New Spice: Study like a scholar

And...welcome to September.

ALA-APA Salary Survey: Librarian - Public and Academic released

ALA-APA Salary Survey: Librarian - Public and Academic released and the ALA press release about the data.

Yeah, so I missed it. It's September; sue me.

Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Rework is a business inspiration book by the founders of 37signals. Rework examines some of the basic tenets of entrepreneurship and running a business and the authors give their own suggestions about why some of these tenets don't work or why the assumptions are false. Some of their ideas include starting a business while keeping your day job, starting a business with your own capital and not turning to the bank or outside funders, and committing to your idea, rather than building a company with the expectation that the sale of the company will allow you to retire--and someone else will profit immensely, or dismantle, your idea.

I really enjoyed the essays in the book, since they were short, punchy and not filled with data and numbers. The essays are about what they feel worked for them and their company, and what they think will help entrepreneurs (ahem, starters) in building their own business. The book is also free of jargon and about using common sense and less hierarchy and delegation to get tasks done. It also about trying new things, learning how to revise and not second guessing every possible outcome without even testing a hypothesis or new technique.

I think I will employ some of their ideas. For example, I love their idea about lists where they suggest that long lists and/or prioritization does not help a list get done. They suggest breaking down lists into much smaller digestible parts, such as a list of one hundred into a list of ten--so when you cross off one item on the list, 10% is completed. And you also get the charge out of completing a major portion which encourages you to tackle the rest. I also liked the "hire great writers" since you know that they can think and communicate clearly--though we know great thinking, like great writing, may need more than one draft or some time to reflect. Putting the back office on the front lines is also another extremely good idea since it can decrease miscommunications and help the "management" understand the clients and their concerns.

This is a good book for a person who needs the courage to start or sustain their own sideline work or for a new manager who just wants some ideas about how to run their ship, especially if they believe that less management is better.

Rework

Why business books are bad for you from BNET

"Most business books are air sandwiches". I like that and sadly it is sometimes true. I also avoid any business book that includes "inspirational" in a cover blurb.

What's your job geography IQ?

This is a cool little quiz from HRPeople that asks where, by state, major companies like GM, Whole Foods and Marriot maintain their headquarters. If you have someone who is stalking the Fortune 500 for a job (yes, they really get that fixated) this might be something fun to test their and your knowledge.

Caveat: You have to sign in to have access to the results, which completely annoyed the heck out of me. They sent me a temporary password with a blank password field. Since they issued it, I kinda need that info. No, entering my email and pressing "enter" without a password didn't work. So, cute but dumb.

Knockout job interview presentations by Rebecca Cornfield

So, you've been asked to do a presentation as part of your interview, but you have no idea how to prepare. Or you have done some presentations at interviews and think they are the reason why you have not gotten the job offer. Knockout job interview presentations will explain how to prepare for interview presentations, even if the presentation topic isn't presented to you in advance, what employers are looking for in presentations and how to get feedback on your presentation and your delivery.

For librarians that are preparing for an interview that has a presentation component (usually academic library positions), this book will probably help if you have never given a presentation before or if your presentation experience is limited. If you are already a great presenter or instructor, but you are not quite sure why an employer would want you to present at an interview, this book will help you understand how an employer mindset might be different from a student mindset.

This book is also a very quick read, since I was through it within an afternoon, so you could easily include this book as part of your interview "homework".

Two postings from Red Deer Public Library

The postings with the contact information appear on the Red Deer Public Library Employment Opportunities. They both close on September 17, 2010.

Teen Services Librarian (Librarian 1)
Full-time , Permanent (35 hours per week, varied schedules)


Red Deer Public Library is looking for an outgoing and enthusiastic Teen Services Librarian who has a passion for making a difference in our community!

Do you thrive on working with teens and delivering excellent customer service? Are you excited about planning and delivering services in collaboration with diverse communities? Are you comfortable with serving teens in the mezz, our teen space at Red Deer Public Library's Downtown Branch, as well as meeting new people outside traditional library settings? Are you a team player?

Under the direction of the Youth Services Librarian, you will be actively involved in planning, promoting and delivering library services to teens with the help of Library Assistants from the Youth Services Department. You will be responsible for front-line customer service, within and beyond the walls of the library, to customers from a wide range of cultural, economic, social and educational backgrounds. You will be active in community engagement (including outreach and community consultation), staff training and coaching, and collection promotion. You will also be a member of the Library's Management Team and have the opportunity to attend and present at library conferences.

Qualifications

Minimum academic requirement is a Masters of Library Science degree from an ALA accredited library school with two years of related experience, ideally in a public library, serving a diverse clientele (preferably teens). A passion for community and customer service is essential, along with the ability to work effectively outside of traditional library activities and settings, and the capacity to adapt readily to shifting priorities and new service directions. Superior interpersonal, communication, presentation and collaboration skills are essential. Personal commitment to the Canadian Library Association Position Statements on Intellectual Freedom and on Diversity and Inclusion is essential. A working knowledge of a language other than English is an asset. Must have the ability to travel throughout the community and to work varied shifts including evenings and weekends.

Salary for the position ranges from $53,472 to $63,955 per year, with an excellent benefits package. 

Information Technology Librarian (Librarian 1)Full Time, Permanent

Red Deer Public Library is inviting applications for an Information Technology (I.T. ) Librarian.

