Don't confuse children's/teen literature with teen/children's librarianship

Whenever I have someone tell me that they really want to be a children's librarian because they love children's literature, it tells me that they don't know much about actually being a children's librarian. Most librarians start eye-rolling when someone tells them it sure must be great to read books all day, and the children's lit/children's librarian confusion is a subset of that argument.

If you looked at actual job postings for children's and teen librarians you will notice that loving children's literature is not the sole job duty. In fact, if you stated that this was your only qualification for the position, I can guarantee that they would not make you a job offer.

This posting from Monroe, Washington says:

• The successful candidate for this position will demonstrate knowledge of teen culture and technologies; 
• judgment when using reference databases and print resources; 
• flexibility in trying new approaches to customer service; 
• and enthusiasm when promoting library programs and initiatives.

I think this means you better like technology, know about marketing, have some customer service background and at least read a book about "teen culture".

This posting from Rawlings, Wyoming says:

The 40 hours/week position involves working with the programming team to develop programs for all 8 library locations. The position also involves collection development for the teen and children’s collections. The position reports to the Public Support Services Manager. The job includes a variety of evening and weekend hours.

I'm sure you will not only have to be able to pick a teenager out of a line-up, but you will also be working on collection development, which actually means you need to know how to develop a teen collection, as well as programming for teens, which can include media literacy, study skills, life skills, college/vocational preparation, helping youth at risk, as well as bullying, sexual identity issues, suicide and basic literacy. Of course, you could touch on these issues through fiction--and you will--but knowing the culture and the needs of the community going to take up more of your day than preparing Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers.

And this posting from Waukee Public Library

A master’s degree in Library and Information Science from an ALA-accredited institution, with coursework or experience in children’s services is preferred. Knowledge of literature for children and young adult, storytelling skills and programming experience are essential. May require travel to various locations for outreach programs.

Now, you have to know about children's and teen lit, but you also have to have presentation and programming (teaching and class planning) experience in addition to a knowledge of the literature. A driver's license will probably also be a must, not to mention a willingness to travel. 

Instead of reading your way exclusively through the VOYA booklists, I would recommend that you spend some time with real children and teens and learn about some of the issues that children and teens are facing and what their information needs are. So you have to meet some real children and teens in their natural habitats and even talk to them. It is not enough to have a firm grasp about what adult authors have composed for the edification and entertainment of children and teens.

If the library's hiring decisions come down to a choice like this:

Candidate A	Candidate B
was a child once briefly a teenager knows what a Time Turner is Team Gale and an MLIS	One of the former: teacher social worker youth counsellor of some type such as camp, school, addictions, etc. juvenile detention center worker or is a current literacy specialist and holds an MLIS

I think the library's hiring committee is going to go with Candidate B, provided that the candidate expresses no disgust at spending more of their professional life in the company of children.

It is clear that loving children's lit is a must, but it is not a significant percentage of children or teen librarian's day. However, over-estimating just how much time is spent with books, as opposed to people is not solely a failing of wannabe youth librarians.

What I Meant to Say Was

So I got interviewed--yep, they were that desperate--for an article about the job market outlook for librarians. I gave them some of my usual blather about how new librarians should think about their transferrable skills, not waste their time in a saturated market and look in areas where there are fewer entry-level librarians--i.e. not in a town with a library school--and that new librarians should also consider looking for work in special libraries and not get so hung up on working in public and academic libraries. So,I thought I would take the time to say what I meant to say.

The Brass Ring

When I was in library school, the brass ring was the academic library. Everybody wanted to work there and the cool kids were strongly encouraged to apply. Public libraries were ok, especially if you were going to work in children's librarianship since that is where you can wreck...er, mold young minds, but I wanted to work with adults, and even before it was modestly cool, with newcomer populations, a special population the library. And the minute you say special, library schools don't really know what to do with you--unless you're going to be working in a music or a law library. There is not that much assistance for looking for work in special libraries and the library school kept pushing the academic or public library as the only options. This is not to say that they are not great options--I did my internship in a public library and I sometimes look back on that time with deep, longing sentimental sighs--but it would help to have professors speak positively about all types of libraries.

If this is not the case at your library school, or things have changed, realize that I am speaking from my own experience and perception.

