Thursday, March 24, 2011

Are the niche boards eating Monster's lunch?

Not likely--would you eat a monster's lunch? Workforce Management* looks at the proliferation of niche job boards and how attractive they are to employers to find qualified or specialized candidates in a specific industry or sector.

"Today, some 100,000 Internet job boards vie for listings and résumés, double the number in 2000..."


Well, I knew there were a lot of job boards, but not that it was anywhere near that high a number.

Monster has opted to go with more accurate search tools for employers, rather than specializing their job boards. If you remember what happened in the contest between the Yahoo! directory and keyword search, perfected by Google, you'll remember how that battle turned out.

*You need a log on and password to access content on Workforce Management; sign up is currently free.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

"Follicular restrictions"

BBC News asks, "Should men in uniform be forced to shave?" Since this is an issue, supposedly, of work place safety and an assumption of the work place identity, some argue that men should shave. However, religious and cultural requirements are butting heads with no-beard policies.

In addition, policies are not applied uniformly. Some policies state if the commanding officer says, it's ok, well then it is ok--which, of course, will only last as long as the commanding officer does or for how long the bearded serviceman stays in the unit.

So, shave or don't shave? And who should get the dispensation to keep facial hair?

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Reference and Outreach Archivist

Reference and Outreach Archivist
Manuscripts and Archives department
Sterling Memorial Library
Yale University, New Haven, CT
Rank:  Librarian I-III

www.yale.edu/jobs
Fixed Duration:  Three (3) years from date of hire, non-renewable
Full-time (37.5 hours per week); Standard Work Week (M-F, 8:30-5:00); occasional evening and weekend hours

Yale University offers exciting opportunities for achievement and growth in New Haven, Connecticut.  Conveniently located between Boston and New York, New Haven is the creative capital of Connecticut with cultural resources that include two major art museums, a critically-acclaimed repertory theater, state-of-the-art concert hall, and world-renowned schools of Architecture, Art, Drama, and Music.


THE UNIVERSITY AND THE LIBRARY
The Yale University Library, as one of the world's leading research libraries, collects, organizes, preserves, and provides access to and services for a rich and unique record of human thought and creativity. It fosters intellectual growth and is a highly valued partner in the teaching and research missions of Yale University and scholarly communities worldwide. A distinctive strength is its rich spectrum of resources, including more than 12.5 million volumes and information in all media, ranging from ancient papyri to early printed books to electronic databases. The Library is engaged in numerous digital initiatives designed to provide access to a full array of scholarly information. Housed in the Sterling Memorial Library and twenty school and departmental libraries, it employs a dynamic, diverse, and innovative staff of over 500 who have the opportunity to work with the highest caliber of faculty and students, participate on committees, and are involved in other areas of staff development.  For additional information on the Yale University Library, please visit the Library's web site at http://www.library.yale.edu/.


MANUSCRIPTS AND ARCHIVES
Manuscripts and Archives in the Yale University Library is a major center for historical inquiry and also serves as the documentary memory of Yale University.  The repository holds 64,000 linear feet of material.  Half of the holdings is comprised of more than 1700 collections of personal and family papers and organizational records that document a variety of subject and geographical areas, and half is comprised of the Yale University Archives.  The repository also preserves and services 4000 testimonies from the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies.  Each year the materials are consulted by more than 1000 Yale faculty as well as students and scholars from the United States and throughout the world.  The staff of the repository consists of fourteen professionals, two managers, ten support staff, and fifteen student assistants and occasional temporary positions.  They are responsible for the selection, acquisition, arrangement, description, and preservation of manuscript and archival collections and for providing reference services for in-person and long-distance research, services to University offices, and teaching assistance in the use of the collections.  Please visit us online for additional information at http://www.library.yale.edu/mssa/.


POSITION DESCRIPTION

Reporting to the Head of Public Services, the Reference and Outreach Archivist is responsible for providing reference services to Yale faculty, students, staff, and visiting researchers. Participates in the ongoing outreach program that targets Yale undergraduates. Designs, develops, and implements pilot outreach programs to the Yale community, especially Yale graduate students and new faculty. Recommends appropriate Web technologies to enhance outreach and instruction.

RESPONSIBILITIES
  • Provides reference and research assistance and instruction.
  • Helps define and implement outreach programs to the Yale community.
  • Collaborates with Yale faculty to integrate Manuscripts and Archives holdings in coursework.
  • Explores and proposes technologies, including Web 2.0, to meet research, reference, and instructional needs of Yale faculty and students
  • Serves on the public services management team participating in the development, formulation, and implementation of Public Services unit policies and procedures.
  • Engages actively with professional organizations and literature; keeps abreast of archival trends and developments.
  • Participates in and contributes to library planning and serves on appropriate library and university committees and task forces.
  • Engages in campus, regional, and national professional organizations and collaborative activities
  • Expected to be professionally active and represents the Library and the University in the academic, scholarly, and professional community.
  • May be required to participate in disaster recovery efforts.
  • May be assigned to work at West Campus location in West Haven, CT.

QUALIFICATIONS
Master’s degree from an ALA-accredited program for library and information science. Appointment to the rank of Librarian II requires a minimum of two years of professional experience and demonstrated professional accomplishments appropriate to the rank. Appointment to the rank of Librarian III requires at least five years of professional experience and demonstrated professional accomplishments appropriate to the rank, as well as ongoing engagement in professional development, research, or services.  Ph.D. in History or related humanities discipline.  Formal archival training or education and/or demonstrated knowledge of archival theory and practice.

  • Demonstrated understanding of the research process and knowledge of the ways that new technologies are affecting the production of scholarship.
  • Demonstrated skills using key social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, and WordPress
  • Demonstrated familiarity with library reference databases for the humanities and social sciences.  Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
  • Demonstrated ability to work independently.
  • Demonstrated ability to work collegially and cooperatively within and across organizations.

Preferred:
Experience providing reference services in an academic research library setting.  Experience teaching with primary resources in an academic setting.  Graduate-level coursework in American History.

SALARY AND BENEFITS
We invite you to discover the excitement, diversity, rewards and excellence of a career at Yale University. One of the country's great workplaces, Yale University offers exciting opportunities for meaningful accomplishment and true growth. Our benefits package is among the best anywhere, with a wide variety of insurance choices, liberal paid time off, fantastic family and educational benefits, a variety of retirement benefits, extensive recreational facilities, and much more. 


Applications consisting of a cover letter, resume, and the names and contact information of three professional references should be sent by creating an account and applying online at www.yale.edu/jobs for immediate consideration - the STARS req ID for this position is 12343BR.  Please be sure to reference #12343BR in your cover letter.

BACKGROUND CHECK REQUIREMENTS
All external candidates for employment will be subject to pre-employment background screening for this position, which may include motor vehicle and credit checks based on the position description and job requirements. Internal candidates may be subject to a motor vehicle or credit check for this position based on the position description and job requirements. All offers are contingent on successful completion of the required background check. Please visit www.yale.edu/hronline/careers/screening/faqs.html for additional information on the background check requirements and process.

Yale University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.  Yale values diversity in its faculty, staff, and students and strongly encourages applications from women and members of underrepresented minority groups.