Info Career Trends May 1, 2007 vol. 8, no. 3 ISSN 1532-0839 Published by LISjobs.com: http://www.lisjobs.com E-mail: editor@lisjobs.com Web: http://www.lisjobs.com/newsletter/ In This Issue (Building Balance): 1) Editor's Note 2) Career Q&A From the Library Career People (burnout and job hunting, learning web design) 3) Learning to Say "No:" The Art of Balancing Your Life 4) I'm No Supermom: Balancing Tenure and Parenthood 5) Egging Us On! Spring's Balancing Act 6) Joyfully Jobless: One Path to Balance 7) WLB Thursdays and All That: Avenues to Finding Balance 8) Busy Lives: Library Work, Graduate School, Family - What Next? 9) What's Online? Recommended Resources 10) But I Want To Hold It In My Hand! Reviews: Managing Change: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians, and New Librarian, New Job: Practical Advice for Managing the Transition 11) Administrivia, Copyright, Subscription, and Removal Instructions ======== Editor's Note This issue's theme, "building balance," is near and dear to my heart, mirroring my own ongoing struggles and questions. Each contributor takes a different approach, showing that there is no one path and that we each must build - and continue to revise - our own best balance. I hope that reading about others' paths helps inspire you to take steps to balance your own life, family, and career. As you strike that balance between professional responsibilities and the rest of your life, think about ways you can easily contribute to the profession and enhance your resume - like writing for Info Career Trends! I'm currently accepting queries for two upcoming issues: Sept. 2007 (career options) and Nov. 2007 (job hunting). Find more on these themes and read contributor guidelines ( http://www.lisjobs.com/newsletter/theme.htm ), then send your query to editor@lisjobs.com. - Rachel (editor@lisjobs.com) ======== *** GenX? Millennial? Managing people of a different generation than yourself? Check out The NextGen Librarian's Survival Guide! http://www.lisjobs.com/nextgen/ ======== Career Q&A From the Library Career People (librarycareerpeople@lisjobs.com) Q: Can you please help me? I am currently a certified media specialist in Georgia, and I am so burned out. Can you tell me where to look to use my MLIS? I love research, but whatever I apply for has to pay a decent wage. Can anyone out there help me? TA: Dear Burned Out in GA - Wow! There are so many things to touch on here, so I'm going to be brief. Specifically, I want to talk about three things: 1) Handling workplace stress and burnout 2) Working while looking for another job 3) Successfully finding and moving into a new position At the end, I'm also including some job-hunting web sites to help you start your search. Handling workplace stress and burnout First and foremost, most of us face stress on the job. This may stem from our job duties (meeting deadlines, dealing with difficult patrons, spending the year's acquisitions budget) or the struggle to balance our job with the other parts of our life (children, parents, pets, hobbies, academic pursuits). In some cases, stress isn't all bad - it can push us, motivate us, and help us achieve successes along the way. The problem arises when stress reaches the famous "tipping point;" when it no longer motivates you, but rather becomes overwhelming, anxiety-provoking, or, in some cases, paralyzing. When you're losing sleep, dreading going to work, or just plain unhappy in your job, it's time to look elsewhere. This brings me to my next point: How do you continue to work in an unhappy job while also looking for your next opportunity? Working while looking Looking for work can be stressful in itself, so it would seem that looking for a job while trying to get out of a stressful situation would merely add fuel to the fire. But, in my experience, looking for the next job is actually the first step out of that fire, and the hunt is usually met with excitement, enthusiasm, and hope. This is literally your first step away from a bad situation, toward something you hope will be better. What you need to do is prepare yourself to find a position that matches your skills, experience and interests. Take a look at our previous columns on transferable skills, preparing cover letters and resumes, and getting ready for interviews. In situations like this one, though, where you're working really hard to leave a position, you'll want to take extra care to frame your application materials and interview responses in a way that keeps the focus on the new position, not the baggage you're hauling around from your current job. Always, always, always keep a positive attitude. Try to find the positive things about your current position and talk about those in an interview. Never, never, never speak poorly of your current situation. For example, instead of saying "I never got any help from anyone; I was always left on my own," say something like: "I was often able to work independently, and made a lot of decisions on my own." Talk about challenges, opportunities, and how you responded to make the most of the situation. Most employers will be able to read between the lines, but they will also remember that you had the grace and professionalism to handle the situation in a respectful and dignified manner. If you're asked about why you are looking for another position, talk about seeking new challenges, looking for new opportunities, or wanting to grow in the profession, then quickly follow up by explaining how their specific position will enable you to do that. The bottom line is this: if you speak poorly about one organization, the hiring supervisor will fear that you'll speak harshly about them one day as well. Finding and moving into a new position So, you've read about a job that sounds great. You've applied and been called for an interview. During the interview, you acted professionally, talked about seeking new challenges, and made a great impression. While you were there, you also did some investigating of your own. You looked at how people were treated. You evaluated how they treated you as a candidate. And, during your interview, when it was your turn to ask questions, you asked people what they liked most about working there - and received a lot of great responses. This sounds like a good fit, and when you receive the offer, you accept. But the story doesn't stop there - there are still a couple of other things you need to do. First, while it may be incredibly tempting to just walk out of the door and leave your current place of employment in the dust, remember that this is a small profession. Given a choice, you never want to leave on bad terms. Follow your organization's protocol for resignation, which usually consists of at least a two week notice. If you have to write a resignation letter, be professional and gracious. Secondly, when you start your new job, start fresh. Try to leave old baggage and comparisons behind you. Find the joys, challenges and opportunities in your new position, and most importantly, have fun in your work. Online Resources My Job is Killing Me! http://content.monster.com/articles/3495/17850/1/home.aspx Let Stress Work For You http://content.monster.com/articles/3470/18203/1/home.aspx Job Stress Management http://www.helpguide.org/mental/work_stress_management.htm LISjobs/Library Job Postings on the Internet Job Listings http://www.lisjobs.com/jobs/index.asp ALA Employment Opportunities http://www.ala.org/ala/education/empopps/employment.htm Chronicle of Higher Education Jobs http://chronicle.com/search/jobs/ Q: I am a reference librarian and I am trying to obtain experience in creating web pages. I would also like to join committees or groups that focus on, or deal with, web design issues, but I am having trouble finding any such groups. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks! SM: The first thing you should do is to seek out people in your own library, librarians or non-librarians, who are doing web work. See if you can get some hands-on-training and mentoring from them. You should also find out if any local organizations or companies offer classes in HTML or web design, and find out from your supervisor if you can get funding for taking classes. While you're at it, talk to your supervisor about your desire to obtain experience in creating web pages. He or she might have some ideas that could benefit you in your current position. It is always a good idea to let your supervisors know that you are eager to learn and take on more, or different, responsibilities. You can also look outside your current place of work. Some library organizations have special interest groups, or SIGs, which focus on specific areas of librarianship or specific technologies. These groups bring people together to learn, discuss, and make connections. If your local library organization does not have a pertinent SIG, you can help start one. If you can't find local classes, communities, or groups to join, then try going online. I have listed just a few resources below that you might find useful. Knowing how to create web pages from scratch and understanding the basics of HTML and good design can be very valuable skills for librarians, even if they are not their library's webmaster. Librarians, in many cases, are the ones who create and maintain the web pages for their libraries; but some libraries (often large library systems) have their web pages created by design firms. Find out if you are able to contribute to your work environment by creating web pages, however minor, for your library's site. If not, then you might want to see if any of the organizations that you belong to (which do not have to be library related) could use assistance in creating web pages or starting a web site. The best way to learn, of course, is always by doing. Best of luck, and have fun! Online Tutorials W3Schools.com http://www.w3schools.com/html/default.asp PageTutor.com http://www.pagetutor.com/html_tutor/index.html HTML Goodies http://www.htmlgoodies.com/primers/html/ Free Online Courses (registration required) E-Learning Center http://www.e-learningcenter.com/free_html_course.htm WebTech U http://www.webtechu.com Other Useful Sites Accessible Design for Library Web Sites http://senna.sjsu.edu/lmain/isdaccess/home.html "For designers of library Web sites, this Accessibility Handbook is an interactive "How To" guide that shows how to implement a variety of innovative ideas and practical solutions for the smooth integration of accessible elements into each step of the design process." Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Website_Design "Library Success was created by Meredith Farkas to be a collaborative space for librarians to share success stories and inspire each other to do great things in our own libraries." WebJunction: An Online Community for Library Staff http://webjunction.org/do/Home "WebJunction is a cooperative of library staff sharing and using online resources that enable us to identify and embrace appropriate technologies and apply them to our daily work." WebMonkey: The Web Developer's Resource http://www.webmonkey.com "The site that's been teaching people how to build websites of their own since 1996." Conferences Internet Librarian http://www.infotoday.com/il2007/ "The only conference for information professionals who are using, developing, and embracing Internet, Intranet, and Web-based strategies in their roles as information architects and navigators, Webmasters and Web managers, content evaluators and developers, taxonomists, searchers, community builders, information providers, trainers, guides, and more." Usability Week 2007 http://www.nngroup.com/events/ "Takes you beyond the typical conference experience, offering a three-day usability camp, a three-day intensive session on interaction design, and several specialized, day-long tutorials that get both broad and deep on core usability topics." *** Have a question for the Library Career People? E-mail it to librarycareerpeople@lisjobs.com, and you could see it answered in an upcoming column. Sorry, we cannot provide personal responses. About the Authors Tiffany Allen is currently serving as the Assistant Personnel Librarian at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to her work in academic librarianship, Tiffany worked in a variety of libraries, including a small non-profit library and a large corporate research library. Susanne Markgren is the Systems/Electronic Resources Librarian at Purchase College, SUNY. Her career experience encompasses a variety of positions in different types of libraries, including public, special, and academic. ======== *** Wouldn't you like to see your ad here? E-mail editor@lisjobs.com for details. ======== Learning to Say "No:" The Art of Balancing Your Life by Valerie Nye (vnye@csf.edu) Balance between career and home life doesn't tend to occur naturally. Creating a balanced life requires setting strong priorities, considering future goals, and having an honest conversation with yourself about where you draw the strength to sustain the energy for your commitments. Learning to evaluate the professional and personal opportunities that enter your life is an important part of creating a healthy and happy life, and learning to say "no" to activities outside of your priorities is a crucial component of personal and professional success. For the first five years of my career, I said "yes" to every opportunity that landed on my doorstep. I served on committees, taught extra classes, wrote articles for newsletters and journals, participated in library related research projects, traveled to conferences, and attended nearly every job-related library training course that came along. I looked at every opportunity as a chance to learn something new and meaningful, and saw every new commitment as a foothold in my library career. By committing to all of these experiences, I made important career connections with librarians from around the country, learned about the work performed in all different types of libraries, and gained new and valuable skills. All of these varied experiences were stepping stones to my current job and to who I am today. Six