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But I Want To Hold It In My Hand! Book Reviews
Dority, G. Kim, Rethinking Information Work: A Career Guide for Librarians and Other Information Professionals. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2006. ISBN: 159158180X. $38.00.
Rethinking Information Work is an excellent guide for LIS students and practitioners alike. Dority leads the reader through the self analysis necessary to determine the most personally fulfilling information work, while outlining the varied careers paths one can take as an information professional. Dority includes guidance on reframing one's skills in creating a professional portfolio, and explains the importance of creating a portfolio-approach resume to demonstrate transferable skills to future employers. The guide's strength lies in the many resources, tools, and activities within each chapter to help the reader create a focused career plan. This guide is more than just a tool to begin the process of career exploration, it will become a resource to which readers can turn throughout their career to assist them in accomplishing their career goals.
Heather R. Williams is Copyright Specialist and Rights Management Coordinator, Emory University Libraries.
Ed.: Also see Dority's article on putting yourself in the path of opportunity, also in this issue.
Siess, Judith A. and Jonathan Lorig (eds.) Out Front with Stephen Abram: A Guide for Information Leaders. Chicago: ALA Editions, 2007. ISBN 0-8389-0932-9. $40.00.
Stephen Abram, Vice President of Innovation at library automation firm SirsiDynix and President-Elect of the Special Libraries Association, is a leading speaker and writer on library issues and trends. Editors Siess and Lorig have combed through Abram's many published articles, blog posts, speeches, and presentations to assemble this first-of-its-kind collection of his work. The entries are collected under four broad themes: Advocacy, Technology, Communities and Generations, and The Future. Highlights include a reprint of Abram's popular article "The Value of Libraries," several posts from the blog Stephen's Lighthouse, and a new essay on Abram's own Millennial offspring written specifically for this volume. A selected bibliography of Abram's work and a list of further suggested reading round out the book. There is advice here for librarians in institutions of every type and size, and Abram's innovative ideas and vision for the future of libraries are sure to provoke discussion. A worthwhile read.
Danielle Pollock is the librarian for the Missouri Department of Transportation.
Like these reviews? Think about writing your own. The following titles are currently available for review:
- A School Library Media Specialist's Guide to Success, by Ruth Toor and Hilda K. Weisburg
- Academic Librarianship by Design: A Blended Librarian's Guide to the Tools and Techniques, by Steven J. Bell and John D. Shank
- Fundamentals of Information Studies, 2nd ed., by June Lester and Wallace C. Koehler, Jr.
- Management Basics for Information Professionals, 2nd ed., by G. Edward Evans and Patricia Layzell Ward
Interested? E-mail editor@lisjobs.com with the title you'd like, and a paragraph on why.