Transferrable Skills

So no one knew what to do with me. Luckily, I was a bit older and not so prone to take career direction from people who had stayed with the same employer for most of their adult life. I also knew that I had to take charge of my own job search and not wait for someone to find a job for me. I realized that there are multilingual newcomer populations in both academic and public libraries and that I could tailor my project and my interviews to describe all of the skills that I had acquired in my volunteer work and apply that to the library world. It is what got me my internship, talking about my transferrable skills: I had teaching, classroom management and public speaking skills, in addition to customer service and a deep knowledge of about serving this specific population--in addition to my promiscuous reading habits, which is the only time that you can say promiscuous and have it mean good things for an employer. And a practiced with ways to describe how all of these skills would be useful, which is what you are supposed to do when prepping for an interview: learn to talk about yourself with depth and describe your unique abilities in relation to the employer's needs.

A Library Degree is the Minimum

While on the topic of transferrable skills, when I was at the ALA career fair, a light bulb went on for me in my first interview. My epiphany was this: the library degree is the minimum. When you are called into an interview, the employer checks this off and then talks about everything else you can possibly bring to the table, so you can't focus constantly and exclusively on your library school experience.

Library students hate this: when I mention this in any presentation I give about careers, I get this look of "don't dis my degree". I am not dissing the degree; I learnt a lot and paid a lot for my degree too, but I have stopped kissing it before I went to bed every night. It is the ticket to ride. Without it, there is no interview. But you are more than your degree and you need to learn how to explain how much more you are.

Everyone Can Move

Well, not everyone. People who have homes that they can't sell, aging parents or family members in care who need them, or children whose needs can only be met in that community, they can't move. Everybody else is fair game.

I know you are comfortable, you have your books on your shelves the way you like them and damn, but you think you can make something out of your current relationship, but you are going to be unhappy, have to sell your books and it's tough to nurture a relationship when you are broke and constantly whining about your job search.

If you aren't getting offers in your current labor market, you have to move to get the job you want. It is tough, but it has to be done. And once you do it, it gets a bit easier to move again, and even move back, once you have some experience or get courted back. It can happen, but you have to get unstuck to get the experience.

The other option is telework, but that may take you out of libraries entirely--which might not be a bad thing, provided that an employer will accept what you do as transferrable. You also can't give up on libraries, of all types, so you need to stay in touch with librarian friends and build up your network. Which you should be doing anyway.

Become a Specialist

Library school will make you a generalist: you leave with enough tools to fit in any library and what you make of what you have will determine who hires you. Maybe you should become a specialist.

Working in a special library will make you a specialist. You will learn a lot about engineers and scientists if you work in special library in an oil and gas company, for example. You will answer specific reference questions for them, deal with their information needs, find information delivery solutions for them, catalog, develop collections specific to their industry or sector. You will also have to pretend that this stuff is fascinating even if you left science or engineering to become a librarian because it didn't fascinate you as much anymore, or if science has always left you cold, and faking fascination is not a bad skill to cultivate. All of the skills you develop in that library are transferrable to the science library on an academic campus, or even in a public library that needs someone to find science fair projects. You just need to explain how to transfer your specialization to that potential new employer.

What about not working in libraries?

What happens to the people who can't get a job in a library? And this can happen--the trick is to get busy doing something, but not waiting for phone calls. If you have to take a year and write business plans for people, you can still use those skills in a business library in an academic, public or special library, you just have to talk about how it is related. Like how you questioned your client and interacted with them, how you researched the market, the process of writing the plan and how successful each plan was and what resources you would provide to a client that needed similar assistance. See, transferrable.

Sadly, there is one thing you can't do: you can't convince a library employer to interview you if you spend too much time out of library work. For you, this means lots of frustration unless you can network your way into an interview, either through contacts or by volunteering (which you should be doing BEFORE you leave library school). Worse than working out of libraries however, is being the wallflower of the labor market and not doing anything. Long periods of unemployment are probably hardest to deal with, so it is important to do something with dignity and that is transferrable.

It is also important for people responsible for library hiring to see how applicable that work outside of libraries is to people who are patrons of the library and for them to see that a person who is determined to work will also be determined to work hard for the library.

It's always the quiet ones

Analyzing Effective Leaders: Why Extraverts Are Not Always the Most Successful Bosses summarizes some of the research by Wharton professor Adam Grant which asks, which type of person is the most effective leader, an introvert or an extravert?

According to the article, it depends on the group the person is leading: introverts do better with a proactive team that needs someone to listen and act on their ideas, whereas as extraverts do better with a less proactive team, firing them up and motivating them.

