Over the course of this series of Blogs we are going to cover the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How of Alternative LIS or IP Careers. We also would like to initiate a Job Bank Blog that will be a collection of alternative career ideas and job titles and descriptions. Alternative LIS/IP careers are a very important topic in today’s tight job market and I think we should all be aware of the many possibilities that the LIS profession can offer us.
The traditional careers of people who pursue degrees in Library and Information Science usually include them working as reference librarians, researchers, children’s librarians, collection development librarians, catalogers in technical services, public services circulators, or as administrator archivists (McGuire, 2003) in settings such as school, public and academic libraries. Yet, more and more, librarians are applying their information management and research skills to arenas outside of libraries—for example, database development, reference tool development, information systems, publishing, Internet coordination, marketing, Web content management and design, and training of database users (http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos068.htm).
Moreover, entrepreneurial librarians sometimes start their own consulting practice, working as information brokers, providing services to other libraries, businesses, or government agencies (http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos068.htm). Additionally, some librarians have branched out even further, becoming private investigators, document analysts, business information specialists, data services specialist and resource managers.
With the coming of the information age, there are now more careers that are actually available for librarians because of the current emphasis on information technology. Traditional librarians may choose to jump to alternative careers because it is where the trend seems to be leading them. Now that everything revolves around the Internet and the World Wide Web, libraries are in the process of getting involved in ‘social’ networking technologies in order to more efficiently serve their patrons. This drives their employees to grow in skill and knowledge.
Being imaginative with possible job titles in the Library and Information Science profession is important. “According to career counselor Nancy Friedberg, ‘It’s OK to play with titles. For instance, one client was a librarian, earning $27,000. I suggested he reposition himself as an information-management specialist. He now makes over $100,000 at a consulting firm’” (Mach, 2008). In today’s economy, especially in Michigan, it is vital to be aware, and take advantage of all the possible job markets an LIS education can open up for us. Knowledge about computer software and technology and ways to find and manage information are very marketable skills.
According to Darwin McGuire (2003), there are six categories to choose from for a librarian who is searching for a career: (1) libraries, (2) corporate, (3) freelance, (4) technology, (5) government and (6) other. Most of the alternative careers, however, are technology related, and the list is almost endless: chief information officer, data information analyst, data manager, database administrator, database analyst, database consultant, database designer, database manager, database specialist, information architect, information engineer, information management specialist, information manager, information security engineer, information site architect, information specialist, information technology manager, knowledge management coordinator, knowledge manager, medical records administrator, network administrator, reporting analyst, and systems analyst (Shontz, 2004, p.94). Still, there are even more alternative careers under the research category (e.g., database researcher).
For some real-life accounts of librarians using their education in an alternative way check out http://studentorg.cua.edu/asis/march98.htm. Also check out the article by Brunella Longo: “How a Librarian Can Live Nine Lives in a Knowledge-based Economy” (See References). It talks about how being creative and proactive can keep our careers alive and well. As Longo states, “…we must avoid the risk of becoming trapped in narrow solutions that could quickly become obsolete, inadequate, or insufficient with respect to the expectations of users, the potential of information sciences and the opportunities offered by technological progress.”
Based on your understanding of alternative career options for Library and Information Science master’s degree holders, address as many of the following discussion question as you want in order to share and further thoughts and findings pertaining to this subject matter.
Toolkit Resources
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6490671.html
http://www.fims.uwo.ca/mlis/careers/placement/
http://www.michellemach.com/jobtitles/realjobs.html
Alternative careers workshop. (1998, March 31). Retrieved April 4, 2008, from the Catholic University School of Library Science database: http://studentorg.cua.edu/asis/march98.htm.
Keller, L. (2000, November 8). Looking it up. Retrieved April 4, 2008, from the Cable News Network: http://archives.cnn.com/2000/CAREER/trends/11/28/librarians/.
Real job titles for library and information science professionals. Retrieved April 15, 2008, from Michelle Mach’s Job Title Generator http://www.michellemach.com/jobtitles/realjobs.html
References
Longo, B. (2001, November/December). How a librarian can live nine lives in a knowledge-based cconomy. Computers in Libraries, 21(10), 40-43.
McGuire, D. (2003, December). Librarians in the information age: Alternative uses of MLS degrees. Retrieved April 4, 2008, from LISCareer.com, http://www.liscareer.com/mcguire_alternativecareers.htm.
Shontz, P. (2004). The librarian’s career guidebook. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. Retrieved April 4, 2008, from http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos068.htm
Discussion Questions
1. What are some of the true-to-life reasons why traditional librarians choose to take the alternative path?
2. Would alternative careers can be short-term solutions or long-term careers?
3. What is the effect of the Internet on those who have an the LIS degree?
4. What can current MLIS students do while in school to broaden their “scope” to better prepare for non-traditional job possibilities?
5. What aspects of a career in LIS do you find most attractive and do the “alternative” careers possess these?
6. What can be done to close the training gaps that might be present in an alternative job position?
7. If you were to decide to pursue an alternative career path, which would you choose and why? Include in the description the relevance of the career to the field of library and information science.
8. Is there any alternative career that you did not see discussed above in which you would be interested? If so, please share information about the career occupation.
9. Can pursuing an alternative career help us become more marketable in the traditional library profession?
(Submission by Tiffany Cotton and Holly Clarke - Group Seven)