Chief Librarian/ Archivist - NBC News

I got this job via Twitter from @needalibraryjob, but I really had to search for the full posting. For future reference, NBC International jobs are accessible from this website, by selecting the Careers tab, and NBC Universal jobs are available on this site. I love the requirement to work "unsociable hours".


1952BR
Job Title: Chief Librarian/Archivist - NBC News
Business Segment: News & Information
Function: News Production

About Us

NBC News has been a leading source of global news and information for more than 75 years, first on radio, and today via broadcast and cable television, the Internet, radio, and cell phones.

The London News Bureau plays a key role in providing the coverage of international news and in supporting overseas field operations. This is a busy environment covering stories 24/7 and therefore a flexible approach, a sense of humour and an interest in international news are essential.

We work on quick turnaround news packages to tight deadlines, you will demonstrate the ability to locate relevant good quality pictures for stories being edited to deadline.

Career Level: Experienced
City: London, UK

Responsibilities

• Manage the processes to ensure that all stills/video content of archival value is registered and has a route to the digital archive, along with associated editorial information. 
• Collate NBC-generated material, as well as material from external sources.
• Point person in the Library for Rights and Clearance issues, scheduling Librarians and dealing with day to day procedural issues involving the Library team.
• Research pictures from various sources for stories as requested by News and Show Producers from the London News Bureau and from other locations, often under tight time constraints. 
• Negotiate and obtain the relevant rights and clearances for items used by a variety of NBC platforms.

Qualifications/Requirements

• Picture Librarian in a digital environment working with a demanding customer base in a busy broadcast environment; strong IT skills are essential for this role and prior experience of Avid Interplay would be an advantage.
• Manage the processes to ensure that all stills/video content of archival value is registered and has a route to the digital archive. 
• Collate NBC-generated material from field and studio recordings as well as requesting material from Eurovision, RTV, APTV, ITN and the BBC. 
• Search a variety of new media sources for new and unusual content and upload appropriate items onto NBC server.
• Manage the small team of Librarians, communicate new procedures and workflow changes, issue schedules, deal with inter-personal issues if required.
• Create simple and rights compliant conventions for the News Desk and production teams to search and retrieve content and upload, edit and broadcast the material.
• Liaise closely with Rights and Clearances department in New York to make the best deal and cover as many platforms as possible when licensing material.
• Manage organisation and access to the database by Production colleagues.
• Train the News Desk Editor and Production teams to use archive systems.
• Deal with research requests for material and anticipate developing stories so that material is readily available.
• Working unsociable hours is a regular feature of the job. 
• Flexibility to work long shifts, during weekends and in the evenings is essential; must be prepared to accept out of hours phone calls/e-mails and drop everything and come in if a big story breaks.

Desired Characteristics

• Strong IT skills; experience of Avid Interplay an advantage.
• Technically competent to ensure NBC News content is preserved appropriately and archived and catalogued according to agreed conventions and rights considerations.
• Research skills to search catalogued and un-catalogued archives and the skills to continue the development of the NBC News archive
• An excellent `picture eye’ and attention to detail
• Team player with strong interpersonal skills and customer-focus approach; able to work collaboratively with a multi skilled team and deal with members of the public and interviewees diplomatically and sensitively. Ability to deal with interpersonal issues in a mature and patient manner when they arise.
• Able to deliver quality work under pressure and to tight deadlines; able to maintain high attention to detail, organisation and problem solving skills in challenging environments
• Understand the news market and NBC audience dynamics and bring this context to each production. Good general knowledge of local and world current affairs is essential.
• Current knowledge of the relevant legislation, regulations, and associated procedures, including Libel and Contempt, Copyright, Data Protection, Public Liability, etc., and how to comply with regulatory requirements
• The responsibilities associated with this position are not limited to the above job description and may be modified at any time by the Company.

All applicants must be able to provide documentation to prove they are able to work in the United Kingdom.
For US Citizens; Must be covered by Solutions; NBCU’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Program.

Basic Sciences and Bioinformatics Librarian, New York

This job posting came through my Twitter alert for librarian and job. It would be suitable for an entry-level applicant provided that they had some teaching experience and knowledge of the sciences.

