General information

Librarians in the Wild: Information Architecture

  As I explained in my previous post, the Librarians in the Wild series will highlight non-library fields that are a good match for librarians looking to expand their career horizons. Given LITA’s technology focus, I thought it would be appropriate to focus this first post on Information Architecture.   What is it? At its core, the field of Information Architecture is concerned with helping people (users) find what they’re looking for, typically in an online or application environment. Sound familiar? According to the Information Architecture Institute (IAI): A good IA helps people to understand their surroundings and find what they’re looking for – in the real world as well as online. Practicing information architecture involves facilitating the people and organizations we work with to consider their structures and language thoughtfully. Information Architecture is not focused on building systems; it is concerned with fulfilling user needs. Yes, technical know-how is useful, and usually the…

General information

Librarians in the Wild: Selling Librarian Skills Outside of Libraries

  When I decided to pursue the MLIS seven years ago, it wasn’t so that I could tap into a vast supply of readily available Librarian positions. I did it because I was drawn to the profession and intrigued about how technology was changing it. My first job search as a degree-toting Librarian was a lucky one: I happened to find a place who needed someone with a strong foundation in project management and web development as well as an interest in librarianship, and that is as good a description of my professional self as you will find. That’s how I ended up at Avery Library. Then life happened. As the project I was working on was ending, my wife and I decided to leave New York and return to San Diego. I’m not going to go into our reasons for moving, because they’re not relevant here; suffice it to say, my professional goals took a backseat to other considerations….

General information

“Settling for a Job” and “Upward Mobility”: Today’s Career Paths for Librarians

I very recently shifted positions from a large academic research library to a small art school library, and during my transition the phrases “settling for a job” and “upward mobility” were said to me quite a bit. Both of these phrases set me personally on edge, and it got me thinking about today’s career paths for librarians and how they view their own trajectory. At my last job, I was a small cog in a very well-oiled machine. It was not a librarian position and because I was in such a big institution I did not have a large variety of responsibilities. Librarian positions there were traditionally tenure-track, though it was clear that Technical Services was already on the path to eliminating Librarian titled positions and removing MLIS/MLS degrees from the required qualifications of position descriptions. A recent post from In the Library With the Lead Pipe addressed the realities of…