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But I Want To Hold It In My Hand! Print Resources
Carvell, Linda P. Career Opportunities in Library and Information Science. New York: Ferguson, 2005. ISBN 0816052441. $49.50. Purchase from Amazon.com.
Carvell's text is the latest in the "Career Opportunities in..." series, each authored by professionals in the field. The format is precise and easy to navigate. Beginning with six major job categories in the field, the author subdivides each category into job titles. Each featured job title begins with an easy-to-scan career profile, followed by excellent in-depth descriptions of job duties, salary ranges, employment and advancement prospects, prerequisites, unions and associations, and tips for entry. To this reviewer, some salary ranges were a bit on the optimistic side, and, unfortunately, the only archivist positions examined were for academic or government institutions. The book concludes, however, with a thorough index and bibliography for further reading. Helpful appendixes include contact information for library associations, accredited institutions offering degrees and certificate programs, and the U.S. News and World Report rankings of the best library science programs. Overall, Carvell has done a good job for those seeking more information about opportunities in the library and information field.
Michelle Sampson is the Director of the Wadleigh Memorial Library in Milford, NH.
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Raddon, Rosemary, ed. Your Career, Your Life: Career Management For the Information Professional. Aldershot, England: Ashgate, 2005. ISBN 0754636348. Purchase from Amazon.com.
Your Career, Your Life is a compilation of articles on the psychology of career management for professionals in the information field. It is weighted more toward the psychological aspects of the profession than actual careers, a book more about people than professions. Editor Rosemary Raddon is also author of most of the articles in the book. Each chapter represents a topical article on the personal and emotional aspects of handling a career. Chapter titles like "Coping with Organizational Change" and "Developing a Career in Organizations: Or Don't Take it Personally" are very telling as to its type and style of content; diagrams of feeling and attitudes punctuate the text. The book is nicely indexed and contains a comprehensive bibliography of useful references for further reading, as well as several case studies classed by subdivisions of the information profession. The case studies are intimate portraits based on personal issues and experiences rather than workplace communication and ethics. The brief appendixes, on useful organizations and web sites and skills groups and skill sets, offer some of the most useful and practical content in the book. Readers having a career crisis and looking for aggressive enthusiastic affirmation look elsewhere; the primary message focuses on personality, emotions, and the difficulties of juggling professional and personal life.
Clara Hudson is Public Services Librarian, University of Scranton.