Rethinking Information Work: A Career Guide for Librarians and Other Information Professionals

A state-of-the-art guide to the world of library and information science that gives readers valuable insights into the field and practical tools to succeed in it. As the field of information science continues to evolve, professional-level opportunities in traditional librarianship—especially in school and public libraries—have stalled and contracted, while at the same time information-related opportunities in non-library settings continue to expand. These two coinciding trends are opening up many new job opportunities for LIS professionals, but the challenge lies in helping them (and LIS students) understand how to align their skills and mindsets with these new opportunities.The new edition of G. Kim Dority's Rethinking Information Work: A Career Guide for Librarians and Other Information Professionals gives readers helpful information on self-development, including learning to thrive on change, using key career skills like professional networking and brand-building, and how to make wise professional choices. Taking readers through a planning process that starts with self-examination and ends in creating an actionable career path, the book presents an expansive approach that considers all LIS career possibilities and introduces readers to new opportunities. This guide is appropriate for those embarking on careers in library and information science as well as those looking to make a change, providing career design strategies that can be used to build a lifetime of career opportunity.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments Introduction to the Second Edition 1—Rethinking Information Work Change Happens Lifetime Employment vs. Lifetime Employability Career Competencies Designing Your Career Beginning Your Career Journal Starting Your Exploration Your Value Statement Resources 2—Self-Knowledge: Your Career Starting Point Who Are You? Finding Out about You Information Aptitudes Preference Filters: How Will You Work? Job-Specific Considerations Exploring Your Career Preferences How Preferences Shape Career Paths Resources 3—Traditional LIS Career Paths Public Libraries Exploring Public Library Careers Why You Might Love Being a Public Librarian School Library Media Centers Exploring School Library Media Specialist Careers Why You Might Love Being a School Librarian Academic Libraries Exploring Academic Library Careers Why You Might Love Being an Academic Librarian Types of Jobs within Traditional Libraries Is a Traditional LIS Career Path for You? Resources 4—Nontraditional LIS Career Paths Building a Nontraditional Path Workplace Environment Types of Work Salary and Education Exploring Nontraditional LIS Careers Why You Might Love a Nontraditional Career Path Resources 5—Independent LIS Career Paths What Work Would You Do? How Would You Work? What Market Would You Target? What Would You Charge? How Would You Get Clients? How Would You Create and Maintain Your Support Community? And Don't Forget to Think About Portable LIS Careers So You Want to Start a Research Business Income and Education Exploring Independent Career Paths Getting Started as an Independent Why You Might Love Being an Independent Resources 6—Understanding, Describing, and Documenting Your Value Understanding Your Skills Describing Your Skills Repurposing Your Skills Transferable vs. Translatable Skills An Initial Process for Mapping Transferable Skills Creating Your Portfolio Career—and Career Portfolio Reviewing Your History Designing Your Portfolio Growing Your Portfolio Benefits of a Portfolio Approach The Art and Science of Landing the Job Resources 7—Thriving on Change Positioning for Opportunity Thinking about Change Creating Your Change Strategies The Learning Edge Your Education Map Resources 8—Building Professional Equity Building Your Network—Your Community of Colleagues Nurture Your Professional Ties Maintaining Your Professional Network Micro-Networking: Making Small Talk Establishing Your Professional Reputation Branding for Beginners: What Assets Are You Taking Public? Building Professional Equity through Associations LinkedIn, Networking, Branding, and Your Career Professional Equity Equals Opportunity Resources 9—Getting from Here to There Career Map Components Assembling Your Career Map Sample Career Maps Setting Agendas Putting Your Career Map in Play Using Your Career Map to Achieve Your Goals Asking the Critical Question Resources 10—Improvising Your Resilient Career What Does a Resilient Career Look Like? Actions for a Resilient Career Attitudes for a Resilient Career Self-Leadership Getting Unstuck Taking Charge When You're a Student The Fine Art of Career Improv Freedom to Choose Resources Appendix A—Special Interest Groups Appendix B—Career and Employment Resources Appendix C—LIS Blogs and Social Media Index

About the Author :
G. Kim Dority is chief content officer for WebPsychology.com as well as founder and president of Dority & Associates, Inc.

Review :
This book is interesting and valuable reading for librarians, especially school librarians who might be facing district cuts, and would also be of interest to educators considering a career change to librarianship. Rethinking Information Work can be useful to LIS students, new librarians, and mid-career professionals alike. . . . A librarian who is in a stable, fulfilling career could also benefit from this book, especially if their position requires them to supervise other librarians. Supervisors could use this book as a resource for staff members who may still be finding their place in the profession. . . . This book is highly recommended for all library and information professionals and students.