or seven years in, though, I began to feel overwhelmed by the number of activities to which I was committed. As I began to evaluate my life at work and at home, I realized I was feeling unhappy and disconnected. I was spending my best and most creative energy on job related activities, leaving little time or energy to explore other things in my life that I enjoyed, but that were unrelated to librarianship. I realized I could no longer take advantage of every professional activity in which I was interested, but had to learn to evaluate each opportunity and say "no" to those that failed to fit into my priorities. Saying "no" has not always been easy. At first, telling people I could not participate in committees, activities, and events was very difficult. I saw value in every opportunity, and knew I would enjoy contributing to each organization. As soon as I started saying "no," though, I had the free time to ask some important questions: * What things give me energy, and what things take away my energy? * If I didn't have to work to earn money, what would I spend my time doing? * What things had been most important in the past, before life became so busy? * What hobbies and skills do I want to develop? Answering these questions helped me gain a new balance in my life and explore new areas of interest. Since beginning my new, more balanced life, I have coauthored a book about restaurants in my home state, raised over $2000 and trained for a 39.3 mile breast cancer walk, traveled, and spent quality time with friends - and I have even enjoyed holidays without feeling overwhelmed with responsibilities. I accomplished all of these seemingly daunting tasks and events while working full-time and taking on additional, measured responsibilities at work and in professional organizations. When I am asked to take on new responsibilities at work, in professional organizations, or in any of the newly developed areas of my life, I now take the time to consider the ramifications of a commitment. The following list has helped my thought process. When asked to take on a new responsibility: * Ask for time to consider your decision; do not immediately say "yes" or "no." * Ask for a written description outlining the formal responsibilities associated with the position or opportunity. Once you have clarified the task's responsibilities, the following questions may guide you in making your final decision. * What things will you enjoy about the new opportunity, and what will be unenjoyable? * What do you hope to gain from this new activity? * Are there any ramifications of declining this responsibility? If so, what are they? * What specific responsibilities are associated with this opportunity? It is important to dig beyond the big "to do" items and think about the small responsibilities that will take up your time. * What will be the real time investment required for this activity? How much time will you need to commit to thinking, planning, preparing, presenting, and communicating? * Will this activity greatly enhance your career opportunities? In what way? Are these potential enhancements critical to your career? * Will you enjoy partnering with the other people serving in the organization? * In five years, can you imagine this activity changing the direction of your career? * Are you willing to sacrifice another interest in your life in order to become involved in this new experience? If so, what will you give up? * Can you anticipate changes in the organization to which you are agreeing to serve? How might these changes impact the role to which you are agreeing to serve? * Do you know other people involved in this organization or activity? Can they offer additional insight? Saying "no" is not always easy. Declining some opportunities and accepting others requires critical thinking, calculated evaluation, and candid conversations with yourself, your family, and those with whom you will be working. In the midst of your decision-making process you may encounter the fear that you are unknowingly declining the "opportunity of a lifetime." At some point in your career, however, learning to turn down opportunities will become imperative. Committing to an activity that you are unable to fulfill may ultimately damage your professional integrity. Leading a balanced life requires saying "no" to some opportunities, but saying "no" will help highlight your true priorities. With these clearly defined priorities, rejecting some responsibilities and accepting others becomes easier and easier. Valerie Nye is Head of Public Services at the College of Santa Fe and coauthor of Breakfast Santa Fe Style: A Guide to Fun, Funky, and Family Friendly Restaurants. She serves on the New Mexico Library Association and Mountain Plains Library Association boards and is fundraising and training to walk this summer (for the second time) in the Avon Breast Cancer Walk in Denver. ======== *** Need some encouragement on writing for publication? http://www.lisjobs.com/pub4lib/ ======== I'm No Supermom: Balancing Tenure and Parenthood by Amy Hoseth (amy.hoseth@colostate.edu) Female academics find balancing a rigorous professional career and the demands of parenthood to be a challenge. More than one researcher has noted the patriarchal bias of the tenure system, which requires women to work aggressively towards tenure during the same years in which they are most likely to become pregnant or have young children at home. While tenure requirements may be different for academic librarians than for other faculty, the stress of juggling a demanding tenure schedule and a family is difficult, no matter your discipline. At my age (34) I'm at the top end of today's next generation of librarians - a generation often defined by a demand for a more equal balance between their personal and professional lives. And, as a junior faculty member completing her first year on the tenure track, as well as the mother of a two-year-old son, I'm trying to strike that same healthy balance in my own life. While I certainly don't have all the answers, I do have some suggestions for balancing the pursuit of tenure and motherhood. Get Organized Organization is the ingredient that keeps both my work and home lives flowing smoothly. At work, this means keeping lists of projects and deadlines, maintaining a detailed calendar of appointments and meetings, and blocking off dedicated time for research and writing. The best investment I've made recently was in a combination cell phone/PDA, so that I can keep my calendar, personal contacts, and assorted notes and reminders (including my tenure schedule) all in one place. Staying one step ahead of things is a constant struggle, but I find that the more "advance work" I do, the more time I ultimately have to enjoy my roles as both academic librarian and parent. Schedule Time to Write Because getting published is such an important component of tenure, it's critical to make time for writing and research. I regularly block off chunks of time each week when I can write and conduct research at the office without the daily interruptions