Q: I’ve been working at an academic library since I finished graduate school four years ago. My question for you is this: what would be the best second master’s degree for an academic librarian to get?

I am very interested in pursuing more education and it seems like it would be an advantage to get a second master’s degree, as academic librarians are being asked to be subject specialists more so these days, and I’d like to get a second degree to do just that (and to remain employable). But I’d like your opinion to know what you think are growing trends in regards to higher education — and what potentially overlooked opportunities there are for academic librarians hoping to specialize. For what it’s worth, I’m the library faculty liaison to the College of Education & Psychology here at the university. But if you could recommend a second master’s specialization that would be appreciated!

SM: This is a great question! I have recommendations for you, but the real answer to your question “What would be the best second masters degree for an academic librarian to get?” is… there is no right answer, and it all depends on the job.

A certain subject degree can be valued more for a specific job, because that job deals with that specific subject. A library might be looking for a reference and instruction librarian, but that librarian might also need to be a subject specialist in history, or political science, or mathematics or whatever subject that particular library needs at the moment. And, since you are currently the liaison to education and psychology, and (let’s say) you want to stay in that position, it “may” be beneficial for you and your library to get that second masters in one of those areas. However, since you are already in the role and didn’t need the second masters to be a liaison, then (it seems like) you could probably pursue any subject you would like, although you may want to talk to your supervisor first. If you imagine that you will be job hunting in the future, think about what roles (if you want to do liaison work, and like you said, many academic librarians do) you would prefer. Also, think about how many people have degrees in the humanities (literature, history, etc.) and how many of these people you may be competing with for any given job. In this case, something a little more obscure (like the natural or applied sciences) might make you more desirable as a candidate and more specialized as a librarian, but there may not be as many of those jobs.

Another option might be to pursue a different kind of degree in something like educational technology, or social media, or computer science, or instructional design, or media studies, or public relations, or marketing, or management… where the second masters degree isn’t so much a “subject” but a skill or tool for you to use in your role as a librarian.

My advice for anyone contemplating getting a second masters degree is to go for something that you want to study, something that interests you, and something that you think will be useful to you as a librarian (in future positions as well as your current position) – and this may not be a typical, straightforward subject degree.

Another piece of advice is do not put yourself into massive debt to get a second masters degree. If you are working in an academic environment or applying to academic librarian positions, ask about tuition remission and look into the types of degrees offered at the institution. And, keep in mind that while many institutions require that you have a second masters degree, many of those will let you get the second masters on the job. And, the best part — they pay for it. These positions will usually state in their job ads that a second masters is required for promotion and tenure. When you apply for these positions, you should say in your cover letter that you are very interested in pursuing a second masters degree. An advantage to getting your second masters degree “on-the-job” is that you may be able to tailor it more to your current role and the needs of the library. A disadvantage is that you are limited to that institution’s (or system’s) offerings.

Whatever path or subject you decide to pursue, just make sure it is something that you enjoy, something that challenges you, and something that will enhance your career.

Q: I have a MLS in library science and a PhD in library and information science. Seven years ago I refused a job teaching in a library school because of the abysmal salary offered (I didn’t know enough to negotiate then). Since then I have worked as a consultant and am currently working as a school librarian and instructor at a charter school. How likely (or unlikely) is it that I would be able to get a job teaching at the university level at this stage in my career?

SM: Don’t get discouraged, and don’t dwell in the past. You have the degrees, which is half (or a good chunk of) the battle. And, in the seven years since you turned down that position, you have worked… which counts as experience in the field and is always, always important when applying for jobs (yes, even teaching positions). In fact, many librarians will tell you that their favorite library school classes were taught by adjuncts, working in the field, or professors who had spent a good part of their careers working as librarians. So, with that in mind, make your seven years of working experience “work for you.”

