I can speak to this on two levels.

First, I have often worked a second job while also maintaining my primary job as a librarian. In the past I have worked part-time jobs as a medical librarian, civic center parking lot attendant, computer instructor, newspaper delivery person, sports writer for a weekly newspaper, and most recently as the PA announcer for my local minor league baseball team, all while keeping a primary job in public libraries. The important thing for me was to find something that meshed with the work schedule of my main job and something that I enjoyed or got some benefit from other than just an extra paycheck. I've recently considered taking some classes to earn an EMT or CNA certification in order to find a part-time job in the booming healthcare field, or possibly pick up a few extra graduate credits so I could teach at one of the area community colleges as an adjunct instructor.

I have also considered switching careers altogether and moving away from librarianship to another profession. The problem I keep running into is that the career fields I am interested in would all require extensive schooling, which would be hard to do while still keeping my full time job. Then there is also the question of money to pay for the schooling and the fact that, in a new profession, I would be starting back at the bottom of the pay scale and have to work my way up the ladder.

One of the problems I have noticed, as far as librarians and second careers or jobs, is that librarianship is one of those professions that is often viewed as a calling or vocation as much as it is seen as just a job. This is especially true when you move into managerial and supervisory positions; people feel you should dedicate your entire time and energy to the library, to books, to literacy, etc. If you're not at work at the library then you should be attending a library program, or going to a Friends meeting, etc. I have found that some people have a difficult time viewing librarians as doing anything else other than library-related work. My father basically worked an 8-5 office job during his career and what he did after those hours was up to him and no one questioned him about it. With librarians, it seems like people think if there is some program, author talk, or meeting going on that in any way pertains to the library or to literature, then you should be there. I mean, that is all you do, right, read books? I've noticed that a lot of firefighters hold second jobs as painters or electricians and I've known teachers who worked summer jobs in a variety of occupations, and nobody thinks anything about it. But try being a librarian and tell someone "I'm working part-time as a waiter" or "I'm making some extra money stocking shelves at KMart" and they look at you funny. It is as if your entire life should be bound to literature and intellectual pursuits or something is wrong with you. Just once I would love to tell someone that I find most classic literature boring as dirt and would rather watch pro wrestling, which is by far more entertaining.

In the end, as with any job or career, your family and health come first. If you feel good about those areas of your life, then I say do whatever the heck you want to for a second career or part-time job.

I'm interested in this topic also. In a month I'll begin a new career as a school librarian. This summer I will have plenty of work to do at the school since I need to purchase all of the books, etc. (new library), but it sounds like every June-August from then on out I will have nothing to do. I'm definitely looking for ideas of other jobs I can do for those summer months so that I don't go stir crazy. You can only read for so many hours a day...