Scarecrow Press
Pages: 592
•
Trim: 6 x 9
978-0-8108-5034-7 • Paperback • November 2004 • $83.00 • (£64.00)
Priscilla K. Shontz is the author of Jump Start Your Career in Library and Information Science (Scarecrow Press, 2002). She has worked in academic, special and public libraries and currently works as a freelance writer and webmaster/editor of LIScareer.com.
Part 1 Foreword
Part 2 Acknowledgments
Part 3 Introduction
Part 4 Companion Website
Part 5 Section 1 Career Planning
Chapter 6 1 Why Be a Librarian?
Chapter 7 2 The Public in Public Libraries
Chapter 8 3 Career Options in Academe
Chapter 9 4 Never a Dull Day in the School Library
Chapter 10 5 From Makeup to Missiles: Special Libraries Mirror the Diversity and Complexity of Today's Business Economy
Chapter 11 6 A Bird's-Eye View: Working for a Library Consortium
Chapter 12 7 Association Careers
Chapter 13 8 Passing It On: A Career as a Full-Time Educator
Chapter 14 9 Looking at Libraries from Both Sides: Librarian-Vendors
Chapter 15 10 Beckoned by Darth Vader: Careers in Publishing
Chapter 16 11 You Want Me to Put What Where? Freelancing Librarianship as Job, Hobby, and Passion
Chapter 17 12 Countless Opportunities: Alternative Career Paths for Librarians and Information Professionals
Part 18 Section 2 Education
Chapter 19 13 Choosing a Library Program
Chapter 20 14 The MLS: What Is It Worth?
Chapter 21 15 Now That I'm Here, What Do I Take?
Chapter 22 16 Replacing Classrooms and Carrels with Keystrokes: Distance Education of Library and Information Science Professionals
Chapter 23 17 Library Work Experience: Get Some!
Chapter 24 18 Get Hired Soon! Improving Your Postgraduation Employability
Part 25 Section 3 Employment
Chapter 26 19 Hunting and Gathering: Finding Jobs
Chapter 27 20 Avoiding the Landmines: Evaluating a Potential Workplace
Chapter 28 21 Cover Letters: Tips for Making a Good First Impression
Chapter 29 22 The Resume: A Short Story about You
Chapter 30 23 Interviews in Libraries: Planning, Preparation, and Perfection
Chapter 31 24 Negotiation
Chapter 32 25 Standing out from the Crowd: Maximizing Your Hirability
Chapter 33 26 Leaving a Job: It Really Is a Small World
Chapter 34 27 Make Your Own Opportunities: Staying Professionally Active While Unemployed
Chapter 35 28 When You Come to a Fork in the Road...Take It
Part 36 Section 4 Experience as an Entry-level Librarian
Chapter 37 29 Does This Job Make Me Look Fat? Or, Making Your First Year on the Job a More Comfortable Fit
Chapter 38 30 I Got the Job, Now What Do I Do? Or, Acclimating to the Environment and Defining Expectations in a New Workplace
Chapter 39 31 It Just Doesn't Matter: What You Didn't Learn in Library School
Chapter 40 32 How to Look Like You Know What You Are Doing: Developing a Professional Image
Chapter 41 33 Performance Reviews: Terror, Tedium or Inspiration?
Chapter 42 34 Tenure-Track or Tenure Trap?
Part 43 Section 5 Experience as an Experienced Librarian
Chapter 44 35 Preparing for Promotion: How to Succeed without Developing an Ulcer in the Process
Chapter 45 36 Library Management
Chapter 46 37 Staying Relevant: It's All Part of Learning
Chapter 47 38 From Acord to Oak: Transforming a Novice into an Expert
Chapter 48 39 Flamed! The Burned-Out Librarian
Chapter 49 40 Batteries Included: Ten Tips to Supercharge Your Library Career
Part 50 Section 6 Skills
Chapter 51 41 Through the Mouth, the Fish Dies: The Importance of Good Interpersonal Communication Skills
Chapter 52 42 Talk, Listen, Repeat: Some Thoughts on Communication Skills
Chapter 53 43 Computer and Technology Skills for the Twenty-First-Century Librarian
Chapter 54 44 How to Pass the 4:55 Friday Afternoon Test: The Importance of Being Organized
Chapter 55 45 It's About Time: Time Management Skills
Chapter 56 46 Public Speaking Skills
Chapter 57 47 Librarian as Educator, or Dewey, Dewey, and You
Chapter 58 48 Effective Writing for the Career Librarian
Chapter 59 49 The Core of Leadership: Skills for Emerging Leaders
Part 60 Section 7 Professional Development
Chapter 61 50 The Art and Science of Professional Behavior
Chapter 62 51 Click to Connect! Successful Online Communication
Chapter 63 52 Conference Attendance
Chapter 64 53 Association Work: What's in It for Me?
Chapter 65 54 Mentoring: A Primer
Chapter 66 55 Keeping Our Heads above Water: Staying Current with Professional Issues
Chapter 67 56 Publish the Thought: Writing for the Professional Literature
Chapter 68 57 Marketing Yourself: Planning to Achieve Your Professional Goals
Part 69 Section 8 Enjoying Your Career
Chapter 70 58 Decompressing the Overstress Librarian
Chapter 71 59 Adapting to Change
Chapter 72 60 Positive Attitude
Chapter 73 61 Balance
Chapter 74 62 The Juggling Act: Balancing Family and Your Library Career
Chapter 75 63 Conclusion: Librarianship for the Love of It
Part 76 Index
Part 77 About the Editor
Priscilla Shontz's Jump Start Your Career in Library and Information Science (Scarecrow 2002) guided novice librarians through the intricacies of finding, getting, keeping, and enhancing jobs. Her new book does all that, and more....The pragmatic information in each article and the bibliographies make this an excellent guidebook for everyone in our profession, whether we are trying to assess where we are or figure out how to be in a better place.
— Booklist, 5/15/2005
While it may seem unusual to call a 565 page collection of 63 articles on librarianship concise, the breadth of the subjects approached in this guidebook could not possibly be covered in any more of an accessible and brief manner. Pulling from expert voices in all aspects of the field...Shontz manages to create an invaluable resource for next generation and experienced librarians alike....The Librarian's Career Guidebook should hold a prominent place on every MLS student's bookshelf, but experienced librarians will want to keep it in reach, as well, for those times when change is calling.
— Academia
The Librarian's Career Guidebook is one of those valuable print resources for career development, offering the collective wisdom of those serving the library community and patrons on frontlines and in trenches. Priscilla K. Shontz, author of Jump Start Your Career in Library and Information Science (Scarecrow, 2002), has compiled an excellent collection of contributions....This book—despite its formidable size—is eminently readable and practical. Those who own it will surely consult its pages throughout the different stages of their career. Highly recommended for public libraries.
— Public Libraries
...a comprehensive, informative, and engaging book appropriate for librarians at any stage of their careers....an excellent addition to academic libraries and public libraries....This book should also be required reading for library science faculty members and for any librarians who will be mentoring junior colleagues.
— American Reference Books Annual
...a basic, generalized guide to building a career in librarianship....a good starting point for those new to the profession...
— Library Student Journal, November 2006
...a wonderful collection of wit and wisdom, almost like having a stable of mentors that fits in a briefcase....New and prospective librarians will find the book invaluable; more experienced professionals will learn something from it, too. Highly recommended for graduate and professional collections.
— Library Journal
• Winner, To learn more about a career in librarianship, Read this book._U.S. News & World Report; Listed as a resource for librarianship in Kiplinger's '7 Great Careers for 2007'