What I also found interesting was the bias against introverted people as leaders:

Given these conclusions, why does the popular view persist that extraverts are better leaders across the board? The authors point to several possible reasons: One is that extraverts are often perceived as more effective because of a "halo effect." "This may occur because extraverted leaders match the prototypes of charismatic leaders that dominate both [Western and Eastern cultures] and are especially prevalent in business," they write. One online survey of 1,500 senior leaders earning at least six-figure salaries found that 65% actually saw introversion as a negative quality in terms of leadership.

It is also possible that an introverted person could believe that they would not make a great leader because they believe the bias and may not actively seek out opportunities for advancement. If you are an introvert with this belief, reading this article and some of the associated research may help to conquer your self-defeating beliefs.

There isn't money in anything, so do what you love

Because I work in a career centre on a university campus, I spend time talking with students, and wonder what they are thinking about the economy and well, just what is going to happen to them in general.

I'm not the only one (and I didn't think I was):

• I don't know any libraries that come on to campus to recruit new grads (they expect us to come to them, usually at ALA if they are gathered en masse) but you may be interested in last year's story about the slowing of corporate recruitment on campus.
• Minnesota Public Radio did a forum asking college students and their advisors about the job market and how confident they felt. The title of the post comes from one of the speakers at the forum in response to Ben Stein's advice (which isn't all bad, unless you can't stand bodily fluids. [And if you were counting on no vomit in libraries, one of the internship position questions I got asked at a public library was, what would you do if a child vomited in the library? Answer: clean it up].) 
• 247 Townhall, a project of One Economy (which also has some great resources on the Beehive), has some interviews with college students about their views on the economy, what their expectations are and how to fix it. They are also looking for more content.
  

What messages can people come away with from these forums and articles? Know what you can do with your degree and where the jobs are in your area. Look at the labor market and do some research (librarians are the only ones who have to cower when someone says, you better know how to research, cuz you better). There are still jobs out there, but you have to be realistic about pay, and you need to start looking now (December 2008 was the time you should have started, but if you haven't, crying won't put the milk back in the carton). And more school is not the solution.

Day in the life of an academic librarian

Day in the life of an academic librarian. More teaching, interacting with students face to face. Maintenance, currency, collection development and customer service.

Day in the life of a public health librarian

Day in the life of a public health librarian. Techie, lots of SL. If you like technology, consider focusing your job search energy on the health care industry.

What is one professional goal you want to accomplish this year?

This question wants to know if you have a plan--and if that plan matches with their job. Suggesting that you want to do research in teaching methods and effective instruction when the position you are interviewing for is collection development and licence negotiation means that you haven't read the job posting. Or that there will be a constant push-pull between the duties of the position and your real desire.

I'm not going to say something like, why are you interviewing for a job that is not part of your professional plans? It's a good question, but if you're an entry-level candidate, you may not know what you would like to do as a librarian--and, well, you need to eat. So, obviously, look at the job posting and see where it is going professionally and hopefully you want to walk a little way with it.

If you were applying to this position currently available at the University of Manitoba libraries, what could be one professional goal that you could latch on to? Well, taking an additional course in cataloging may not be a bad idea. You can also discuss, generally, a conference that you would like to attend that has relevant information. If your capping exercise is related to the position, discuss how you would like to turn it into an e-book and make it available to other librarians, or how you would like to develop it into a course. But look for something that is professionally related to the position that looks like it would be worth their time and investment.

What did you do the day before yesterday?

Describe the last job you had before your present one.

This question wants career path information:

• What does your career path look like?
• Have you been progressing or promoted from job to job?
• Were your moves lateral ones, using new skills or are you just hopping to the next attractive contract?
• Did it relate to libraries?
• Can you recall what you did?

Obviously, for a person who moved from waiting tables to libraries, the match isn't obvious but you could describe your customer service, handling cash, dealing with difficult people, variable hours, punctuality and, if you were employed there for a long time, longevity in the position. It is a good idea to describe this position, even if it is not related to libraries, if the supervisor for that position is one of your references. You don't have to gloss: you had a student job to survive as a student and the position has given you some applicable skills and a good reference.

If your previous position was in libraries, it is a bit easier to explain its relation to the position you are interviewing for: you are moving up or laterally after attaining your degree. If you have had a series of contract positions, and--in this era of cutbacks--there should be no stigma attached to a contract that was not renewed. Try to show you made a good leap to the next position and believe you can do the same with this one.