of meetings and classes. Don't be afraid to shut your door - with a note to indicate what you're working on - so that you can focus. If you have the flexibility to work from home, make sure that you can shut out any distractions (piles of dirty laundry, spilled apple juice) while you're there. Find a Support Network Within your library or within the larger academy, seek out others in similar situations. If nothing else, this will help you recognize that you're not facing these challenges alone. Librarianship remains a largely feminized profession, and the ever-increasing numbers of younger librarians coming to work make it likely that you won't be the only young mother on the job. Networking with other mothers pursuing tenure, whether within the library or across campus, will benefit you on both a professional and a personal level. Demonstrate your Dedication While I don't suggest that you avoid posting your child's artwork in your office, or refrain from discussing junior's latest achievements, I do encourage tenure-track moms to make sure that the right people understand your dedication to your job and to achieving tenure. Like it or not, working mothers of young children are often seen as less committed to their work. By focusing on the job at hand, actively engaging in your library, and working solidly towards your tenure requirements - in short, by being a good employee! - you can reassure your superiors that, while you may change more diapers than your colleagues, you are no less of a professional than they are. Sometimes Good Enough is... Good Enough As you wrestle with the strict requirements and intense timeline of tenure, it is important to remember that you can't be the best at everything. Every library has super-achievers who will have published more articles, served on more committees, and accomplished more professional goals than you. Tenure is not a competition; it's an individual accomplishment. While some junior faculty stay up late reading professional journals, I spend most evenings reading The Runaway Bunny and playing toy trucks with my son - and I wouldn't have it any other way. It Takes a Team A supportive network of trusted individuals - particularly partners and childcare providers - is essential not only to your family's well-being, but also to your professional productivity. The tenure process impacts the whole family, particularly in terms of financial/job security and professional opportunities, so having that support is critical. Whether you have a husband who watches the kids while you attend a professional conference or find a daycare with flexible hours, you'll be better able to focus on your professional goals when you have a reliable team around you to provide help and moral support. Take a Break from Guilt While it may seem that the terms "working mother" and "guilt complex" are synonymous, they shouldn't be - at least, not according to recent research. A new study indicates that both working and non- working moms spend 14.1 hours per week tending to their children, vs. 10.2 hours per week in 1965 (Bianchi, 2006). Despite the guilt felt by millions of working moms, we're still managing to spend more time with our children, on average, than our own mothers spent with us. While balancing the pursuit of tenure with motherhood is not an easy challenge, it is definitely possible. In interviews with tenure- track moms, these women revealed a number of perceived benefits of having both an academic career and a family, including a broader perspective on work and family, greater social support, and increased self-esteem (Ward, 2004). As a new generation of academic librarians joins the workforce - many of them young mothers or mothers-to-be - striking this balance between tenure and family will hopefully become, if not easy, at least much more common. Suggested Reading Bianchi, Suzanne M., John P. Robinson, and Melissa A. Milkie. Changing rhythms of American Family Life. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 2006. St. George, Donna. (2007) "Despite 'Mommy Guilt,' Time With Kids Increasing." The Washington Post, 3/20/07: A1. Ward, Kelly and Lisa Wolf-Wendel. (2004) "Academic Motherhood: Managing Complex Roles in Research Universities." The Review of Higher Education. 27(2): 233-257. Williams, Joan. (2000) "What Stymies Women's Academic Careers? It's Personal." The Chronicle of Higher Education, 47(16): B10. Young, Diane and Ednita M. Wright. (2001) "Mothers Making Tenure." Journal of Social Work Education, 37(3): 555-568. Zemon, Mickey and Alice Harrison Bahr. (2005) "Career and/or Children: Do Female Academic Librarians Pay a Price for Motherhood?" College & Research Libraries, 66(5): 394-405. Amy Hoseth is an Instruction Librarian and Assistant Professor at Colorado State University Libraries in Fort Collins. Her son was born exactly one day after she received her MLS degree from the University of Maryland at College Park. ======== *** Love the newsletter? Make a PayPal donation to its upkeep: https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=rachel%40lisjobs.com ======== Egging Us On! Spring's Balancing Act by Rebecca Albrecht Oling (Rebecca.oling@purchase.edu) There is something mystical about our spring rituals, from Lent, to the Passover Seder, to tax time. Legend has it that, at the Equinox, all gravitational forces are balanced and one can literally stand an egg on its end. (As an adult, though, I learned that anyone can stand an egg on its end at ANY time during the year: http://www.phy.cmich.edu/people/osborn/egg1.html ). If we could only find this balance, strike it, and embrace it, we feel that we would find peace at work and home. The seasonal urge seeks to free us from the feelings of guilt and inadequacy stemming from imbalance - this is when the Container Store turns a profit! I lived this way for years, investing in my spring rituals like some invest in New Year's resolutions - until I had children, and all bets were off. I sensed a new need for equilibrium at work and home, realizing that these ideals were like that egg on its end: mythical. I needed to redefine what balance meant to me. Many studies have proven that too many work hours and too little balance leads to disgruntled employees with worse health, higher absenteeism, and less of a sense of productivity. A web search for "work life balance" exposes a cottage industry full of soothsayers willing to take your money and sell you the dream. What I've realized, though, is that balance will mean different things to us at different times in our lives. What works today may not be effective tomorrow. While making the transition from a full-time position to working two days a week, I needed to redefine "balance." I've learned that, whether we are veterans in the library world or new to a job or the profession, we all need to get a GRIP (Gestalt, Resolve, Inch, and Persist). Gestalt Gestalt involves art and science, together, and inseparable. (Anyone who has had to manage kids and career can tell you that this involves a little of both, all the time!) The psychological