You should apply for teaching positions that interest you and ones that might utilize your work experience (e.g., school librarianship) and also look for adjunct positions which can help get you in the door. If you are not seeing many open positions, contact LIS departments at different library schools and ask if they are hiring or might be hiring in the future. Peruse the job ads for college professors and see what they require. You may need to brush up on your online learning management systems, and your social networking skills. See also this previous question on finding online teaching positions. If you feel a bit rusty, look into taking some online classes such as those offered by Simmons College GSLIS or ACRL. This is also a good way to network with other librarians and instructors and to learn more about online instructional tools.

When you apply for positions, be prepared to discuss classes you would like to teach, courses you would like to develop, and research projects you would like to pursue. Try to get in the mindset of a professor.

Other ideas: talk to faculty members at local library schools, or the school where you got your PhD,  to get some advice on how to get a teaching position. Make sure your curriculum vita is up-to-date and think about professionalizing your online presence: create an online portfolio and connect with other professionals on LinkedIn.

Q:  I have been a school librarian since 1998, I would like to work in an Academic Library, I was an adjunct for 1 year at a community college.  How would I market myself so that I would at least get an interview?  HS students are not that far removed from freshman in college.

TA: In my opinion, it is always the candidate’s responsibility to “sell” his or her candidacy to the hiring institution, and in a way, I think that’s your question: How do I market my experience as a school librarian and community college instructor to be considered a viable candidate for an academic library position?  I believe it comes down to three things: your cover letter, your resume and your transferable skills. 

Academic librarians do many things, but let’s assume you’re considering a public services position.  Look at your experience both as a school librarian and as an instructor and draw parallels between what you’ve done and what the hiring institution is looking for.  Try to put things into a context and vocabulary that are similar.  For example, talk about the reference and instruction you do, one on one and in small and large groups.  Talk about research consultations with upper level students and assisting with the research process.  You may also want to draw on your experience as a community college instructor to talk about working with faculty and instructors and students at the college level.  Use your resume to document your work history, and your cover letter to draw the parallels between your experience and their qualifications. 

It may be a difficult process.  It’s a fairly significant leap from school libraries to academic libraries, and it may take some time and planning.  Don’t forget librarianship at the community college level or in a smaller academic environment.  That could be a nice transition into a larger academic library and may give you the chance to get familiar with students and faculty at the collegiate level.

Q: I have an MLS degree but I’m not currently working in a library. How can one obtain continuing education credits without being employed by a library system?

SM: It doesn’t matter if you are employed by a library system or not, you can still register for and attend workshops and classes that will provide you with continuing education credits or CEUs (continuing education units), as long as you are  willing to pay for them. Credits, if that’s what you are seeking, do not come free. Continuing your education and staying active in the profession while looking for library jobs is something we always recommend and will most certainly provide a boost to your resume  – and you can find educational opportunities in many different places and in many different formats. National and state conferences usually offer pre and post conference workshops for credit, but if you are unable to attend these you can look into other venues, such as: your state library association, national and local associations (MLA, SLA , ACRL, PLA, etc.), and established online programs that offer both courses and certificates of advanced study (CAS).

Here are some education sites to get you started:

ALA’s Education and Continuous Learning page
Medical Library Association Education
Simmons Graduate School of Library and Information Science Continuing Education
SLA’s Click U

Online CAS (certificates of advanced study) Programs:

Drexel University, Advanced Certificate of Information Studies and Technology
Rutgers University, School of Communication and Information, Certificate Programs
Syracuse School of Information Studies, Online Programs
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Graduate School of Library and Information Science Online Education (LEEP)
University of North Texas, eCampus

This answer is provided by our first guest author, Cheryl Kohen.

Q: I’m just starting to use the online social networking site LinkedIn, but I’m unsure how this will help me effectively network.  What are some tips when searching this social media site?

CK: Created in 2003, LinkedIn is an online network website listing professionals from all over the globe, with over half of the members from outside of the US.  In fact, LinkedIn just reached the over 50 million member mark this year, meaning that there are now more professionals to network with than ever before!  Use this professional network to search for other users who directly relate to you career interests, find job opportunities, and research companies.

