes looking for a fight without getting angry yourself or crumpling like a wet paper towel? How is your responsibility judo? Much like above, I wish this wasn't part of the profession, but it is. If you get the reputation as (to put it unkindly) an "out box" for other people's work, they will dump it on you without really noticing, regardless of how much you want to be seen as responsible and helpful and indispensable. You can only pull someone's fat out of the fire so many times before you're doing their entire job. Let that be someone else's problem, unless you are receiving a tangible benefit from it. "I like them and I want to keep working with them" is a perfectly acceptable answer to this question. "They'll be angry and I'll feel like I let them down" is not (if that is the only reason, and it won't come back to bite you later). Remember that "indispensable" sometimes means "can't be promoted because then who'd do the work?", and that your supervisor is getting the bulk of the credit for your work with their supervisors. --Keep abreast of new developments. Read everything you can get your hands on. Play with the new toys when they arrive and learn why people they are important. Then figure out if they actually will help or not. --Have a life outside the library. So many library affiliated folks I know don't do anything but libraries 24/7, and it drains them to a strange gray whenever something goes wrong at their organization. Make sure you have non-library related hobbies, turn off the email on your phone sometimes, and relax. Leave work problems at work, unless you can somehow solve them at home. This will help keep you sane. Drinking also helps.
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Jun 1, 2015 09:40
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Insane Totoro posted:Basically don't be complacent. Do something. Get back to basics. Everyone wants to be a special snowflake librarian because we're told we need to be. That's a lie perpetuated by the library hipster industrial complex. I've been calling those people Twitter Douche Librarians, but that is a much better term!
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Jun 3, 2015 12:26
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Well it actually is kind of an industry....
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Jun 3, 2015 13:13
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Anyone interested in user experience or web services, fine with being professional staff instead of faculty, and willing to work in the Deep South? We have 2 openings and sorely need good talented people to fill them. eruvande.jd@gmail.com if you want the application links. E: heh, I thought spoiler-tagging your email address was Forums Protocol, as I've only ever seen people post their email addresses in spoiler tags. I know spammers don't care. Chicken McNobody fucked around with this message at 15:16 on Jun 4, 2015 |
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Jun 3, 2015 14:58
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Chicken McNobody posted:Anyone interested in user experience or web services, fine with being professional staff instead of faculty, and willing to work in the Deep South? We have 2 openings and sorely need good talented people to fill them. eruvande.jd@gmail.com if you want the application links. I'm pretty sure spam bots don't care about spoiler tags.
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Jun 4, 2015 09:15
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Syntax Erin posted:I do a lot of stuff like that. I've worked with library associations, been to webinars and conferences, done some presentations of my own. I've been proud of that work, but my work within the actual library has become much less fulfilling over the years. A late response to this, but how do people external to your organization feel about your work? Have you ever presented at a conference and had positive or negative feedback? Frankly it sounds more like your work environment is terrible and therefore you feel terrible about yourself. That being said, libraries are often run by committee for very good reason (for every well intentioned smart person there are several well intentioned incompetent librarians). So your supervisor may not necessarily be putting you down but just playing a very long cautious game, herding cats and trying to get them to play nice. Your supervisor may very well think that you're the cats' meow but isn't able to act upon your ideas and leverage your talents given the larger political situation.
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Jun 10, 2015 21:26
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Double post, but we have a job opportunity in SE Pennsylvania for anyone who might be interested. Purely entry level. PM if interested
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Jun 10, 2015 21:37
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(poo poo, wrong thread. Sorry. :O )
Ema Nymton fucked around with this message at 00:58 on Jul 11, 2015 |
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Jul 10, 2015 23:44
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Been busy for a while and missed this thread. I've had three more interviews and all of them have rejected me, including one I got really close to getting. My boss also knows I'm looking for new jobs now because that one library required me to have a current manager as a reference. Thanks a lot.  Another community college library had the brass to offer me a chance to interview in a tiny town with zero travel reimbursement, no faculty status, no tenure, and a salary range more or less equal to my current one. Said thanks but no thanks. Not sure if I should be insulted or grateful. Insane Totoro posted:A late response to this, but how do people external to your organization feel about your work? Have you ever presented at a conference and had positive or negative feedback? Oh, it's been mostly positive feedback at work and at conferences. My work gets good employee reviews. My ability to navigate internal politics isn't as good, though, and it's been getting worse as it's been getting harder and harder to pretend I'm happy here. These interviews are just making me hate my current job more and more as I realize how much I'm missing in my skill set that I cannot get where I am now. This was supposed to be an entry level job that would get me to another job one day. But now I'm starting to think of this job like a pitcher plant, where if you don't manage to crawl out as soon as you're able, each passing year saps the strength you'll need to escape it while strengthening the plant itself, until you simply die there. What do I know about collection development? Well gee apart from weeding and going to workshops about collections development, my actual experience on it is crap because our library hasn't even had a book budget in years, so I have to fake my way through saying how I have used GOBI and faculty input to acquire books, hoping nothing's changed since 2009 since that's actually the last time I ever got to do anything like that. How many library instruction sessions have I done this semester? Well about two or three because our Info. Lit. program has no support and faculty think we're dirt beneath their bootheels. 
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Jul 11, 2015 01:00
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DC public library system is looking for Library Associates.
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Jul 25, 2015 03:48
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My brother is currently working 3 library page jobs and wants to make working in a library a career. Is Wayne State's MLIS program respected? I want to help him out a bit financially and he wants to get an applicable Masters degree (undergrad in Communications) but also want to make sure he's going to a good place.
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Aug 2, 2015 03:25
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1. The ALA accredited programs are what he wants: http://www.ala.org/accreditedprograms/home (yes Wayne State is one of them) 2. MLS programs are rarely "good" but have their uses 3. No jobs, die alone.
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Aug 2, 2015 03:42
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Reiterating the OP about librarianship. Just. Don't.
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Aug 2, 2015 03:44
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