theory is holistic, viewing the discrete aspects of an issue together as one. Essentially, in Gestalt psychology, the whole is more than the sum of its parts. This is a perfect way to view your organization when you enter it, and essential to thriving in it as you move through your career: you are one piece in a larger organizational puzzle, and work is only one part of your larger personal whole. Whether work/home, or home/work, the whole picture of your life inextricably links all these roles together. It might be tempting to wish you could win the lottery and never work again. But, the truth of your gestalt is that you wouldn't be the same person without the contributions you bring and challenges you face in your work environment. While your workplace could fill your position, the new employee would bring different values, ideas and passions; he or she would change that environment. Viewing your workplace this way can be both daunting (needing to think of everything as one) and liberating (seeing that not everything depends on you alone, but that everything benefits from the role you fill). Think chicken and egg here: It doesn't matter which comes first; we need both. Resolve Resolve to make change successfully and contribute consistently, without losing yourself in the process. The only way to achieve this is to become a goal generator. Setting time aside to set and define goals has several benefits for your place in your organization. First, it helps you resolve to be successful, to state that intention, and ensure that you can prove your worth to your coworkers, constituents, and supervisors. You don't need to create this "strategic plan" for yourself alone or claim that you'll achieve everything at once. You goals, however, focus your intention to steadily contribute to your organization's success. Inch Forward "Inch forward," no matter how slowly. If you seek balance, charting your path to success by self-imposed timelines can mean psychological disaster. Since "balance" resides in the realm of the psyche, setting strict timelines can mean attitudinal suicide. Instead, I find it helpful to have meaningful mile markers. These might be something like one more handout for a constituent, or a section of a web site that gets revamped. Mile markers are a lot easier to handle than considering a "marketing plan" for a group of faculty or redoing an entire group of web sites at once. This viewpoint allows you to flow in between tasks when you're most inspired to consider them. If inching forward doesn't work for you, think of the "one day at a time" mantra - or even try one millimeter, or one moment at a time. Persist The trick here is to have goals that are both reasonable and worthwhile - a seeming contradiction when too few employees face too much work. Persistence will differ from person to person, depending on how you are best motivated. Networking is the key for me, and this started with being clear about my goals with my employer. In return, my supervisor was able to offer me more flexible hours and the ability to work from home (within reason). I network for emotional and intellectual support; I have handy experts in various roles: a coworker with whom I can brainstorm and write well, a mother I admire, a relative I trust and who knows me well. All these advisors nudge me to push my boundaries. That forces me out of my comfort zone and helps me move toward my goals (a shorter article, a coauthored policy, delegating a basic task to free me up for something else, a casual party idea). Persistence can mean committing to smaller, more doable projects and forcing yourself to knock them out as they come due, helping you inch closer to the goal line. Balance is not the same for everyone. For me, at least for now, balance means relieving some pressure at work, cutting hours, and earning less. That's not possible or desirable for everyone. But, in the end, you'll know you are striking a balance if you can make changes without compromising your ability to make significant contributions to your workplace. You'll lose some of the delusions of grandeur that add to your sense of workplace pressure by letting go of what others think and by focusing on what you can and should accomplish. Balance means understanding that you won't do anything perfectly or evenly, and appreciating each move forward for what it is. I suppose I am learning to love my eggs a bit scrambled. Rebecca Albrecht Oling is the Coordinator of Instruction and Literature Librarian at Purchase College, State University of New York. She received her MLS from Kent State University in 1997. ======== *** Have technology responsibilities in your library? Check out The Accidental Systems Librarian! http://www.lisjobs.com/tasl/ . ======== Joyfully Jobless: One Path to Balance by Marcy Brown (marcy@envisionresearch.info) Twice, I started writing this article with some boring variation of "How I achieve work-life balance." Then, last week, the stars must have lined up wrong. I had to deal with unexpected layoffs at work, plan my son's 7th birthday party, and climb daily into a vehicle that was suddenly making ticking time bomb noises. What was my nice, balanced response to this sudden chaos in my life? Let's just say that the empty cake box you'll find in my trash this week isn't empty because we had 28 uninvited guests show up at the birthday party. Is this really balance? Do I have the right to suggest that I have any answers? Compromise: the mark of a grown up The precarious balance I have in my life is the result of ongoing compromise and negotiation – with me, with my spouse, and with my colleagues. Some compromises have been painless; others have been heart-wrenching. On my best days, I love being a librarian and I am thrilled with my work. But, those are also usually the days when my mommy-guilt rears up and keeps me from feeling like a success. Every now and then, my son and I (who are both quite moody and often butt heads) have so much fun together that I can't imagine a better day. But then, after he's asleep and I'm staring at a full e-mail inbox, I'm convinced that I'll never really have the energy to build the career I want. I tell my spouse that my entire life is a compromise; he counters with the assertion that "compromise is what being a grownup is all about." For me, the key to this uneasy balance was making the choice not to work a single full-time job after the birth of my son. I say "single" job because the combination of various part-time, contract, and freelance work that makes up my career sometimes does require a 40-hour week. But, I also have the occasional 20-hour week, and when and where I do my work is often up to me. This allows me the freedom and flexibility to be more involved than many working moms. The kid conundrum Work-life balance is elusive even for those of us without children. Once children enter the picture, though, the search for balance seems to intensify. In early 2000, I was very pregnant, unemployed (having just finished a year-long library contract assignment), and pretty darn