When creating a profile on LinkedIn, use the most recent and most relevant pieces from your resume.  Also, update your status often with professional information, such as a conference you recently attended, or a presentation you recently gave (in-class or at work).  Now that you’ve made the choice to create a LinkedIn profile, stay active with it.  Keeping your profile accurate and timely will help build your online brand, and be another way that potential employers may find information about you.

There are several ways to use the advance searching features on LinkedIn especially when you are still exploring career paths.  For example, find job titles that you aspire to have, and search for them as a job title in the advance search options.  By searching these titles, you can view professionals who are connected to you that hold these jobs, and learn more about these positions.  Additionally, if you are interested in learning more about alternative careers for librarians and information professionals, but are unsure what these positions are even called, use the job site LibGig and view the many categories that they’ve created for job titles.  Again, search these job titles (e.g. Information Architect) as a job title in the LinkedIn advance people searching, and find people in your network who hold these positions.

Once you’ve located a professional that you wish to connect with on LinkedIn, see which contacts you have in common with and request an introduction.  These introductions could lead to informational interviews, where you explore more about a career path by interviewing a professional who currently works in a field you are interested in.  To learn more about informational interviews, read Quintcareers.com Informational Interviewing Tutorial.

Aside from searching for individuals, users may also search LinkedIn for company information.  The company information in LinkedIn, though not as comprehensive as other reference sources, will provide the user with some key statistics of the institution, along with searching for additional professionals to connect with.  User information provided in the company profiles include listings of current employees who are using LinkedIn, former employees, new hires, recent promotions and changes, and the most popular LinkedIn profiles from that organization.

Want more LinkedIn tips?  See social media expert, Guy Kawasaki’s famous blog entry on the top Ten Ways To Use LinkedIn.

Q: I graduated with my MLS in 1998 but when I returned to my home state, I could not find a job. I took a job in insurance and hoped a business librarian position would open up. I have never had a library job except during high school and as an undergraduate. I really want to get into children’s/young adult librarianship. I am trying to read as much children’s and young adult literature as I can (since I did not have any course work while obtaining my degree) and I am volunteering at my children’s elementary school. What else can I do to make myself more marketable? Should I take more continuing education classes? Is it more realistic to think I will have to move to secure a position? Any advice is greatly appreciated!

SM: Well, the job market is not any better today than it was in 1998, so I’m afraid you have some work ahead of you. I’m happy to hear that you have stopped hoping for a job to come along, which is the first step in making yourself more marketable…. and this means getting the skills and experience that employers want.

Ask yourself the following questions:

1. If you had to choose, which would it be: children’s librarian or YA librarian? You should decide on one area of focus. There are many differences between the two roles especially when it comes to technology and to material/resources, but there are also many similarities when it comes to duties (outreach, marketing, preparing programs and book talks, etc.). Do your research and find out what each requires and which best matches your skills and interest. I’ve listed links to competencies below.
2. Are you willing to spend money and time to make it happen? Ongoing professional development is increasingly important for gaining and maintaining skills, and it also looks good on a resume. I highly recommend taking classes that focus on YA or children’s librarianship, especially since you did not take any in library school. I also recommend technology classes (e.g., social networking, gaming, web site development, graphic design). Fortunately, many classes are now offered online. And, get as much library experience as you can. Look into volunteer opportunities, and jobs, at your local public library. Talk to the librarians there, ask them about their daily duties and see if they can offer advice. Find out what organizations they are involved in, and see if you can get involved (both locally and nationally) as well. Library organizations can be excellent venues for networking and mentoring.
3. Are you able and willing to relocate for a job? Being geographically mobile will always help in the job search, because you will be able to apply for many, many more positions. If this is not possible, then you need to find all the libraries in and around your area and see if they are hiring, look at their jobs ads, and find out what you need to do before you can apply for positions. Most children’s librarians and YA librarians work in public libraries; and public libraries may require that a.) you take a civil service exam, and that b.) you reside in the city or county of that particular library system.
4. Are you also considering school librarianship? The role of school librarian, or library media specialist, may be another option for you if you enjoy working with children, but you will most likely need to get additional education and/or certification to qualify for a position in a public school. Private schools usually do not require teacher certification.

