“Career Q&A with the Library Career People” began in 2003 as a regular advice column in the Info Career Trends Newsletter. In 2007 we decided to move the column to a blog format in order to facilitate more communication between the writers and the readers and to provide more timely answers to the questions we receive. The Career People hope to create an enlightening discussion forum of professional guidance and advice for librarians, library staff, and those thinking of entering the profession. If you have a question about the profession, ask us! And if you have something you want to add to a post — your own advice or a question about the post — leave a comment.

Who are the Library Career People?

Tiffany Allen is the Director of Library Human Resources at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Library. As Director of Library Human Resources, Tiffany works with recruitment and retention; staff orientation, training and development; performance management; librarian appointment and promotion; and with Information and Library Science students as part of the Carolina Academic Library Associates program. Her prior library experience includes working in a large academic library catalog department, a subject-based branch library in a University system, a small non-profit resource center, and a library in a large for-profit pharmaceutical company. She holds a BA in Psychology and Political Science and an MLS, both from UNC Chapel Hill. She has published articles in LISCareer.com, Info Career Trends Newsletter, and C&RL News, as well as a chapter in Priscilla Shontz’s The Librarian’s Career Guidebook. Additionally, she has spoken to a number of student groups including the UNC chapters of SCALA and SCOSAA, and works one-on-one with students in the CALA program on cover letters, resumes and preparing for academic interviews. She also volunteers as a resume reviewer for NMRT’s Resume Review Service. Tiffany has been writing and sharing advice as co-author of “Career Q&A with the Library Career People” for the Info Career Trends Newsletter since 2003. In addition to the pleasure she takes in her work, Tiffany is most proud of her greatest accomplishment: her family — husband, Will, and their two young sons.

Susanne Markgren is the Digital Services Librarian at Purchase College, State University of New York, where she manages the ILS and the electronic resources and also does reference, collection development, instruction, and web design. She is also an adjunct faculty member at Manhattanville College. Her prior library experience (before, during, and after library school) includes working in many different areas in many different types of libraries including: an academic medical library, a large university library, two public library systems, a seminary library, a government library and a theater library. She has served as a mentor in ALA’s NMRT Career Mentoring program, and is on the executive board of the Greater New York Metropolitan Chapter of ACRL. She holds a BA in History and English from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, and an MLIS from the University of Texas at Austin. She has published articles in Library Administration & Management, C&RL News, Medical Reference Services Quarterly, LISCareer.com, and Info Career Trends Newsletter, and written book chapters for Our New Public, A Changing Clientele: Bewildering Issues or New Challenges for Managing Libraries? and Handbook of Research on Practices and Outcomes in E-Learning: Issues and Trends. She has reviewed publications and web resources for CHOICE, Library Journal, and Public Services Quarterly and has doled out advice as a co-author of “Career Q&A with the Library Career People” for the Info Career Trends Newsletter since 2003. Susanne is married and has three young children.

See also our Guest Authors.

Have a question for the Library Career People? E-mail it to: librarycareerpeople@lisjobs.com, and you could see it answered on the blog. Sorry, we cannot provide personal responses to every question.

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• Guest Authors

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