Basic Sciences and Bioinformatics Librarian, New York

Description:
The Mount Sinai School of Medicine's Levy Library is seeking candidates for a Basic Sciences and Bioinformatics Librarian. This is an excellent opportunity for a motivated librarian to further the development of our innovative services supporting a growing, dynamic research institution.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop and provide outreach and instruction to support the biomedical information needs of the Mount Sinai research community and the curriculum of the Graduate School of Biological Sciences.
• Teach information retrieval, current awareness and information management classes using bibliographic and bioinformatics resources for research and clinical faculty, post-doctoral fellows, students, alumni, and other library users, and conduct other classes and presentations as needed.
• Provide individual and group reference services involving instruction in databases and bioinformatics tools, search strategy formulation, and effective use of information resources.
• Collaborate with faculty and colleagues in developing and maintaining print and online instructional tools and guides.
• Collaborate with faculty to support the institution’s translational and basic research initiatives.
• Assist in evaluating bioscience information resources for library licensing.
• Serve on institution-wide and library committees as appropriate.

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

• MLS from an ALA-accredited program and/or advanced degree in biological sciences;
• Demonstrated knowledge of biomedical sciences research;
• Demonstrated aptitude for teaching;
• Knowledge of the information needs of biomedical researchers;
• Familiarity with the scholarly communication and research processes in the biomedical sciences;
• Experience in the use of molecular biology/genetics databases such as those from the NCBI;
• Proficient written and spoken communication skills;
• Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills;
• Strong public service orientation;
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively.

PREFERRED:

• Experience using biomedical resources such as MEDLINE, Current Protocols, Web of Science and Scopus;
• Experience with bibliographic management software such as EndNote and RefWorks;
• Experience in outreach and/or marketing;
• Experience in Web page creation and design and the design, integration, and assessment of Web 2.0 technologies such as wikis, blogs and social networking platforms.

The Levy Library is a progressive, technology-intensive academic health sciences library that includes the Medical Center Archives, computer-based education design and support, and a computing help desk. For a description of Levy Library’s programs and services, see: http://library.mssm.edu

Mount Sinai School of Medicine (MSSM), located in New York City, is internationally recognized for ground-breaking clinical and basic-science research. In 2009, MSSM was selected for a National Institutes of Health Clinical and Translational Science (CSTA) Award, thus joining nationwide federally supported efforts in translational research and education. It confers degrees of MD, PhD, MD/PhD, MSc and MPH. The School and the Mount Sinai Hospital, a tertiary-care teaching facility, comprise the Mount Sinai Medical Center. For a description of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, see: http://www.mssm.edu/

TO APPLY:
Email cover letter and detailed resume to information on original posting

Careers in Federal Libraries Google Group

There is a very active Google Group for Careers in Federal Libraries. The group includes offers for resume reviews, job postings, links to public presentations, scholarship and award information, as well as notices of upcoming information sessions in this area of libraries.If you are looking for employment in this area, or are just interested in investigating the opportunities, I strongly recommend that you join their group.

Librarian/Archivist at the Fight Network

This one was on the LinkedIn Job Board. Sign in to LinkedIn to get the contact information for where to apply.

Hello! The FIGHT NETWORK *grin*. Library technicians are also eligible for the absolute in cool job bragging rights.

Company Description


Fight Network is Canada’s only TV channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, including fights, fighters, fight news and the fight lifestyle. It is carried nationally on all major cable, satellite and telco systems in Canada. Fight Network operates on multiple platforms including TV, Web, Mobile and Events. www.thefightnetwork.com

Job Description

• Establishes and maintains a cataloguing system to manage library material and the circulation of materials.
• Prepares detailed summaries of the content of programs and/or library holdings.
• Provides program material and/or research information on demand and assists Producers, Researchers, on-air personnel and others in the selection of material and the use of the library.
• Selects and purchases material for retention in the library; prepares appropriate documentation to ensure payment.
• Advises program production personnel on the availability of broadcast materials and assists them in obtaining items not available in the library.
• Researches information using local resources.
• Ensures the safety, security, preservation, maintenance and availability of broadcast materials and related documents or photographs; recommends replacement and/or new purchases.
• Manages the disposition and removal of broadcast materials when authorized to do so.
• Operates equipment required to perform library tasks.

