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One Day I Walk: How I Changed Specializations -- and Survived!
by Mark Bartlett
My story is one of changing specializations -- partly by choice, partly by circumstance. I finished my MLIS program in 1992, and realized that finding work really meant hunting it down. In the early part of my career, I landed part-time contracts and short-term positions in the specialized subject areas of defense research, fisheries and oceans science, gambling awareness, and "history of the book" bibliographical research.
I can now say that this variety was a very good thing. I gained confidence that I could adapt to and learn -- or start to learn! -- new subject areas that were not in my academic background (a bachelor of arts in humanities and languages). As it turned out, the experience of having to change and choosing to change specializations would be repeated throughout my working life.
In 1993, I became Head of Technical Services of an architecture, computer science and engineering library. Half of my job was running the TS department (six library staff, one part-time librarian) and coordinating the ordering, receiving, payment, cataloging and processing of the library's electronic and print collections. In the other half, I worked on the reference desk and did collections development and user education for the departments of chemical, mechanical, mining and metallurgical engineering. My wife is a librarian also, and in the August heat of 1999 we moved to Phoenix, Arizona for her new position at Arizona State University (ASU).
Opportunity came knocking at my door again. I became Head of Technical Services at ASU's Ross-Blakley Law Library. Yes, from the world of Frank Lloyd Wright, materials science and computer-human interfaces to torts, treatises, and case law -- this was the biggest specialization change I'd faced yet. Legal terminology, the highly specialized legal bibliography, and the legal environment in the world at large... I had so much to learn!
In my early days at ASU, my library director, Tory Trotta, spoke frankly about my career change: "Without a J.D., Mark, you'll never make it as a library director... you've got to master legal bibliography to make a real go at this... go get your hands on the material." However unnerving it was at the time, I appreciated Tory's frankness, and I keep these statements in the forefront of my mind. I'm now finishing my third year at ASU Law, and I am glad to report that I really like my job. So what have I learned about changing specializations? What has worked for me? Here are a few observations:
- Talk to your boss/supervisor and learn the high-impact areas of
your work.
If you've changed specializations, you'll know the feeling: "I've got too much to learn; there aren't enough hours in the day; how can I absorb all this new language?" It's true that many working people get this feeling from time to time, but I'd argue that it's turned up a notch if you've entered a highly-specialized discipline. One survival tactic is to learn the priorities and goals of your library and of the parent organization (be it a law school, government department, research institute etc.)
From one year to the next, the high-impact areas may change, so I keep my ear to the ground and listen for the "buzz." I've been fortunate enough to work with an experienced law library director who looks at the larger picture of the law school and legal education as well as the priorities and goals of our law library. She keeps me informed.
- Develop yourself professionally. Go to conferences and workshops
in your specialized area.
This has been extremely important for me these last three years. I'm fortunate that the law library field has a number of great organizations at the local, national and international levels. Each summer I attend the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) Annual Convention, and I always find it an invigorating experience. I learn about big issues and developments in law libraries and I bring back "how-to" skills to my library. Since 2001, I've also had a law library mentor through the AALL mentor program.
You don't always have to leave town to find professional development and educational experiences. I've attended both the library's "Jumpstart" program for third year law students (about to enter the work force) and a four-session Legal Research Institute sponsored by the Arizona Association of Law Libraries (AzALL). Just recently, I spent two days in the beautiful town of Flagstaff at the biennial Arizona-New Mexico depository meeting in Flagstaff and met with other depository library staff and librarians.
- Take advantage of professional reading and the electronic
discussion environment.
If you've changed specializations, you know it can feel overwhelming when you start out. One way to make it through is to read, read, read! Take advantage of the professional literature in your discipline. At work I have Law Library Journal, Technical Services Law Librarian, DTTP: A Quarterly Journal Of Government Information Practice And Perspective, and Ken Svengalis' Legal Information Buyer's Guide And Reference Manual at my fingertips. One small hint: if you need an interpretation of something you're reading, sit down with your boss and/or your colleagues and talk about it. And yes, most specialized areas have Internet mailing lists, discussion groups and web sites. Use them. They are invaluable!
- Learn from your staff.
If you're a manager and supervise one or more staff, you can often learn a lot from them. At ASU Law, my serials supervisor, Sharon, and serials assistant, Conni, have a number of years of experience with the ordering, receiving, invoicing, processing, and binding of legal materials. They've helped bring me up to speed on some of the problems and peculiarities of legal publications. Certainly your staff can't teach you everything you need to know, but they can help get you grounded in your new specialized area.
- Re-read your job description and work towards your current goals.
I'll admit that's common sense, whether you've changed specializations or not! I keep my ASU Law position posted on the corkboard above my workstation. I occasionally pull out my annual review file and read my boss' annual evaluation and my self-review and goals. If your library requires goal setting, take the time to make sure you're on track. Don't wig out, though, if you don't accomplish all of your goals. Goals are just that -- goals -- and the world won't end if you don't accomplish them all.
- Balance work and life.
Not to sound like a self-help book, but do make the most of your time away from work. Family, home, hobbies, volunteering, travel, and exercise -- whatever you like to do when you're away from your 8-to-5 is very important. I like to listen to music, read fiction, watch films, swim, and dabble in painting.
I've found that changing specializations is very rewarding. It keeps my mind alert. It keeps me learning all the time. It means that I meet new people, make new professional colleagues, and keep sharpening my communication skills. It's a tough hill to climb on the way up, but the view up here is great!
Mark Bartlett is a 1992 graduate of the School of Library and Information Studies, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia. He is the former Head of Technical Services at DalTech, Dalhousie University (1993-1999). When he wrote this article, he was the H.T.S. at Ross-Blakley Law Library, Arizona State University in Tempe; he is currently at NYSL in New York. E-mail: mbartlett@nysoclib.org.