Leslie’s note from the June Gathering…

Job Hunting Resources for Information Professionals

Phoenix Friends of SIRLS Meeting

Hosted by Jacque Doyle, College of Medicine, Phoenix,

June 25, 2009

Guest speaker:  Leslie Kent Kunkel, MLS 1987

Assistant Director

University of Arizona

School of Information Resources and Library Science (SIRLS)

Summary Notes

Join the SIRLS Alumni Association by visiting

http://sirls.arizona.edu/alumni

Keep in touch by subscribing to the SIRLS Alumni Assn listserv at

http://sirls.arizona.edu/alumni/association/listserv

Enter your contact info to keep connected to your SIRLS colleagues at

http://sirls.arizona.edu/alumni/directory

Visit colleagues’ personal home pages at

http://sirls.arizona.edu/alumni/alumni

US Bureau of Labor Statistics

Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition

http://www.bls.gov/oco/oco2008.htm

Highlights:

–Librarians held about 158,000 jobs in 2006.

–Despite slower than average projected employment growth, job opportunities are still expected to be favorable because a large number of librarians are expected to retire in the coming decade. More than two out of three librarians are aged 45 or older, which will result in many job openings over the next decade.

–Employment of librarians is expected to grow by 4% between 2006 and 2016.

–Jobs for librarians outside traditional settings will grow the fastest over the decade.

ALA Library Salaries Information

http://www.ala.org/ala/educationcareers/employment/salaries/index.cfm

Special Library Association

Many resources are password protected–become a member!

http://careercenter.sla.org/search/

2008 Salary Survey & Workplace Study

–The average salary increase for SLA members outpaced inflation, from 2007 to 2008; inflation was 5.3%

–The average salary for SLAers who responded to the salary survey is $71,800

http://www.sla.org/content/resources/research/salarysurveys/salsur2008/index.cfm

LisJobs.com offers career information, including job ads and search strategies, for library and information professionals. The site is maintained by Rachel Singer Gordon; the job postings database is jointly maintained with Sarah Johnson of Library Job Postings on the Internet:

http://www.lisjobs.com/jobseekers/search-strategies.asp

Job postings and resources in Arizona:

http://www.lisjobs.com/jobseekers/states/Arizona.asp

The Greater Western Library Alliance, a consortium of 32 research libraries located across 17 midwestern and western states:

http://www.gwla.org/Home

http://www.gwla.org/job-advertisements

The ads from American Libraries and C&RL News are now on ALA’s JobLIST:

http://joblist.ala.org/

Library Journal job ads:

http://www.libraryjournal.com/index.asp?layout=jobs

The Chronicle of Higher Education has a category for librarians/library administration:

http://chronicle.com/jobs/300/100/6000/

Twitter is a free service that lets you keep in touch with people through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?

http://twitter.com/LibInfoSciJobs

LibWorm is intended to be a search engine, a professional development tool, and a current awareness tool for LIS folks.  LibWorm collects and updates info from 1400+ RSS feeds (and growing). The content of these feeds are then available for searching and aggregating.

http://www.libworm.com/rss/index.php/Jobs/8/

Temporary and Permanent Employment Agencies for Information Professionals:

Pro Libra Associates is a library service company providing personnel staffing, project management, and consulting services to corporations, public entities, and individuals in the Northeast:

http://www.prolibra.com/

InfoCurrent is a division of Corestaff and places librarians and records management professionals in the Wash DC and New York City tri-state areas:

http://www.infocurrent.com/

BiblioTemps is a staffing agency for the more than 70 libraries in the Central Massachusetts Regional Library System:

http://www.bibliotemps.com/

Library Associates is a consulting and recruiting service with offices in LA nad Denver that places librarians, paraporfessionals and other information professionals in permanent, temporary, and contract positions nationwide.  No fee is required:

http://www.libraryassociates.com/

AIM Library and Information Staffing specializes in placing librarians and support staff in special, public, academic, school, government libraries, and information centers. Established in 1984, Aim also offers resume writing, interviewing, and career management services:

http://www.aimusa.com/

Search Associates places school media specialists in American and international schools abroad.  Registration fee is required:

http://www.searchassociates.com/

TFPL Recruitment is an agency that places librarians and information professionals in permanent and contract positions in the US and the UK:

http://www.tfpl.com/

Glen Recruitment places Information Specialists, Knowledge Professionals, Records Managers, Researchers, Librarians and Online Support Staff in both permanent and temporary staff :

http://www.glenrecruitment.co.uk/

Sue Hill Recruitment, based in London, recruits information professionals throughout the UK:

http://www.suehill.com/

Zenith Management Services is Australia’s leading employment agency in the information management field:

http://zenmgt.com/site/index.cfm

The One Umbrella specializes in recruiting permanent and contract staff for the library, records, information, and knowledge management industries of Australia:

http://www.oneumbrella.com.au/

Current Awareness Resources

The Alumni Association of The School of Library and Information Science at San Jose State University publishes a great current awareness resources site that includes a fairly current list of LIS blogs:

http://slisgroups.sjsu.edu/alumni/jobseekers/aware.html

Other Publications Discussed

Meredith Farkas Information Wants to be Free: The Job Hunt: What I learned:

http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2005/07/09/the-job-hunt-what-i-learned/

National Association of Colleges & Employers 2002 Survey:

The Perfect Candidate

Top 10 Places Employers Find New Hires:

1. Organization’s internship program
2. Employee referrals
3. Career/job fairs
4. On-campus recruiting
5. Internet job postings (own organization’s website)
6. Organization’s co-op program
7. Internet job postings (commercial career website)
8. Faculty contacts
9. Internet job postings (campus website)
10. Student organizations/clubs

Top Ten Qualities Employers Seek:

1. Communication skills
2. Honesty/integrity
3. Teamwork skills
4. Interpersonal skills
5. Strong work ethic
6. Motivation/initiative
7. Flexibility/adaptability
8. Analytical skills
9. Computer skills
10. Organizational skills

Library Information Technician Program at MCC

Many at last week’s Friends meeting sang the praises of this program, especially for the opportunity to have hands-on and real library skills  training

Mission and Description of the Program

The Library Information Technician Program prepares students for paraprofessional positions in libraries and information organizations, and upgrades the skills of staff presently working in libraries and information organizations. The program also serves those wishing to change careers or change their current assignment. Individual courses serve as a continuing education option for employees of libraries or information organizations.

Two levels of certificates (Basic and Advanced) and an Associate in Applied Science Degree are offered which provide a career path for vocational work as a library information assistant or technician. Library information technician positions have a professional/technical occupational classification, and persons in these positions are important team members of a library or information organization.

Courses are offered in one, two and three credit modules that allow maximum flexibility to create an individualized program of study. Coursework combines classroom instruction, hands-on exercises, guest speakers, independent study, special projects and field trips. Internships are an integral part of the program and expose students to realities of the job market. Graduates of the program develop competencies in five subject areas (core areas) as well as technical, organizational, interpersonal and workplace skills.

See entire website at: http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/library/lbt.html

June 25 Meeting with Leslie

About 25 friends, grads and alums enjoyed hearing from and sharing with Leslie Thursday eve at the College of Medicine-Phoenix.  Leslie boosted the spirits of those in attendance, providing many hints for career next steps, including:

• Always carry a business card; you never know who you will meet!  Some sources for inexpensive and free cards:  http://www.overnightprints.com/ and http://www.vistaprint.com/
• Be prepared to quickly answer that question, “what are you doing?” with a positive response.
• Keep your resume current and appealing, including internships, volunteer and other work.  Modify your resume for each position you seek.
• Maintain your e-portfolio on SIRLS, or create one of your own, showing your updated resume/CV.
• Use temporary agencies!
• Before you apply for that perfect job, KNOW the organization and library inside and out; talk to colleagues.
• Network, network, network!
• During the interview, do your own interview of the person and organization!
• Consider jobs in related organizations, e.g., library vendors, museums, not for profits, etc.  LIS skills have many applications.
• Take advantage of CE opportunities in the field you aim for.
• Consider more education, e.g.,  the SIRLS DigIn program: http://digin.arizona.edu/
• Offer to volunteer for organizations you know need library services, e.g.,  hospitals and clinics
• Follow all job posting sites; Leslie likes http://www.lisjobs.com/ and SLA’s site
• Join related groups, e. g., CABL and SLA
• Follow up interview thank you notes with a request for advice and wisdom.