Desired Skills & Experience

• Must be able to do shift work or weekends.
• Experience and/or post secondary education in the field of journalism would be an asset.
• Strong understanding of computer/information technology, including databases as they relate to libraries.
• Experience with Google Docs and Excel
• Experience in with NLE Systems
• Knowledge of television production including the medium of storage would be an asset.
• Knowledge of MMA and general sports
• Experience with a broad range of information resources for consultation and verification.
• Visual acuity and an understanding of the vocabulary of images.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to plan, prioritize and organize workflow.
• Demonstrated excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to train clients using library tools.

To apply please send your resume and cover letter to the contact information is available on the job posting in LinkedIn.

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.

Symphony Librarian

Symphonies do have librarians and this article about the San Diego Symphony librarian explains how the librarian gets the music to the musicians.

Prison Librarian

Prison Librarian and Resource Manager

Employer	Cambridgeshire County Council	Reference	CT307
Published	Tue 05/10/2010 23:00 PM	Closing Date	Sun 24/10/2010 23:00 PM
Organisation	Cambridgeshire County Councilweb sitelogo image	Coverage	Cambridgeshire, Eastern (inc. Herts and Essex)
Working Pattern	Full Time, Permanent position	Hours	37
Salary	£19,621 - £23,708 per annum (depending on Chartered Status)	CRB Check	No
Location	PE28 0SR

Prison Librarian and Resources Manager

YOI HMP Littlehey, Full-time Post, Ref: CT307

£19,621-23,708

You will be catering for the social, recreational and educational needs of prisoners. You should have an interest in stock selection and promotion with the enthusiasm to develop services and explore new projects. Partnership working, innovative ideas and excellent communication skills will be needed in this challenging but rewarding post.

Salary will be offered from £19,621 – £21,519 without Chartered status. Progression beyond this point is dependant on gaining Chartered status. For an informal discussion, actual job posting included contact information, so you should call them to get more information about the position and employer expectations. They are probably keeping track on the people who bothered to call to get information.

Closing date: 25th October

Canadian Housing and Mortgage Corp, Housing Information Analyst

This is an interesting position for an experienced librarian--they are looking for some with 5+ years experience in reference--to work for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. Yeah, that's the site you go to to find out about the ins and outs of buying a house in Canada. I think this would also be a position to check out if you are thinking that business reference will become your calling.

To see the posting on their site, you have to create a profile, so I added it to this post. I'm guessing that the CCCC code under languages refers to the language assessment for Government of Canada jobs (scroll down to see what C means.)

I like the "commitment to official languages" functional skill. Points for vagueness. Does it mean you're BFFs with a language? That you pinky swore your faith? Maybe it only makes sense in French? Just so you know, I do appreciate bilingualism, but I also appreciate clarity.


Housing Information Analyst, Canadian Housing Information Centre - Level 08 (temporary assignment up to 17 months)

Description
The primary objectives of this position are:

• To manage the housing information services of the Canadian Housing Information Centre ensuring the delivery of timely, accurate and comprehensive (verbal and written) responses to complex housing information enquiries received from CMHC staff, the housing industry and research community, members of the public, and government officials at all levels and jurisdictions in Canada and abroad.
• To develop, implement and manage self-service reference and research tools for the use of CMHC researchers and external clients.
• To plan, develop and deliver training programs and presentations.
• To manage copyright requests for CMHC information products.

Qualifications

Education/Experience

• Masters Degree in Library and Information Science and a minimum of 5 years of reference/research experience with increasing responsibility or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated experience in negotiating and reaching agreements on issues and deadlines.
• Demonstrated experience in project planning/scheduling and strong project management skills.

Knowledge/Skills

• Proven abilities in the analysis of information.
• Broad knowledge of the complex fields of housing, construction and community development, and the information resources related to these fields.
• Demonstrated knowledge in accessing, searching and delivering information electronically.
• Responsive in dealing with client service issues and requests.
• Able to manage effectively multiple priorities at one time and to delegate appropriate assignments with authority.
• Good presentation, training and public speaking skills.
• Strong team player and demonstrated ability to lead teams.
• Proven ability to work independently and without supervision.
• Demonstrated decision making and effective problem solving skills.
• Knowledge of CMHC's organization, policies, programs, and business activities would be an asset.