miserable. I knew that I wanted to return to work at some point after the birth of my son, but not full-time or for at least six months. I wanted to be able to make money, breastfeed my son on demand, and remain professionally active. Some frantic phone calls to friends resulted in the recommendation that I pick up a copy of Barbara Winter's bestselling book, Making a Living Without a Job, which I did almost immediately. Multiple profit centers Making a Living Without a Job encourages readers to become "joyfully jobless" by developing Multiple Profit Centers as a way to more easily deal with the natural ebbs and flows of self employment. An individual can have two, three, or fifty Profit Centers, which might be interrelated, but just as easily might have nothing to do with each other. Specific combinations of Profit Centers depend upon your individual interests. Operating multiple enterprises and activities makes it more likely that you will have some form of stable income; during slow periods in one enterprise, another may pick up. Happily employed as a librarian since graduating from library school in 1993, I've also flourished during stints as a freelance book indexer, a records manager, and a paralegal (though I do tend to "forget" four painful months as an internal auditor). I knew that I wanted to focus my joblessness on information-related activities, but beyond that I wasn't sure how to proceed. I first tried to grow my indexing business, but found that unreasonable and shifting book production schedules made it almost impossible to schedule anything with my infant son. I also did some online research on a freelance basis for former employers, but discovered that, while I was a very good searcher, I wasn't necessarily an exceptional or a fast one. Eventually I found a job in a hospital library for 20 hours a week. While it didn't offer much room for growth, it did allow me to build subject knowledge in a new field. And, it was a part-time professional position, something almost unheard of in my region. I had a great deal of schedule flexibility, an employer to pay my professional association dues, and a livable hourly rate. My hospital library job became my first Profit Center – and one I held for over six years, until quite recently. It really is who you know As my confidence grew, I became more involved in local and national committees of the Medical Library Association. I cannot overemphasize the importance of a network of personal and professional contacts when developing your Profit Centers. My network led to my next two business lines: teaching graduate information literacy as an online adjunct for a major distance university, and performing medical indexing and taxonomy work for a medical content producer. Along the way I discovered an interest in instructional design and curriculum development, so recently added course development work and writing learning management system reviews to my Profit Centers. The balancing beam I still have days where I feel like I've tricked everyone into thinking I have the perfect balance: I get my son on and off the school bus every day, yet have work that keeps me intellectually engaged. I'm not getting rich, but make enough to afford a monthly night out so that my husband and I can continue to grow in our relationship. I can't go to every conference I want to attend, but generally make it to one big one every year. But, if you come away from this article with one thing, let it be this: there is no perfect balance. I have days when I am so overwhelmed that I end up sitting on the floor of my home office flipping through fitness magazines for three hours while eating chocolate croissants. I also have days when the clients don't call and I spend 30 minutes crying over coffee because I'm convinced I’m all washed up. I'm chronically sleep deprived, because the only time I have to exercise is at 5:30 AM. In the end, we want to feel that we’re doing important work, but we want to stay sane doing it. Only you can determine whether your personal compromises have led you there. Marcy Brown does business as Envision Research ( http://www.envisionresearch.info ), specializing in expert medical searching and instructional design and development. She was formerly a medical librarian with The Western Pennsylvania Hospital. ======== *** Automate your job search with RSS feeds: http://www.lisjobs.com/jobfeeds.htm ======== WLB Thursdays and All That: Avenues to Finding Balance by Beverley A. Wood (beverley.wood@cavehill.uwi.edu) As librarians, we have the urge to serve others and tend to place our own needs and desires on the back burner. Our profession continues to be female-dominated, and women tend to be self- sacrificing. We feel an enormous pull to let our work dictate our lives, rather than dictating the place of work in our lives. I have found that we all need some motivating factor, or baptism, to keep us focused on aspects of our lives besides work. My own baptism/motivation came early in my library career. Motivation to create balance Shortly after finishing my coursework for the MLS, I landed a temporary position as the sole Public Services Librarian in a very busy academic law library. This library catered, not only to the staff and students of the university, but also to the local and regional legal fraternity. I was new both to the field of librarianship and to legal information. The learning curve was very steep and the work was demanding and time consuming. In addition, I still had to complete the research component of my Master’s program. All my non-work time was spent in this activity; my life consisted solely of working and studying. This was not a healthy combination! I promised myself then and there that after that period I would never allow a job to totally consume my life. It is important - and particularly so for new librarians - to establish boundaries which clearly define work and the rest of our lives. It may not be easy to pull yourself away from the work environment, but some avenues within that arena can also be used to explore other interests. Learn a new skill My next job allowed me to put my resolve into action, to a certain extent. The job was at a tech/voc institution with beautiful grounds. I spent many lunch hours under trees reading novels, and occasionally a friend and I would have a spontaneous picnic. This workplace offered short courses in the evenings and I was able to take advantage of several of them. I learned to sew, to make soft furnishings, and to build web pages. In one of these evening programs I met a young lady with whom I have remained friends, and who has since become a librarian. Perhaps your organization also offers continuing education or skills training. Take advantage of the opportunity to develop your creativity or an interest, or to learn a new skill unrelated to your actual profession. These can be parlayed into other benefits such as meeting new friends, becoming a mentor to younger people, or simply self fulfillment. Explore your surroundings Another institution for which I worked was located