Winner of the 2005 Canadian Library Association Information Today Award for Innovative Technology, the Library is an innovative organization committed to ensuring community access to the universe of information, experience, and ideas through the creative use of technology. A revitalization of the Dawe Branch library has just been completed, including the conversion of the collection to RFID technology, as well as the implementation of 2 self-checkout units on site. Plans are currently underway to upgrade several key components of the library's technological infrastructure, including the network switching fabric, e-mail system, Office 2007 migration, ILS and OPAC software, and VOIP telephone system.

The I.T. Department at Red Deer Public Library is responsible for ensuring the reliable operation of all Library systems, including the library catalog, IP telephony system, security camera system, web and mail servers, network security, and public Internet gateway service. All members of the I.T. department provide technical support and troubleshooting for the Library's hardware, network, operating system and applications software support.

Reporting to the Assistant Director, the I.T. Librarian will be an integral member of the I.T. team at Red Deer Public Library. He/she will have the responsibility for managing the library's SirsiDynix Unicorn/Symphony integrated library system, as well as the library's web site content management system (Drupal). As well, the I.T. Librarian will take a lead role in staff and customer training. The IT Librarian is a member of the Library's Management Team.

The ideal candidate has

• Experience and interest in library automation, the Internet and the World-Wide Web, network development and network security.
• Excellent communication, problem solving, decision making, and time management skills
• Strong customer service orientation.
• MLS/MLIS degree from an ALA-accredited Library School.

Salary for the position ranges from $53,472 to $63,955 per year, with an excellent benefits package.

An open letter to new graduate students, from Prof Hacker

In today's Chronicle Blog, ProfHacker writes an open letter to new graduate students, giving them advice and suggestions about how to deal with the transition to graduate school. Advice includes work graduate school like a job, meet your subject specialist librarian (I want to say that they want to meet you too, but they may be a bit overwhelmed themselves at first, but they will still be happy to meet you) and network, amongst other suggestions and some advice that was crowdsourced via Twitter.

Welcome (and follow at least some of the advice in the letter).

Job Posting Chemical Reference Librarian

Wow: Chemical Reference

Found on SLA via a TweetDeck search

Librarian IV - Chemical Reference Librarian
Requisition #: 4836 # Positions: 1
Location: US-DC- Experience (Years): ..
Posted Date: 8/13/2010 Category: Library Services and Research - Reference
Security Clearance: Trustworthy Determination (there are links and resources in the External Links section of the Wikipedia article on Security clearance that will help you understand the requirements for security clearances)

As a federal government contractor, ASRC Federal and its subsidiary companies participate in the electronic eligibility verification system (E-verify). This system is used to validate that all of our employees are legally eligible to work in the United States.

More information about this job:

Job Description:

ASRC Management Services (ASRCMS), a Subsidiary of ASRC Federal is currently seeking a Librarian IV - Chemical Reference Librarian in Washington, DC.


Responsibilities:


Roles/Responsibilities:

• Providing professional-level library services that include, but are not limited to, reference support, collection development, collection maintenance, and user access support for both client staff and members of the public.
• The librarian will also coordinate and facilitate the use of additional library services for Headquarters staff that may be provided by the Lead Service Center or through other network libraries.
• Tracking usage statistics; preparing weekly and monthly reports as determined by supervisory staff and the client; participating in Library Network collaborative activities, including monthly conference calls, providing input for information product evaluations, providing professional input on network procedures and practices, etc.

Experience/Education:

Requirements:

• Minimum education level: MLS or equivalent from an ALA accredited institution.
• Minimum two years experience providing professional librarian services in the field of chemistry or allied fields such as toxicology, medical science, etc.
• Strong background working with chemical and toxicological reference materials and electronic resources.
• Demonstrated strong written and oral communications abilities.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a team environment.
• Proficiency with spreadsheets, databases, and office applications.
• Proficiency with WWW searching and research.
• Experience in preparing analytic reports and statistics, use of applications such as Excel, and development of logical expressions and database queries.

EOE

Report: Unemployment High Because People Keep Blowing Their Job Interviews (from the Onion)

The Onion has it right in their satire about why people can't find work, Report: Unemployment High Because People Keep Blowing Their Job Interviews, that employers are fickle and persnickety over tiny issues during the interview.

In some cases, they can afford to be fickle and persnickety.

From Workforce Management: Illinois Bars Job Discrimination Based on Credit History

Illinois Bars Job Discrimination Based on Credit History, though some workers, such as those in the financial services and law enforcement, or for "bondable" positions, will still be subject to credit checks and they may miss out on a job due to poor credit.

The first step is to get your credit report--you can get a free one each year--and be aware that there may be discrepancies between reports. For example, on my report, a store credit card I had closed out with 0 on the balance was still showing 3 years later on a credit report with one agency and the other agency was still showing an outstanding balance on a separate student loan that I had also paid off and closed out. And the two credit reports had two different home addresses. The two agencies didn't have the same mistakes in common.

Cleaning up errors and looking for discrepancies is the first thing a person can do if they are worried that an employer may hold a bad credit history against them. You may also want to go through the process for yourself, since you will need to have it updated if you plan to buy a house and some apartment management companies will also ask to view your credit report before approving you as a renter.

Get your credit report:

• Equifax
• TransUnion
• Experian (no longer has consumer credit services in Canada)

Business Beat for August