The Liminal Librarian

Just flying by to say that LISjobs.com job ads can now be found on twitter. Yes. Finally. So follow @LISjobscom for updates.

I was catching up on email this week and saw yet another mention of a focus on the “survival” of libraries. Although the actual document they’re talking about is proactive and positive in talking about ways to transform and move forward, it re-emphasized how often we use words like “survival” and “endangered” and “uncertain” when talking about libraries and the future of our profession. When we come at it from that angle, it really does sound like we’re scrambling from survival, and not working from a position of strength. Reframing our language and our approach might help us come at these challenges from a different angle.

It also made me think about just how much perception is key, in anything. For instance: I run a resume posting service over at LISjobs.com, for which I charge $10.00 for the first six months. (The only area of the site, btw, that incurs any fees.) Reactions to there being a fee at all generally run the gamut from:

• HOW DARE YOU GOUGE POOR JOB SEEKERS?

to

• Is it really only $10.00? That’s so reasonable. Thank you so much for this site.

to

• You didn’t tell me there was a fee?!

(This last, apparently, from the non-reading type of librarian.)

Same service, same fee, but incredibly different reactions. Now, I’m wondering if there’s a way to tweak the language on the page so that I get a lot more of reaction number 2 — and a lot less of reaction number one (which, I’ll admit, is more rare). I already tweaked it a while back to avoid number 3, but this oddly hasn’t worked so well.

I just got a mass email from ALA-APA about donating to support their programs in honor of National Library Workers Day today. So this inspires me to say, what the heck, if you’re in the donating mood:

Donate to LISjobs.com in honor of National Library Workers Day. Why? Because it’s a big old free resource for you, because I don’t get paid to run it, and because you know you’ve used it.

PayPal rachel@lisjobs.com or donate via mail: LISjobs.com, PO Box 6931, Villa Park, IL 60181. Thanks .

An open letter to the several people who have emailed me so far about this job ad:

Yes, I am aware it is discriminatory. But no, unfortunately the EEOC does not hold sway in Saudi Arabia, nor does the U.S. Dept. of Labor. And you might note that if you’re intending to apply for a job in Saudi Arabia, gender discrimination is probably a given, and just the tip of the iceberg. (You may be male, but why not write them and ask if it’s OK if  you’re gay. Or, say, Jewish.)

Yes, I did let them post the ad. Why? If I start deleting job postings from other countries on the basis that I don’t like their laws and/or culture, I start down a path I don’t want to be on. If you want to apply, enjoy, but I’d suggest watching out for that little clause that says:

…be willing to do any and all tasks assigned, even if they are beyond the scope of the ‘contract position’.

If you would like to be annoyed about this further, hop on over to the Annoyed Librarian and join in the fun there.

Edited to add: I feel about this somewhat the same way as I do about postings for positions in Baptist (and other religious) academic institutions in the U.S. that require you to sign a statement of faith. Would I want to work there? No. Would I qualify to work there? Not so much. But, I can’t say the same for all of the site’s readers. I do cull out ads that have nothing to do with librarians, are spam, violate U.S. law, want you to stuff envelopes to make money fast… but not Saudi Arabian ads or Baptist university ads.

So the templates for the new LISjobs.com are almost done, and will be just waiting for me to move the content over. Question for the crowd: any recommendations for a lightweight editor? Something like Dreamweaver is overkill for me, but something that does WYSIWYG and preserves CSS and all that good stuff would be fabulous. Right now I’m using NoteTab, so something in between?

(Yes, I’m moving into the new millennium!)

*** PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY ***

LISjobs.com LOGO CONTEST

LISjobs.com is seeking submissions for a new logo that reflects its mission of job hunting and career development for librarians and info pros. This logo will be featured on the upcoming redesign of the LISjobs.com website, as well as in additional print and online materials.

Guidelines:

Please keep the design in a landscape (wider than it is tall) format, and use lighter colors to help it stand out against the redesigned site. While creating your design, keep in mind that the new LISjobs.com expands coverage of career development and library education issues, serving all stages of info pros’ career cycle. I’m seeking a logo that best represents that mission.

Please submit your design as a .jpg file to rachel@lisjobs.com by Monday, July 7. If your design is chosen, please be prepared to submit a high-quality Illustrator (.eps) or Photoshop (.psd) graphic (vector preferred).

If your design is chosen, you affirm that you will transfer all rights over to Rachel Singer Gordon/LISjobs.com. By submitting a logo design, you affirm that you are its creator and have not used others’ protected work in its design. You will be credited on the LISjobs.com website as the logo designer, with a link back to your own web presence if desired. You will also receive a free resume posting on LISjobs.com (lifetime, or as long as I still offer this service) as well as an autographed copy of What’s the Alternative: Career Options for Librarians and Info Pros (ITI, 2008).

The winning design will be chosen by Rachel Singer Gordon. If no design is selected, there may be no winner of this contest, and LISjobs.com may stick with its old logo.

Salon has a handy article up on “What Every Freelancer Should Know” — which I should have posted before U.S. taxes were due, but there are some other handy tips in there too. In case you’re wondering what a freelancer looks like, anyway, you can find out over at BookLust. (Has this ever happened to you?)

Given the surge of interest in work-at-home options, I started a category over at the LISjobs.com forums for telecommuting opportunities. I’ve posted a couple telecommuting/freelance options that have crossed my radar, but would love if others would share any they see — or tips — as well.

Lastly, those of you who travel frequently to do workshops or consult might appreciate this recent UserFriendly comic. It made me snort coffee, anyway…

Get active on the LISjobs.com online discussion forums during March, and win big! OK, “big” may be a relative term. But here’s the deal: Anyone who writes a post on the LISjobs.com online discussion forums during the month of March will be entered into a drawing to win, what else — books! Keep them, give them away, donate them to your library, or make book art out of them, but you could win:

1. A brand-new copy of FRBR: A guide for the perplexed, by Robert L. Maxwell.
2. Signed copies of ANY two books I ever wrote.
3. Three, count em, three paperback/ARC supernatural romances.
4. A whole darn box of random (yet recent) computer guides, for yourself or your library.

(Forum moderators are ineligible for this contest, sorry!) The four winners will be chosen in a random drawing from registered users who post on the LISjobs.com forums in March 2008.

I’m pleased to announce improvements to the combined library jobs database at LISjobs.com/Library Job Postings on the Internet.

For job seekers: You can now save searches as RSS feeds! Only interested in jobs in Illinois, reference positions, or those that mention Web 2.0? Do a search and click “Save this search as an RSS feed” to subscribe. Any new additions that match your search results will automatically show up in your aggregator.

For employers: The job submission form now includes a mini-editor, allowing you to create live links and to easily apply formatting to your ads. Make your listings stand out!

As always, the site remains free to both job seekers and employers.