in the middle of the capital city. Each day, after eating a quick lunch, I would explore some of the small stores hidden in various nooks and crannies, window shop, or traverse unfamiliar streets, many of which had interesting names and histories. My education moved outside the book as I was better able to relate to local history. My knowledge base widened, which impacted positively on my role as a reference librarian. Often I would walk to a nearby park and just watch senior citizens play warri or dominoes. An art gallery at that location ignited an interest in art and photography. In the other direction was a craft village where items were made on the spot. It was fascinating to watch the craftspeople fashion exquisite pieces out of the most ordinary materials. Sometimes there would be a cultural show, geared mainly towards tourists, but which I found quite entertaining. An unexpected side benefit of these explorations was weight loss due to my increased physical activity; this was the most painless and pleasurable of exercise routines. Is the area surrounding your workplace conducive to walking or such explorations? Why not take a walk and see what you find? You just may get more than you anticipated - an increased awareness of local and cultural history, adventure, and even pleasurable exercise. WLB Thursdays The location of and benefits at my current workplace allow opportunities which act as foils to the demanding and intense work environment. In addition to having a beautiful botanical garden, the institution is located close to shopping centers, the beach, recreational parks, eateries, and, very importantly, the home of my work buddy. One other attractive benefit is flextime, where, within reason, one can set one's own working hours. This combination of location and flexible work hours has facilitated what my buddy has dubbed work life balance (WLB) Thursdays. So, on Thursdays at lunchtime, we "get off the compound." We go picnicking at the beach, try out a nearby restaurant, window shop, or hang out in the park or at my colleague's home. My colleague loves to cook and is always trying new and interesting recipes, and I am happy to be the guinea pig. Initially I felt guilty (and sometimes I still do) about taking such an extended lunch period. However, during the course of the work week, I more than make up for the extra time taken on Thursdays. The break from the work environment is also so refreshing and stimulating that I usually return to work charged up. These Thursday escapades have proven to be great stress relievers, though more often than not we spend the time talking shop. We brainstorm, discuss articles or current issues, and plot our course for the following week - or our next activity. The benefits of WLB Thursdays are not just personal, but impact positively on my work as well. Your work environment will most likely have these and or similar avenues for finding time to engage in non-work activities. Even if you cannot get off the compound, find an outlet for relieving some stress and to relax. Join some of your colleagues at the staff gym, or have a silly competition at lunch in the staff cafeteria. Take a break from the routine. The benefits will not only be yours, but will accrue to your workplace as well. Beverley A. Wood is a cataloguer and Humanities and Education Liaison Librarian at the Main Library, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados. ======== *** Post your resume online at LISjobs.com: http://www.lisjobs.com/resumes.htm ======== Busy Lives: Library Work, Graduate School, Family - What Next? by Jamie Osborn (josborn@knoxlib.org) The topic of work-life balance struck a chord. I hope the story of I deal with my busy life, my busy schedule, and my many responsibilities - and how I have built an incredible support system - may show others that it is possible to do it all. I'd like to share my experience working in a public library while attending graduate school, and talk about how LIS programs, as well as employers, should encourage flexible scheduling and offer as much support and encouragement as possible. We're all busy I currently work full-time as a Reference Assistant for the Knox County Public Library System in Knoxville, TN, attend graduate school part-time at the School of Information Science (SIS) at the University of Tennessee (UT), and have family obligations as a wife and a mother. This may sound like a lot of irons in the fire, but is far from an abnormal situation. Within my SIS program alone, a large percentage of students are returning students, attempting to finish graduate school while maintaining a full-time work load and attending to their families. I am sure this phenomenon is far from unique to UT. It is, however, nice to know you are not alone. Discussions with co-workers or classmates about projects or outside activities, and how they are managing to fit it all in, can benefit everyone. In the end, most are able to manage hectic lives because of the support system they have built. The importance of support from families, spouses, partners, co-workers, supervisors, professors, and administrators cannot be overemphasized. Without this support, maintaining a normal life in the midst of chaos would be nearly impossible. Finding balance in your life can be extremely difficult, but is much more difficult without a network, without that core group of "cheerleaders." Unfortunately, many people lack that network. I am fortunate to work for a library system that encourages continuing education and lucky to attend a university that recognizes the value of returning students by offering accommodating class schedules. So, where does that leave those who do not have these advantages? Making advantages Maintain a healthy line of communication with your employer. If they will not offer time off to attend class, or cannot arrange a flexible work schedule, it might be worth discussing alternatives they would be willing to consider. Stress the importance of educational goals, whether attending graduate classes, undergraduate classes, classes at a local community college, or workshops offered by professional organizations. Your desire to improve yourself professionally benefits your organization and employer just as much as it benefits you. Employers often respond positively if they can see the effects firsthand. For instance, if you attend a class or workshop sponsored by a professional organization, your boss may be open to your sharing the information you have acquired by holding a mini- workshop. Taking this same philosophy and applying it to graduate school, your employer may reap the benefits of in-class assignments, such as collection development projects or cataloging classes. Most LIS professionals understand the benefits of continuing education, and realize it only strengthens their branch, system, and the profession as a whole. Sadly, though, some may be very supportive of your educational goals, but due to budgetary constraints and scheduling shortfalls cannot allow flexible scheduling. If your employer cannot be