Q: I’m finishing up my MLIS very soon, and I’m trying to get a feel for as many types of libraries as possible. I would love to get a behind-the-scenes look at a few libraries in a city where I’ll be vacationing soon. What is the best way to approach this? Should I request informational interviews, or offer to volunteer for a day or two? I don’t want to inconvenience anyone, and I certainly don’t want to overstep the bounds of professional courtesy. Thanks for any advice you can offer.

TA: Excellent question! And great timing. There are certainly a large number of soon-to-be-grads in your same situation: finishing school, maybe a semester or two remaining, and wondering what life is like at a real reference desk. Or, perhaps, about what it’s really like to be a children’s librarian? Or, more than anything, about what happens during any given day as a professional… You’re smart to start thinking about this now, and you’re very wise to recognize the limits of professional courtesy and the risk of overstepping those boundaries. There are ways, though, to get the information you need while working within the guidelines of professional courtesy.

First, to answer your basic question, I would try to set up several informational interviews, as opposed to volunteering for a day or two. We all know the old saying that “there’s no such thing as a free lunch.” Well, along the same lines, volunteers aren’t really free. While libraries may not pay a salary, volunteers require orientation, training, supervision, space, and resources. In most cases, having a volunteer for only a day or two wouldn’t be in the library’s best interest; it would be a heavy investment of their time for very little return. Informational interviews can (and should) be scheduled in advance, and do not take a lot of any one person’s time. As a matter of fact, you may be able to schedule a couple of interviews in the same library, but with different people in different departments.

WHY do informational interviews?

Let’s briefly review informational interviews. In an informational interview, you can accomplish several things. You may:

• Explore careers and clarify your career goal
• Expand your professional network
• Build confidence for your job interviews
• Access the most up-to-date career information
• Identify your professional strengths and weaknesses

(Informational Interviewing Tutorial) WHAT to do?

Do your research: Research the profession, research the organization, and research the person with whom you are meeting. You may want to look at general resources that give an overview of the profession. For example, take a look at the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook. You could also look at web pages, annual reports, and statistics for the organization you’ll be visiting. Do your research on the person with whom you would like to meet. You want this appointment to be productive, so make sure you’re speaking with someone who is active in the field and ready to share his or her story with you. By knowing more about this person (Are they published? Are they active in professional organizations? Are they in a position you aspire to achieve someday?), you’ll be better able to shape productive questions for the limited time you have during an informational interview.

Make an appointment: Call, e-mail, or write in advance to ask for an appointment. You may also have a mutual acquaintance who could refer you. Be sure to be up front and tell the person that you have some questions about working in a particular area, and would be interested in meeting with them for an informational interview. Keep the appointment to 20 or 30 minutes.

Have your list of questions and take notes: Come prepared with questions (and something to take notes with). Remember, this is two- way. The person you are interviewing may be interested in learning about you in this process, so be prepared to have a conversation and answer questions about yourself. For a nice list of potential questions, take a look at: http://www.quintcareers.com/information_interview.html.

Say thank you: Before you leave, express your thanks for the person’s time. Also follow up with a written thank you note within a few days of the interview. Remember, you are not just gaining valuable knowledge about the profession, you’re establishing your professional network. You want to make a good impression.

What NOT to do?

Do not show up unprepared: See the notes above about doing your research.

Do not go over your time limit: Respect everyone’s time and do not stay longer than originally agreed upon, unless you are invited to stay by the person you’re interviewing.

Do not ask for a job: Remember, this is an informational interview only. Do not overstep the limits of the informational interview by asking about employment opportunities or your qualifications for a specific position.

I hope these tips help you plan for your interviews. Additional resources are also listed below. Most importantly, be sure to have a good time on your vacation!

Additional Resources:

• How to Conduct an Informational Interview
• How to Handle Informational Interviews
• Informational Interviews – Getting the Inside Scoop on an Occupation
• ‘Information Interviews’ Get a Bad Rap from Job Seekers

Q: I am a prospective graduate student hoping to enroll in a library science program, and I have a few questions about school librarianship. Do K-12 certifications transfer between states? In other words, if I received certification in Pennsylvania, could I apply for school librarian positions in another state? And, is there a large difference in salary between K-12 librarians and university librarians?

SM: K-12 librarians are generally called library media specialists. Other titles include teacher librarian and school librarian. As in every library, jobs and roles in school libraries can vary significantly. They are, though, very much related to teaching – working closely with teachers and students, creating lesson plans, and participating in curriculum development, as well as providing expertise in library materials and access to information and technology.

Each state has different requirements for certification and licensure, and many states require “school librarians” to be licensed as teachers. While some states do not require a master’s degree in librarianship, having it will give you more flexibility and mobility in the long run, especially if you plan on moving to a different state or eventually switching to a different type of library or position.

To start with, look at the American Association of School Librarians Library Education & Licensing page. They have a lot of good information here (and on the their site in general), including a link to NCATE (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education) and a list of approved and reviewed school library media programs.

You may also want to read the ALA/AASL Standards for Initial Programs for School Library Media Specialist Preparation, to learn more about the goals and expectations of the school library media program as they relate to three critical areas of service: teaching and learning, information access and delivery, and program administration.

As for transferring your certification, the good news is that many states will accept certification from another state, also called licensing reciprocity. If you move to another state, it is up to you to check with the certifying agency to see if your certificates or licenses are transferable or accepted.

Librarian salaries are dependent on the specific institution, the location, the position, the economy and much, much more. However, to get an idea of what new librarians are making, the most recent salary survey in Library Journal (published each October), lists the average salary for newly-graduated school librarians as $40,737 – slightly higher than the $37,981 average for academic librarians.

Other useful web sites:

Resources for School Librarians, developed by a retired teacher librarian, contains links to informative sites for certification, jobs, continuing education, collection development and more.

Check to see if your state (or the state you plan on moving to) has a school library association, something akin to the following, which just might turn out to be an excellent resource for information, resources and networking.

• California School Library Association
• Illinois School Library Media Association
• Maine Association of School Libraries
• Pennsylvania School Librarians’ Association

Examples of School Library Associations, beyond the United States:

• Australian School Library Association, Inc.
• Canadian Association for School Libraries
• International Association of School Librarianship (IASL)
• School Library Association in the United Kingdom