Congratulations on pursuing your dream job. I hope you find it.

Sites to check out:

For Young Adult Librarians:

Competencies for Young Adult librarians, developed by YALSA, The Young Adult Library Services Association, a division of the American Library Association (ALA)

Online courses for YA librarians

YALSA wiki

YALSA blog

For Children’s Librarians:

Competencies for librarians serving children, developed by ALSC, Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association (ALA)

Association for Library Service for Children, ALSC’s blog:

New Grant Will Support Youth Services Students Seeking Advanced Degrees

Online courses for children’s librarians

Finding Your Niche as a Youth Services Librarian by Sophie R. Brookover

American Association of School Librarians (AASL)

Q:  How do we define goals in the digital/virtual libraries?  How have professions changed?   What are the goals to be  accomplished?   How do we define ourselves as professionals? Please give me some directions of where the careers are going?

A:  Well, this is quite a huge question, and I’m sure we won’t address everything in this response.  But let’s give it a try…

TA: First, I believe we, as a profession, define our goals in a digital library the same way we define them in a traditional library setting.  I find the following, from Wikipedia, especially relevant as we consider the definition of libraries and their goals: “modern libraries are increasingly being redefined as places to get unrestricted access to information in many formats and from many sources. In addition to providing materials, they also provide the services of specialists, librarians, who are experts at finding and organizing information and at interpreting information needs.”  So, basically, our goals continue to be finding, arranging, and providing access (both in the short and long term) to information.  I think the significant differences are that (1) types of information are changing, i.e. from paper to electronic; (2) information sources are changing; and (3) information tools are changing, and continue to evolve as quickly as we learn them.  And on top of all of this, the expectations of our users are changing.

So, as library professionals, what does this mean for us?  First, I think we need to see professionals with an attitude of openness, flexibility and an ability to continue to learn and grow.  With technology changing so rapidly, we need employees who not only have the skills needed today, but also the ability to test, evaluate and learn the technologies of tomorrow.  Second, professionals will need a solid foundation and academic training in the aspects of librarianship.   Cataloging may not be called cataloging anymore, and reference may be called public service and instruction, but we’re still talking about the core curriculum in most of the major library schools.  And finally, and perhaps most importantly, we need professionals who remain committed to the fundamental values of librarianship: free and open access to information, regardless of format, location or method of access.

My final suggestion would be take a look at various vacancy announcements to see what employers are looking for in new employees.  Preferably you can do this while you are still in school so you can then shape your coursework and work experience to meet these identified needs.

SM: I think the most challenging part of our profession in the digital age is remaining relevant to our users. I agree with Tiffany, that the fundamentals of librarianship (collecting, preserving, organizing, providing access to information) have not changed –  just everything else, including our users. They expect, and demand, that libraries provide certain resources, certain technologies, and certain services. We need to do everything possible to meet those needs, or they will go elsewhere. As our users get more technologically advanced, and as information-seeking tools get easier to use and more universally accessible, it will be more and more difficult for libraries to maintain their relevance in society, and in academia. In this light, I think we should be reevaluating our goals on a regular basis.

Although our libraries and our roles have been in a state of rapid change in the last decade or so, we are still librarians and can still define ourselves the same way our predecessors did in generations past. We just need to work hard to fit that definition into the current day and combine it with excellent customer service.