flexible, then turn your attention to a graduate program that can. Although I am geographically close to the UT SIS, the program appealed to me for a multitude of reasons, not just location. The program offers flexible class schedules that appeal to both part- time and full-time students. This unique scheduling lets students attend classes during the day, in the evening, on Saturdays, from campus, or even from home. This type of scheduling shows great forethought in answering a need. Not everyone interested in an SIS degree has the ability to quit work to attend school, and flexible course scheduling has allowed the University to accept students from all across the country. If you are interested in attending graduate school, but do not have a program nearby, or would have to quit work to attend the one that is near you, there are alternatives. In addition to the University of Tennessee, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and Syracuse University (NY), just to name a few, all offer some sort of distance or online education options. Some programs also offer in-state tuition to students without a viable LIS program in their own state. The key is to research and find a program that is right for you, one that you can schedule into your already busy life. (Luckily, mine was in my own backyard!) Finding the right program makes getting a degree more manageable. Each person is busy for different reasons. Mine happen to be library work, grad school, and family. All require time-management skills, multitasking, and comfort with the feeling of being overextended. Even with the right program and support from administrators, employers, and family, things are not always easy. I spend many late nights, early mornings, and weekend hours on projects for school or work. Regardless of where your busy life takes you, though, your accomplishments should be lauded. I cannot imagine the sense of accomplishment I will feel once I finish my degree. At that point, I may not know what to do with all my free time! With appropriate support, busy lives do not always seem so busy. Sine everyone else is just as busy and involved, they just seem normal. Jamie Osborn is a Reference Assistant at the McClung Historical Collection of the Knox County Public Library. She attends graduate school at the University of Tennessee in the School of Information Sciences. ======== *** Visit The Liminal Librarian: http://www.lisjobs.com/liminal/ ======== What's Online? Recommended Resources On Building Balance "Alternative Work Arrangements: Exploring Your Options and Making It Work," by Susan Silver http://www.lisjobs.com/newsletter/archives/jan04ssilver.htm Suggestions for creating alternative work arrangements in libraries. "Get a Life: The Challenge of Balance in a Post-Modern World," by Michael Saint-Onge http://www.lexisnexis.com/infopro/profdev/column/2007/200701.asp Some tips on building work-life balance for yourself. LISCareer.com: Work/Life Balance Section http://www.liscareer.com/worklife.htm Articles on a number of work/life issues, including: "balancing family and career; burnout; coping with change; and more." "Priorities and Professionalism," by Sophie Brookover http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6370253.html Talks about her shift in professional priorities after her daughter was born. See also her follow-up blog post "On Not Doing It All" - http://www.popgoesthelibrary.com/2006/12/on-not-doing-it-all- further-thoughts.html OR http://digbig.com/4stap "Staff-Focussed Librarianship," by Ryan Deschamps http://otherlibrarian.wordpress.com/2006/09/19/staff-focussed- librarianship/ OR http://digbig.com/4staq A blog post on what organizations can do to attract and keep nextgens seeking balance and happiness in their lives as librarians. ======== Management Responsibilities? Check out The Accidental Library Manager: http://www.lisjobs.com/talm/ . ======== But I Want To Hold It In My Hand! Book Reviews Curzon, Susan Carol. Managing Change: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians, rev. ed. New York: Neal-Schuman, 2005. ISBN 1-55570-553- 7. $55.00. http://www.neal-schuman.com/db/1/521.html . Who knew that making a change included so many steps? Curzon does an amazing job of breaking the process of change down into the different phases that lead to a successful transition within your library. This book includes two parts: "Managing Change Successfully" and "Practicing Change Management." In Part 1, managers learn how to prepare library staff for an upcoming change, control resistance to change, and implement the change. Part 2 includes fifteen change scenarios (case studies) that are meant to be used to train management and staff in using the principles covered in Part 1. By deconstructing the process into logical steps, Curzon makes the process of implementing change within libraries seem manageable. This systematic writing style makes this guide an easy read, and the crucial content should be read by every library manager. Nicole C. Engard is the Web Manager at Jenkins Law Library ( http://jenkinslaw.org ) in Philadelphia, PA, the author of the What I Learned Today... ( http://web2learning.net ) blog and the Co- Newsletter Editor for the Drexel University Chapter of the SLA ( http://www.ischool.drexel.edu/sladrexel/ ). --- Tucker, Cory and Reeta Sinha. New Librarian, New Job: Practical Advice for Managing the Transition. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2006. ISBN 0810858517. $45.00. New Librarian, New Job touches on what a new librarian needs to know in four sections, with chapters covering specific subtopics. "Getting Started" covers the move from school to work, "Library Departments" details the specifics of different working units of libraries, and "Career Advancement" provides advice seeking continuous professional development. The fourth section of the book, "Survival Skills for Your First (or Fifteenth!) Year," will be most helpful for new librarians, providing chapters on time management, organizational politics and effectively dealing with technology. This book is recommended for both new librarians and those in information science programs. Sarah DeSanctis Neidert is a public services librarian at the Baldwin Public Library in Birmingham, Michigan. ======== Info Career Trends is copyright Lisjobs.com and Rachel Singer Gordon. Permission is granted to forward this newsletter in its entirety as long as the contents remain unchanged and this copyright message is included. For permission to reprint articles in this newsletter, contact the individual authors. If no author is listed, contact editor@lisjobs.com. If you find this newsletter useful, please consider becoming a voluntary subscriber for $10(USD)/year. Donations are accepted via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=rachel%40lisjobs.com Or, send a check or money order made out to Rachel Gordon to: PO Box 6931, Villa Park, IL 60181. To subscribe to Info Career Trends via e-mail, send an e-mail message to imailsrv@lisjobs.com. 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