The questions this week came from Interview like a Top MBA by Dr. Shel Leanne. Passages from the book are available from Google Books if you are interested.

I have a plan?

What early experiences led you on your current career track?

The best answer will indicate how the position you are interviewing for fits on your career plan. This is a variation of Tell me about yourself by examining your professional experience.

Why are you a librarian? Why are you X-type librarian?

If you have worked in libraries and realized that management was out without a graduate degree, your answer is that you decided to become a librarian to progress in your career and have greater responsibilities. Indicate how previous experiences led you to this decision or how they have helped you narrow your choices within the field of librarianship.

This is a hard question if you have no library experience though experience in cultural industries, education and non-profits can help. Think: why are you a librarian? Was it kids, books, computers? What have you done to put yourself on this path--reformed teacher, a summer in the archives, bookish techie--that you can now apply to this experience in libraries? If something attracted you to the position--working with seniors, training, supervision--explain that this is a fresh or repeatable experience for you and that you felt you could put your skills to work in this position.

The questions this week came from Interview like a Top MBA by Dr. Shel Leanne. Passages from the book are available from Google Books if you are interested.

How to present at a conference

The first time I had the opportunity to present at a conference, I was asked to present. In my area, we have a technology conference for librarians (Netspeed) and my presentation was one of three student presentations that were selected for that year. I was really excited, since it would be my first opportunity to present but I was also excruciatingly nervous because I was a terrible public speaker. I prepped my slides, asked about the requirements--would I need to bring my laptop? prepare my own handouts?--and showed up in my Sunday-go-to-meetin'/interview clothes.

I was abysmal.

But I learned a lot from the presentation: the importance of rehearsing (I did hours and hours worth, but I hadn't practiced my skillz enough yet, so my presentation was lacking), how to deal with a crowd and answer questions. I also saw that many other presenters were plagued by the same anxieties that I experienced, but that many attendees were very gracious and kind. (They can also be cut throat and mean, but these are the rare few, so don't get knicker-twisted about them.) I also learned that I would have to practice my public speaking: twenty hours on the topic but not dealing with my anxieties wasn't enough. I have since presented at almost ten other conferences, not to mention other events and workshops, and have improved each time.

Beyond a sentence on your resume, there are enormous benefits to presenting at a conference:

• Presenters usually get to attend the conference for free. Since conferences usually include a career fair, you score 1000 bonus points for getting the Big Boss.
  
• Most conferences have a website where past presentations are stored. This does wonders for your Google juice.
• If you have good evaluations, you can keep them and add them to your portfolio. If you have bad ones, you can burn them and dance around them chanting, whatever turns you on.
• You can add your presentation to your personal portfolio.
  

You can get on a conference panel how I got on a panel: I was asked. This is the nicest strategy for a rookie since they will help you with some of the most difficult aspects of getting on the itinerary--applying on time and getting accepted--but, wallflower, I advise not waiting for an invite. Look at some of the conferences where you could speak and apply--prior to the deadline. You can also visit some of your professors and ask about upcoming conferences and ask them if you feel some of you topics would suit/be adaptable for the conference.

Most deadlines for presentation submissions are about 2-3 months before the conference takes place and the bigger the conference the longer the lead time. If there is no extended call for submissions, do not apply. The deadline is the deadline, especially for big conferences. Keep looking for a suitable venue for your topic and find another way to express yourself professionally.

A presentation is, of course, the brass ring, but a poster presentation or a place on a panel is just as worthy--especially if you are an unknown quantity. It would be great if there were more slots reserved for students and invitations sent out generally on the new librarian list serve suggesting that students apply. It isn't enough to ask professors to suggest students--they seem to keep tapping the same students each time they get an email. Maybe conference organizers will see my plea and respond. Heck, most libraries collect comic books, so someone listened to my pathetic begging.

For upcoming library-related conferences, check out the page compiled by Marian Dworaczek from the University of Saskatchewan, as well as ALA and CLA, of course. And don't talk yourself out of it with, no one will want me. Apply.

How to stand out

We all want to enhance our resumes and make ourselves stand out from the pack. Usually, you stand out because you have library experience or you match the position exactly. If you don't want else can you do to make yourself stand out from others in the pile?

• Volunteer
• Writing an article
• Present at a conference
• Teach a class
• Offer a special product

During the next week, we'll look at how to get one of these credits on your resume.

She shoots, she scores: goal setting

Goal setting is an important part of career management, especially if you are a rookie at the "managing" part. Currently, you probably have one enormous goal: get a library job. But you can break this goal into manageable steps, milestones, that will help you tackle the whole.

