Q: Would there be any resources about making the move from a community college to a four-year college or university? I’ve found it exceedingly difficult myself. The question that arises, of course, is how to address the issue without offending those already at the four-year or university level, i.e., how not to accuse them of conforming to a stigma about CC librarians being “dangerously” unqualified to work for them.

TA: Unfortunately, there is sometimes a perception that the gulf between community college libraries and university libraries may be too wide to bridge, so it’s your job to address these concerns in your application materials. It will help to first identify and consider the differences between the two types of institutions.

In her article, “The Other Academic Library: Librarianship at the Community College,” author Jennifer Arnold explores the differences between working at a community college library and at a four-year college or university library. The main difference is that community college faculty generally focus more on teaching and less on research. Faculty are generally not tenured, rather, they participate in what Arnold calls “tenure light.” As she writes: “After a period of employment ranging from 3 to 5 years, a community college employee can move from a yearly, conditional contract to an extendible contract, which protects the employee against the termination of his or her contract outside of an act of gross misconduct, as defined by the college.”

There are also many differences between the students at the two types of institutions. Most significantly, Arnold points out the transient nature of the student population at community colleges: “With unique programs, and a significant amount of corporate/ continuing education, students also tend to flow in and out of the community college.”

All of these circumstances converge to create quite a different environment for libraries on the community college campus, who are generally involved in a number of activities. Instead of focusing strictly on public services or technical services, for example, community college librarians are frequently involved in all aspects of the library: working in technical services, serving on the reference desk, meeting with faculty, etc. Arnold refers to this as the “soup to nuts” aspect of community college librarianship.

Community college librarians also face the challenges of getting faculty (who focus primarily on teaching rather than research) and students (who may commute from a distance for their specific program, and who are on campus for limited amounts of time) to use library materials and services. Some view these as challenges, where others see opportunities. These opportunities are what you want to focus on when applying for other positions.

So, recognizing these differences, how do you make the switch?

1. Play up the strengths and the opportunities available in your community college position, especially the diversity of duties and the diversity of your clientele. This will show your ability to relate to people at all levels, and provide evidence of flexibility, creative thinking, and innovation.
2. Stay active professionally: publish, speak, attend conferences, and/or be an active (and responsible) participant on library lists. Join local or national associations, and work hard to establish yourself professionally by serving on committees or running for office.
3. Last, but not least: Highlight transferable skills in your cover letter and resume, and show progressively responsible job duties or leadership opportunities (committee service, campus service, professional involvement).

Yes, some do believe that those making the “leap” from a community college library to a four-year institution may be, in your words, “dangerously unqualified.” Most institutions, though, are looking for applicants with demonstrated experience in leadership, creativity, innovation, outreach, and working with a diverse clientele, in addition to the specific technical duties of the position. Community college libraries are an excellent environment in which to gain some of these skills; seize these opportunities and make them work to your advantage when moving on to your next position.

Q: I’ve heard that librarian search committees (especially in academia) do not appreciate follow-up calls from candidates. Is this true?

SM: I wouldn’t go so far as to say they are not appreciated. I will say, however, that follow-up phone calls (or e-mails) will most likely be futile; the committee will be reluctant to give out any information until the search is complete and a candidate has accepted the position. Further, follow-up phone calls, often encouraged in other professions as a way of showing your interest in a position, will not give you an edge in an academic librarian job search.

It is no secret that academic librarian job searches can take a very long time. You may wait several months before being contacted for an interview, or you might not hear anything at all (unfortunate, but common). Let’s say you were contacted by the committee for an interview. At the end of your interview, the search committee should give you some kind of timeline, or a general date of when you can expect to be contacted with the results of the search. If they do not, you should ask them (preferably before you leave) when you can expect to hear from them.

Once you know the general timeline, you should not contact the committee before the given date, unless: 1) you have pertinent questions for the committee that you forgot to ask at the interview, 2) you have (genuinely) been offered a position elsewhere and would like to at least find out if you are “in the running” for this other position, or, 3) you have decided you are no longer interested or have accepted a position elsewhere, and you wish to withdraw from the search.

If your purpose for contacting the committee is to promote yourself or to emphasize how much you want the job, don’t do it. This type of contact (anytime during the search process) is not appreciated. If the interviews have been completed, the committee gave you a general timeline of two weeks, and it has now been three weeks, then you do have every right to contact them to find out the status of the search. Just don’t expect to hear any real news – good or bad – until a candidate has accepted and the job search is officially over.

I have headed up, and participated in, several academic search committees. I can attest to the fact that the committee, like the candidates, often spends a lot of time waiting – for interviews to finish, for input from relevant people (other than the search committee), for a final decision (hopefully a consensus) to be made, for paperwork to be completed, for reference letters or calls, for approval from Human Resources to move forward, for a candidate’s decision once a job has been offered. Trust me, search committees do not enjoy waiting either. Ultimately, they want to finish the interview and selection process as quickly as possible and fill the open position with the best candidate possible.

TA: As a personnel librarian, I would have to add that, should you have any questions, even just about the status of the search, you should be able to call the library’s HR representative. We realize this is a long process, and that both the process and the time it takes can make candidates nervous. While you may not get specific information, you should be able to find out where we are in the search process – and, sometimes, just hearing a voice on the other end of the phone is comfort enough.

Additional Information on the Academic Job Search

“Academic Interview Process” by Nanako Kodaira

“Surviving (and Even Impressing!) the Search Committee” by Karla J. Block

“The Interviewing Process Broken Down” by Suzan Lee

“Do Academic Librarian Searches Take Too Long?” by Steven J. Bell

“Endlesse Searche” by Todd Gilman

The Successful Academic Librarian: Winning Strategies From Library Leaders by Gwen Meyer Gregory

Cornell University, Search Procedures for Academic Appointments