Life After SIS Part 2:
career counseling
In last month’s issue of Bibliofile, I shared with readers my concern with finding the "perfect" first job for a "perfect" career. We heard from advice guru Judy Hudson, who gave us tips to assist us in clarifying what types of work we like to do within various types of environments. In a similar vein, William Gentz, Human Resource Librarian for University of Pittsburgh's library system shares with us his wise counsel.
Gentz’ first suggestion is for students to experience a real work environment by completing an internship. “Internships are a great way to get some experience. For example, at the ULS we have a number of MLIS students who participate as interns on the Hillman reference desk. This not only gives the student some sense of what it is like to work on a busy reference desk, but it also looks great on a resume,” states Gentz.
Gentz also mentions that students should talk with professionals who are working in areas in which they are interested. He points out that librarians have many duties that are not always visible to the general public. “A reference librarian doesn't JUST work on the reference desk, she/he has responsibilities in library instruction programs, project and committee assignments, collection development responsibilities, faculty liaisons, etc. This may be a surprise to some students and could either increase or decrease level of interest. Some librarians love the challenge of cataloging and acquisitions; others cannot understand the appeal! So it would serve a student well to talk to professionals in various areas and try to get some experience in an area of particular interest, says Gentz."
Another suggestion is for students to investigate the wide variety of library environments that exist. Gentz points out that academic librarianship is a very different environment than public or corporate librarianship, with very different expectations for professional development. At academic institutions that offer tenure-track library positions, those librarians may be held accountable for conducting research and publishing in the field. “The environment can also vary within areas of a particular discipline, e.g., someone who loves law librarianship may not enjoy working for a law firm, but would thrive working in the library of a law school,” says Gentz.
Gentz suggests that students ask themselves some “soul searching” questions including: what drew them to librarianship in the first place? Was it the idea of equal access to information for all? A particular subject or discipline interest? The idea of being part of an educational institution? The lure of information technology? The hope of advancing into an administrative position within the chosen environment? Gentz says that a student’s focus may lie within her/his original reasons for choosing librarianship or may evolve as new opportunities are discovered. “For that reason, every student owes it to her/himself to investigate the incredible spectrum of librarianship,” concludes Gentz.
We thank William Gentz for his
contribution to this article.
Publication of the Department of Library & Information Science
University of Pittsburgh
135 N. Bellefield Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Last updated October 26, 2000