• Tell your friends and classmates you are on the market. Some of them may not be there yet--a surprising number of people take a break to travel after graduating--or they may have decided to keep their marks up and not look for work until their exams are done. I, personally, think that is too late, but who am I to ask you to forgo the job postings they could pass your way?
• Read job postings every day: flag your favourite sites and visit them when you are checking your email. Use RSS, vertical search engines, and load up your Google Reader.
  
• Brush up on your interview skills: read some of the questions posted here, schedule a mock interview or work with your friends.
• Is your resume perfect? Is it a resume or a CV that you need? Is your master CV ready?
• Do your references know that you are looking for work? If not, give them a call and ask if it is ok that you still use them as a reference. Ask about their holiday plans, in case they will be away when you might need to reach them. Ask for a written reference if they will be in Italy when you are interviewing.
  
• Go to a conference. There is usually a job centre there and you can meet with HR people directly, possibly completing the usual screening interview in advance.
• Do some information interviews. Are you going to be a children's librarian, work in a law office or for the government? If you have not had your internship or worked in any of these types of libraries, how do you know what you are going to do? Do two information interviews with librarians who have careers you never thought of. Attend an "alternative careers" panel.
• Read a career book. A business or library-oriented one or some of the columns from LisCareer, to stimulate your brain and learn new things about career planning. I want you to explore a topic you don't know much about, like BDI questions, networking or relocation.
  
• Set some of your own goals. Use services like 43things to set your own goals or keep a job journal; this will help you answer the question, where do you see yourself in 5 years?
• Do one kind thing for someone else who is looking for a job. Pass on a job posting, be his interviewer for a mock interview, give her a hug if she just found out she didn't get the job after she felt really confident leaving the interview, take one of your friends to coffee at a conference. This is actually networking, better known as "friendship".

Try to break your massive get a job goal into bite-sized chunks; no one can eat the whole pie in one gulp.

Stop dissing other professionals

What do we need a library for? We have the Internet! I've got Google, who needs a librarian! Librarians just check out books, they can't help me at all.

Now that I have your attention and have raised your ire, I would like you to remember that feeling the next time you dis other professionals. You know who I am taking about: the career counsellors at your college/university who you refuse to see; the third party recruiters who you think will charge you exorbitant fees for zero service; and the financial advisors who you are convinced cut their ethical teeth at Enron. You are languishing in stereotype land, and from a professional whose profession has her/his share of stereotypes (cardigan, bun and odor of mothballs, horn-rimmed glasses, wool socks and Birkenstocks...sound familiar?) you should be ashamed of tarring another profession.

Especially when they can really help you with career planning, since career planning is more than scanning the want ads and filling out an application form. For example:

• Career advisors/counsellors: may have advanced degrees in psychology or previous experience in human resources. They are invaluable when it comes to polishing your resume or mocking up your interview skills. They may also be able to help you with the stresses of relocation, salary negotiation, dealing with a career that may, initially, mean some contract-to-contract living, and some insight into the job hunting industry. Even expert researchers need help sometimes.
  
• Financial advisors: may have degrees in business, commerce or accounting, or may have learned their trade working for a credit agency or financial firm. You should visit one for help laying out your budget--the necessary first step in all salary negotiations and decisions--for information about paying back your student loans, like how fast, or if you have used a line of credit or credit cards to finance your graduate education. They can also help you determine what perks or benefits to look for in an employment offer since they have experience putting a monetary value over time on things like pensions, insurance, and tuition remission. Start with your bank to see if they have a financial advisor on board, ask about their credentials and make an appointment to see them.
  
• Third-party recruiters (also known as "headhunters" or "executive search") : are sometimes a little more wild West, but they may have several years working in human resources or another profession (some librarians become third-party recruiters). Third party recruiters make their money charging the employer who is looking to hire, not the job seeker. In Canada, start with the Association of Canadian Search, Employment and Staffing Services (ACSESS).

Yes, there are "bad" career and financial advisors, as well as bad recruiters, but there are also bad librarians. I remember in one of my first year classes, how we were all asked if we had had a mean librarian experience--where someone scared us, angered us, or struck us with a vicious shush--and everyone in the classroom had met a mean librarian. I don't think that any of us went on to be mean librarians--but everyone has bad days--so don't let a stereotype or a prejudice fill your head against working with other professionals who can assist you with your career.