Menu:
Career Advancement For Nextgen Librarians
by Cory Tucker
Because of their recent entrance into the library profession, career advancement may be the last thought on nextgen librarians' minds. With a large population of potential retirees in the library profession, though, career advancement is an important topic for all nextgen librarians. There are several factors that will affect their success or failure.
What Do I Want to Be When I Grow Up?
This is an overused phrase, but relevant in career advancement. A new librarian may not have a formally-planned career path. In order to advance one's career, however, it is vital to know one's path. All people must take responsibility for their own careers. This involves self motivation and taking the time to reinvest in your career.
What's Next?
Once a career path is chosen, the next stage is planning. The first step in this process involves self-evaluation. This is often referred to as "gap analysis," or SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats). Self-evaluation requires people to look at their own knowledge and skills. What are your strengths and weaknesses? What skills need to be developed? Although it can be a humbling experience, the self-evaluation process is a key element in career advancement.
The next step is comparing your skills to those required in a job(s) of interest. This can be achieved by scanning library-related job ads on lists and web sites. Evaluate these, and compare the required and preferred skills to your own skills. Where do you rate well? Where are there gaps? The job advertisements provide key ingredients for career planning, including skills required for potential positions, years of experience, and educational requirements. Another idea is to perform a literature review and see what has been published about the desired position. The library literature is full of extremely informative case studies.
The final step in the planning process is identifying your goals. Goals may be short-term or long-term. An important thing to keep in mind is setting goals in realistic time frames. It is wonderful to "shoot for the moon," but don't set yourself up for failure.
How Can I Advance My Career?
Implementation of the career path involves several factors, including educational or certification requirements, professional development and training, mentoring, work experience, and the job market.
Career advancement may depend on the educational requirements for the position of interest. Potential positions may require a second master's degree or a Ph.D. For moves to library administration, a Ph.D. or MBA may be required. Another factor to keep in mind is certification; specialized positions may require certification from a professional organization.
Professional associations are great sources for developing knowledge and skills. State and national associations, consortia, and other organizations have seminars and conferences for professional development and continuing education. Many associations are organized into specialized divisions. For example, for those interested in business librarianship, ALA has a sub-organization called Business Reference and Services Section (BRASS). BRASS conducts programs and seminars on many aspects of business librarianship, including "core competencies."
These organizations are also good places to network and make contacts with librarians in positions you would like to attain. Networking is valuable because it allows librarians to interact with their peers and make contacts with people who may serve as mentors, references, or even members on a search committee. Professional organizations are also valuable because they afford leadership opportunities. Volunteering for a committee assignment allows one to play an integral part in the development and governance of an association.
Locating a mentor is a significant factor in career advancement. Mentors are valuable because they can provide career advice, and they are great references. There are a couple of ways to develop a mentor relationship. The first possibility is to ask your supervisor to assign a mentor based on your goals; but a potential problem is that personalities may not be a good fit and a relationship may fail to develop. The second method is to identify a colleague who is on the career path that you would like to take, and set up an informal meeting with them. This method allows a person to see if there is a good fit, and allows the relationship evolve naturally.
Gaining as much library experience as possible is another factor in career advancement. Use your current work situation to your advantage; attempt to strengthen needed skills through your current job. Also, if you are interested in leadership positions, speak with your supervisor about your desire for more leadership roles within your organization. Most libraries create task forces or committees to resolve issues; these offer the opportunity to work on leadership skills. Your current work environment can also be beneficial if you still have uncertainty about a career path. Get to know each division of the library (reference, media, admin., etc.) and develop a general understanding about how each division operates.
The job market portion of career advancement involves three areas: marketing, interviewing and available positions. Realize that the job market for librarians is not static; it is hard to predict what the job market will be like in five years.
Once you find a position of interest, there are three factors of great importance. First, market yourself with a good cover letter and resume, which are the first documents a committee reviews during the search. The final two factors are connected, and involve experience with the interview process and self marketing. Being prepared for the interview process is critical. Create a list of questions for the search committee. Prepare for questions the search committee may ask of you. Self marketing is also critical. Understanding how to be tactful in "tooting your horn" is an art that can be learned.
In the next few years, nextgen librarians will have significant opportunities to impact the library profession. In order to take advantage of these opportunities, they will have to think critically about their career paths. This involves setting realistic goals and following a carefully-planned strategy. Thinking strategically about your career will allow you to use the opportunities provided by the library profession to advance your career. In return, you can give something back to the profession.
Cory Tucker is the Business & Hospitality Librarian at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He can be reached at: cory.tucker@ccmail.nevada.edu.