Much group wisdom was shared among those present as well.

Leslie also updated us to SIRLS’ current status, which excellent.  They are hiring new faculty and seeking a new dean.  She encouraged all to investigate financial aid.  Visit: http://sirls.arizona.edu/program/admissions/financial

Leslie’s email: lkunkel@email.arizona.edu

THOSE OF YOU WHO ATTENDED, PLEASE ADD YOUR COMMENTS AND NOTES FROM OUR SESSION!

Report of the June CABL meeting at AT Still University

By April Frost and Cynthia Porter

Friday, June 12, I attended the Central Arizona Biomedical Libraries Group meeting at the AT Still University Learning Resource Center in Mesa—what a fun and educational afternoon!

Our meeting started with lunch, then two, very informative presentations. Dr. Tamara Valovich McLeod, who is on faculty at AT Still, gave a presentation on current research regarding concussions, especially in youth and teens. Meganne Gourley, Athletic Trainer and former student, spoke about educating coaches, parents, and teens/children regarding concussion awareness and symptoms associated with concussions. A lot of information was presented, including references to the CDC’s Traumatic Brain Injury Website and “Heads Up” Concussion information site for High School Sports, both which have quick and easy information that everyone should know.

The business meeting followed, including a slide show of Jacque Doyle’s beautiful photos from MLA in Hawaii.

After the meeting, we were taken on two incredible tours. Samson Yang, a dental student, took us on a tour of the state-of-the-art dental simulation lab and clinic, which included an individual workstation for each student (class size of at least 60). Each workstation includes a video screen for personal viewing of the lecture and demonstration, and a simulated patient with removable teeth, for practicing; I am so glad they practice on fake teeth before touching mine!  The clinic included a functioning dental office, which accepts patients at a reduced rate, as well as a separate area for dental emergencies. The best part of the dental tour was the hand-washing machine—a mini massage for your hands!

The second tour was of a full-body simulation lab and control room. The University has ten of these labs, each with 2 cameras, speakers, a conference area, and…the full-body simulated patient, “SimMan®.” (Imagine walking into a room, with a vinyl “patient” who was breathing (chest moving up and down and breathing sounds) and hooked up to a monitor which was recording his vitals!) The patient’s overall health can be adjusted from the control room so that the medical students may not know what to expect at any given time. (Remember “Stan” on Grey’s Anatomy last fall?) The ‘SimMan’ sessions are recorded and then available for review by only those students and their instructor.

Both tours were very educational and enjoyable (and fun!!).

Next CABL meeting:

Save the date, Monday, Oct. 26th, for the Fall CE from MLGSCA.  The program will enlighten you on Continuing Medical Education (CME) and Librarians, presented by Ysabel Bertolucci.  The time and Phoenix area location have not been finalized, yet.  Watch your e-mail for future details.

More info about the Central Arizona Biomedical Libraries, and how to join is at: http://www.samaritan.edu/cabl/join.htm

…as a matter of fact from NPR

Did ya’ll know that the NPR librarians offer a blog called …As a matter of fact“?  As A Matter of Fact is a blog by and for the audio-loving, fact-finding, truth-seeking, pop-culture-fiending, news-addicted librarians of the world. Of course, you don’t need to be a librarian to read it. But we’re pretty sure you may secretly want to be one after you do. Interested in learning more?  Check it out at:  http://www.npr.org/blogs/library/

Reminder–Thursday Phx Friends with Leslie!