Professional goals that all librarians should be considering might include:

• Staying current with new technologies and experimenting with new tools
• Reaching out to patrons in new ways
• Redefining roles in order to better suit the needs of the patrons and the skills of the librarians
• Marketing the library, its services and resources
• Collaborating with colleagues, other libraries, consortia, to provide better services and more resources across different departments or different libraries (joint licensing, ILL and document delivery, reciprocal borrowing, collaborative instruction, etc.)
• Learning from each other

Q: What are online portfolios? Why should I care about them? And, how do I get one?

TA: As someone in an academic library who works with recruitment and filling librarian positions, and who works with MLS students during their time in school and during their job hunt, I know what I like to see in an online portfolio and I know what I recommend to students and early career librarians. Also, I hear from former students about what they keep in their online portfolios and experience they’ve gained and want to share with others. Recently, I posed a few questions to a group of previous students about online portfolios. I wanted to know if they had one, what they chose to include (and conversely, what they chose to leave out), and finally, what they would recommend to others starting this process.

Several people commented on the components of an online portfolio. Portfolios were viewed as an extension of a candidate’s cover letter and resume, and are a good way to demonstrate technical competencies in web design and coding. The most common sections included in an online portfolio were work history, education, research interests, selected projects, and contact information. Some candidates also chose to list their MLS/MIS courses on the online portfolio, and included only “selected” relevant courses on their resume.

A few things to avoid include being overly personal with the information shared as part of your portfolio. This is a professional marketing tool, so please don’t tell me about your recent Vegas trip and certainly don’t include photos of the event — What happens in Vegas really should stay in Vegas! Also, from what I’ve seen and heard from others, the best design is clean and simple. Keep it neat and professional, and think of it as an effective communication tool that extends the power of your cover letter and resume.

Other avenues to building a professional online presence include blogs, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other online networking tools. One word of warning… be sure to maintain some distance between the online personal you, and the online professional you. You should consider locking down privacy settings on social networking sites like Facebook so that only friends can see your personal information. Keep private information private, and make it easy for potential employers and professional colleagues to find your professional information on the web.

SM: Like the students that Tiffany spoke with, I think of an online portfolio as an extension of one’s resume and as another place to share professional information in order to promote one’s skills and competencies. I also think of it as a place where I can provide more details about specific aspects of my work experience and my education history and as a repository that allows me to store my professional documents in one offsite location (i.e., not my personal or work computer) making them more accessible me and to those who may want to view them.

Years ago, after learning HTML, I put my resume on a web page with a few hyperlinks and naively called it an “online portfolio.” I currently have a super condensed version of my CV on my institution’s website. These, in reality, are just resumes on a web page. The online portfolio is, and should be, so much more than this. A traditional portfolio looks a bit like this, a multi-pocket folder filled with all your professional documents. Think of an online portfolio as exactly the same, just online. It is a place that allows you to present and organize your materials in a manner and style that suits your needs, a place that makes sharing your materials much easier, and a place that allows for more freedom and creativity than the formal structure of the cover letter and resume.

An online portfolio is a good investment for librarians who are actively looking for employment and for contentedly employed librarians who just want a space of their own that they have complete control over, outside of their institution’s web server. I strongly believe that professionals who have acquired materials over the years should be maintaining some kind of ongoing professional file and updating their resumes on a regular basis regardless of job stability. It is both satisfying and motivating to have an organized and up-to-date folder (online or in print) of your professional materials.

I set out to create my own online portfolio this Fall. I have been an academic librarian for over a decade now and I’ve acquired many documents over the years that move around with me, from computer to USB drive, to inboxes, to different computers. And, I need to maintain a portfolio for tenure requirements, which means lots of printing and sorting and stapling. I desperately needed one place where I could both store and display these documents. As I researched what others are doing in this arena, I discovered that the plethora of free online “social tools” have become ideal portfolio platforms. Not only are they free, they offer security, lots of storage space, backups, searching and commenting capabilities, and are very easy to use – no web skills required. What better time to create, upload, display and archive your professional profile than now?