Competencies Core:

• Client focus
• Entrepreneurial/Innovative
• Valuing and Respecting Individuals

Functional:

• Analytical Thinking
• Commitment to Official Languages
• Communication (presenting and influencing)
• Efficiency
• Flexibility
• Project Management
• Relationship Building

Candidates must meet the language requirements to be considered. A language test may be
required. Please note that test(s) may be administered. If so, candidates will be advised in advance.

Job Field Marketing
Primary Location ON-Ottawa
Organization Corporate Marketing

Job Posting Apr 23, 2010
Closing Date May 11, 2010

Security Requirement: Reliability Status

Eligibility for Overtime Compensation: Yes
Eligibility: Open to casual, contract and regular employees (including probationary employees) and to external recruitment
Position number: R2399
Minimum Salary ($) 57,564
Maximum Salary ($) 71,942
Language Designation of Position: Bilingual
Language skill levels of position (Read/Write/Understand/Speak): CCCC

Federal Jobs (US)

There is a website for federal service jobs in the US, Making the Difference, which includes advice on writing a resume, the infamous KSAs, as well as a housing guide for the DC area.

There's more about finding a federal job on the NACE Bulletin for August 4th, 2009pt. 2.

FBI Librarian

Federal and Armed Forced Library Round Table has a interview with a librarian with the FBI. If you became interested in the FBI after they announced their hiring blitz, you may want to read the interview.

Library Career Fair in SL

The Library Career Fair in SL is tomorrow, and SLA has just announced that the military and government library divisions will have a booth at the fair. Since public service is one dependable area for employment (right now, at least) dropping by their booth may not be a bad idea.

And you don't even have to dress up for it.

Recession-proofed industries?

The Career Hub Blog has posted a list of 72 recession proofed industries based on BLS data. The percentage refers to how much growth occurred/is anticipated in those industries. For librarians, the news is good since there appears to be modest growth at all levels of education; however the news should also be tempered with:

• Institutions may be advertising these positions but they may not be filling vacancies with professional librarians.
  
• Additionally, positions can be advertised but not filled if there are budget shortfalls or money is moved (we'd rather have a full-time math teacher than a half-time librarian).
• Where are the librarians in this tossed salad? Are they professors/instructors or are they support staff? Were librarian positions even considered in these numbers or are librarians part of the "information" or "cultural" sectors?

I want you to look at the numbers in another way, not as educational support staff, but as information professionals in other industries. If librarians are part of the "information" sector, the news is good: summarized in another post in the Career Hub Blog, the BLS predicts a 5.8% growth in the information industry. Though it is below the average growth rate, there are positions available. I like my industries to be steady and not in decline. I want you to think about working in environmental consulting, health care and social assistance and in professional associations, special, rather than academic or school librarianship.

Now, I am not knocking either of those specialties and if you want to be an educator, that is one of the highest callings (IMHO). However, I don't want you to focus on only the educational market for librarians. There is a huge market for information and knowledge workers outside of education and the numbers seem to assert that growth is steady in those areas, leading to greater career stability over the long term. This means you need to think outside of the library job boards for your positions and look at professional associations in different sectors (the environment, engineering, law, health services, etc.) and swim in a different pond.

Begin by looking at your undergraduate degree: if you have an undergraduate degree in biology, why aren't you looking at consulting, health care and financial services that need knowledge workers with scientific literacy? Why aren't you tapping some of your undergraduate alumni who have worked in the industry for a few years and who can give you some information on where to look, if the industry is viable? If you worked in the industry, why don't you return to some of your older job board haunts and harvest some information jobs that you are now qualified to pursue? Heck, search on a vertical search engine, by industry or a company that you recognize, and see if they hire librarians. And yes, obviously, SLA can be of service in this type of search.

Update: I spoke too soon about the stability of knowledge workers: Tech Crunch has reported that Yahoo! is letting go of some of the employees in Yahoo! Answers. I never said the search engine industry was stable.