Don’t forget note you should have received from Leslie:

Dear SIRLS Students, Alumni, Friends:

You are invited to a Phoenix Friends of SIRLS ‘gathering’ next Thursday, 5:30pm, June 25th, room 1252, bldg 1, at the College of Medicine in downtown Phoenix.  I will speak about jobs during a recession, using the new social networking tools (Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, Blogs, Second Life, etc) for a variety of purposes (networking, recruiting for SIRLS students, etc), my experiences in the profession as a special and academic librarian and as an employee for a library vendor, and anything else of interest to the group!

I’d like to extend a special invitation to SIRLS alumni to discuss next steps on our way to restarting a SIRLS Alumni Association.  SIRLS is eager to provide a venue for alumni that will help you advance in your LIS careers.

Applicants and prospects are also welcome!  We can answer your questions about the MA and PhD programs, our certificate program in Digital Info Management, and our CE courses.

I’m looking forward to chatting with all of you! Please let me  know via an email reply to me at lkunkel@u.arizona.edu  or to Jacque Doyle, my hostess, at jddoyle@u.arizona.edu, about topics of interest for the 25th.

Many thanks to Jacque Doyle for making this happen!

Best,

Leslie

Parking lot is off 7th St, north of Van Buren

There IS a Diamondbacks game that eve at 6:40; print this off to show attendant and/or security you are not here for the game!!! Room 1252 is in Bldg 1, closest to 5th Street and VB. Library is on main floor.  Call 602 827 2062 if you are unable to get in and no one is near the front door.

David Rothman (who will be in AZ in January) speaks at CHLA

David, as always, offers much food for thought!

Next gathering, Thursday, June 25 at 5:30 pm, College of Medicine Library-Phoenix

Please mark your calendars and plan to join us for a gathering and update from Leslie Kent Kunkle of SIRLS! More details to follow! JDD

SJN’s Get Wired to Get Hired! (at Glendale Community College)-Thanks, April!

Thursday, June 04, 2009 from 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM (MT), Glendale, AZ

SJN is hosting its first ever event in the West Valley at Glendale Community College.  This is an exciting opportunity for us to continue our partnership with Maricopa  County Community Colleges and we appreciate their support.

Join us on Thursday, June 4th for an evening workshop on internet tools for job search. This is also an opportunity for SJN members in the West Valley to network with us in a local venue!

SJN’s Get Wired to Get Hired!

Smart Ways to Use the Internet during your search

You probably know that networking in-person is the single best thing you can do to accelerate your job search. You might be finding it hard to get face-to-face meetings, and very easy to spend your whole week in front of the computer! Come to this SJN seminar to understand how to make maximum use of the powerful tools available through the internet, with the understanding that the goal is to get you hired.

Among other things, you will:

• Understand how internet tools fit into each phase of SJN’s Curriculum for the Job Search Process
• Discover free resources that help you reach hiring decision-makers
• Learn how to tap into the power of LinkedIn to further your job search

This workshop is provided through collaboration between SJN and Glendale Community College.

Intended Audience

This Intermediate-level seminar is best for those who already have a basic understanding of and familiarity with LinkedIn and other tools such as Google. If you have never used LinkedIn, start with this link: http://computer.howstuffworks.com/linkedin.htm.

Date/Time/Place

Thursday, June 4th from 5:00pm to 8:00pm

Registration and Open Networking from 5:00pm to 6:00pm.

Glendale Community College
6000 West Olive Avenue, Glendale, AZ 85302

Room: Student Union – Room 104/Conference Center

Parking Lot: S1

Overflow Parking Lot: S2

With questions, e-mail: info@scottsdalejobnet.com
SJN v-mail:  480-513-1491

Dress Code
Dress is business casual for this event.

Registration and Fees
There is no cost for this seminar, courtesy of collaboration with Glendale Community College.

Disclaimer

SJN representatives are not certified or accredited LinkedIn trainers and are not associated with LinkedIn.  LinkedIn is a registered trademark of LinkedIn Corporation.

Library Skunk Works: User Experience Design for the 21st Century Library