After contemplating exactly what I wanted my online portfolio to do, and weighing the many options, I choose to use a wiki. I wanted it to be clean and simple in its design, and I wanted to be able to easily cut and paste text from other documents without much editing. I used different pages within the wiki to create distinct sections for my materials such as publications, experience, presentations, and web design.

As social and professional sites expand, evolve, and intertwine, more and more people will be putting their portfolios online and thinking of them as just another link on their networking chain.

To reiterate what Tiffany mentioned above – when creating your online portfolio:

• Be creative in a clean and simple way
• Keep it organized and professional
• Include documents, materials, presentations, etc., that highlight your skills and experience
• Only include materials you would show a prospective or current employer
• Be cognizant when naming things (URL, pages, folders, etc.)
• Go beyond your resume and cover letter
• Make it easy to navigate
• Make your contact information visible
• Make sure you can download it (back it up)
• Keep it up-to-date
• Use it to promote yourself

These are some articles and ideas that I found useful in my research, please let us know if you have additional resources or a portfolio you want to share.

Articles:

Functional and Stylistic Needs of Every Online Portfolio
by Christopher A. Brown

Online Portfolios, or “WOW! Look at Everything I’ve Done!”
by Kim Moody

Punch Up Your Portfolio
by Katie Dunneback

Using Del.icio.us to Create an Easy, Always Updated Online Portfolio
by Michele Martin

Build a Killer Online Portfolio in 9 Easy Steps
by Skellie

Creating a Successful Online Portfolio
by Sean Hodge

Examples and How-To’s:

Creating ePortfolios with Web 2.0 Tools
by Dr. Helen Barrett

Michele Martin’s delicious Portfolio

The Information School, University of Washington, Sample MLIS Student’s Online Portfolios

SM’s Online Portfolio

Q: I am a reference librarian and I am trying to obtain experience in creating web pages. I would also like to join committees or groups that focus on, or deal with, web design issues, but I am having trouble finding any such groups. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks!

SM: The first thing you should do is to seek out people in your own library, librarians or non-librarians, who are doing web work. See if you can get some hands-on-training and mentoring from them. You should also find out if any local organizations or companies offer classes in HTML or web design, and find out from your supervisor if you can get funding for taking classes. While you’re at it, talk to your supervisor about your desire to obtain experience in creating web pages. He or she might have some ideas that could benefit you in your current position. It is always a good idea to let your supervisors know that you are eager to learn and take on more, or different, responsibilities.

You can also look outside your current place of work. Some library organizations have special interest groups, or SIGs, which focus on specific areas of librarianship or specific technologies. These groups bring people together to learn, discuss, and make connections. If your local library organization does not have a pertinent SIG, you can help start one. If you can’t find local classes, communities, or groups to join, then try going online. I have listed just a few resources below that you might find useful.

Knowing how to create web pages from scratch and understanding the basics of HTML and good design can be very valuable skills for librarians, even if they are not their library’s webmaster. Librarians, in many cases, are the ones who create and maintain the web pages for their libraries; but some libraries (often large library systems) have their web pages created by design firms. Find out if you are able to contribute to your work environment by creating web pages, however minor, for your library’s site. If not, then you might want to see if any of the organizations that you belong to (which do not have to be library related) could use assistance in creating web pages or starting a web site. The best way to learn, of course, is always by doing. Best of luck, and have fun!

Online Tutorials

W3Schools.com
http://www.w3schools.com/html/default.asp

PageTutor.com
http://www.pagetutor.com/html_tutor/index.html

HTML Goodies
http://www.htmlgoodies.com/primers/html/

Free Online Courses (registration required)

E-Learning Center
http://www.e-learningcenter.com/free_html_course.htm

WebTech U
http://www.webtechu.com

Other Useful Sites

Accessible Design for Library Web Sites
http://senna.sjsu.edu/lmain/isdaccess/home.html

“For designers of library Web sites, this Accessibility Handbook is an interactive “How To” guide that shows how to implement a variety of innovative ideas and practical solutions for the smooth integration of accessible elements into each step of the design process.” Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki
http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Website_Design

“Library Success was created by Meredith Farkas to be a collaborative space for librarians to share success stories and inspire each other to do great things in our own libraries.”

WebJunction: An Online Community for Library Staff
http://webjunction.org/do/Home

“WebJunction is a cooperative of library staff sharing and using online resources that enable us to identify and embrace appropriate technologies and apply them to our daily work.”

WebMonkey: The Web Developer’s Resource
http://www.webmonkey.com

“The site that’s been teaching people how to build websites of their own since 1996.”

Conferences

Internet Librarian
http://www.infotoday.com/il2007/

“The only conference for information professionals who are using, developing, and embracing Internet, Intranet, and Web-based strategies in their roles as information architects and navigators, Webmasters and Web managers, content evaluators and developers, taxonomists, searchers, community builders, information providers, trainers, guides, and more.”

Usability Week 2007
http://www.nngroup.com/events/

“Takes you beyond the typical conference experience, offering a three-day usability camp, a three-day intensive session on interaction design, and several specialized, day-long tutorials that get both broad and deep on core usability topics.”

Q: I don’t have time to read the library journals and I don’t have access to many of them. Can you recommend some online resources, that I can read for free, that will keep me informed and up-to-date with the profession?

SM & TA: Good question! With so many library-related blogs, on so many different topics, written by so many engaging and knowledgeable writers, it is surprisingly easy to keep up with the profession. You can find blogs and online newsletters (such as this one) that will keep you entertained and informed, as well as update you on library careers, technology, higher education, conferences and events, resources and tools, and much, much more. We have listed just a few that we (or our colleagues) read regularly.

Blogs:

ACRLBlog: http://www.acrlblog.org
“Blogging by and for academic and research librarians.”

Beyond the Job: http://librarycareers.blogspot.com
“Professional tips for librarians: Articles, job-hunting advice, professional development opportunities, and other news and ideas on how to further your library career.”

The Distance Education Librarian: http://distlib.blogs.com/distlib/
“Comments on the world of distance librarianship.”

The Kept-Up Academic Librarian: http://keptup.typepad.com/academic/
“Helping Academic Librarians ‘Keep Up’ With News and Developments in Higher Education.”

Librarian.net: http://librarian.net
Jessamyn West’s blog.

Librarian Central: http://librariancentral.blogspot.com
“Your official site for Google tips, news, and updates.”

LISNews: http://www.lisnews.org
“A collaborative weblog devoted to current events and news in the world of Library and Information Science.”

LISNews – This Week in LibraryBlogLand: http://twil.lisnews.org
A roundup of blog posts from around the library blogosphere from the previous week.

Resource Shelf: http://www.resourceshelf.com
“Where dedicated librarians and researchers share the results of their directed (and occasionally quirky) web searches for resources and information.”

The Shifted Librarian: http://www.theshiftedlibrarian.com
Jenny Levine’s blog.

Stephen’s Lighthouse: http://stephenslighthouse.sirsidynix.com/
Stephen Abram’s blog.

Tame the Web: Libraries and Technology: http://tametheweb.com
Michael Stephens’ blog.

Newsletters:

FreePint Newsletter: http://www.freepint.com/issues/
“FreePint is a global network of people who find, use, manage and share work-related information. Members receive this free twice- monthly newsletter, packed with tips, features and resources.”

Jinfo: http://www.jinfo.com/newsletter/
“The twice-monthly Jinfo Newsletter contains advice and tips from recruitment consultants and information professionals.”

MLS: Marketing Library Services: http://www.infotoday.com/MLS/
“MLS will provide information professionals in all types of libraries with specific ideas for marketing their services.”

Staying informed about the profession and current with new trends and resources will also help you when you’re looking for a job, or just looking to further your career. E-mail us at librarycareerpeople@lisjobs.com with your favorite library-related blog or newsletter, and we will list them in a future column. Enjoy your reading!