Capitalizing on Your Skill Set as an Information Professional

Easter DiGangi, MLIS
Content Management Analyst, Innovative
Technologies, Inc.
VLA Job Search Workshop May 30, 20151
Capitalizing on Your Skill Set as an
Information Professional

Topics
 About Me
 Information Professional
 Skill Set and Non-Traditional Options
 Job searching
 Resources
 Questions?

About me
 University of Wisconsin-Madison SLIS Class of
2010
 Member of professional associations since 2008
 VLA NMRT Forum Communications & Outreach
Director
 ALA NMRT Assistant Treasurer/Treasurer-Elect
 Over 9 years experience in libraries and other
information agencies
 My job search journey
 Currently a Federal contractor

Information Professional

Librarian Job Outlook
 Grow 7% from 2012-2022, compared to 11% for
all occupations
 Strong competition initially, but retirement and
population growth will generate openings
 Expected demand increase for librarians in
research & special libraries
 Research & analytical skills are transferrable to
a variety of other fields
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2014-15
Edition, Librarians,
on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/librarians.htm (visited
May 16, 2015).

What is an Information Professional
 According to the Special Library Association, this
is a person who “strategically uses information in
his/her job to advance the mission of the
organization” (Competencies for Information
Professionals of the 21st Century, June 2003).
 Translation:
 Focus on the information and the needs/goals of the
client/patron.
 This applies to any setting (not just libraries) and
any focus.
 Use the skill set you got from your MLIS.

Skill Set and Nontraditional
Options

MLIS Core Skill Set
 Customer Service/Public Services
 Communication (Written and oral)
 Research & Critical Thinking
 Project Management
 Information Architecture
 Marketing
 Event planning
 Tech savvy
 Creativity
 Management
 Collection Development
Altman, Rachel. (2014 March 4). Thinking about making a career transition? Highlight your transferrable skills. Retrieved from:
http://inalj.com/?p=63276
Burkhart , Andy. (2010 May 25). Librarians Have Skills that Pay the Bills. Retrieved from: http://andyburkhardt.com/2010/05/25/librar
ians-have-skills-that-pay-the-bills/
Gutsche,Betha & Hough, Brenda. (2014 February). Competency Index for the Library Field. Dublin, OH: OCLC Online Computer
Library Center, Inc. Retrieved from: http://www.webjunction.org/content/dam/WebJunction/Documents/webJunction/2015-
03/Competency%20Index%20for%20the%20Library%20Field%20%282014%29.pdf

Possible Non-Traditional
Specialties
 Law/Music/Art History: Advanced degrees recommended
 Consumer Health
 Science*/Applied Informatics
 Metadata and E-Resource Management
 Digital Libraries & Resources
ACRL-STS Publications Committee. (2007 July). Science
Majors Needed: Great Careers Await @ A Science Library
Near You. Retrieved from:
http://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/about
acrl/directoryofleadership/sections/sts/stswebsite/acrl-sts-
brochure.pdf

Non-Traditional Titles
Knowledge Management Specialists, Information
Architects, Usability Engineer, Information
Brokers, Competitive Knowledge
Analyst/Researcher, Taxonomist/Ontologist,
Database Administration, Systems
Analyst/Administration, Chief Information Officer
Citation: Nontraditional Jobs for Librarians. Retrieved from:
http://www.ala.org/educationcareers/careers/paths/jobtypes/privatesector
Other Places:
Breitkopf, Mia. (2012 January 6). 61 Non-Librarian Jobs for LIS Grads. Retrieved
from: https://miabblogs.wordpress.com/2012/01/06/61-non-librarian-jobs-for-lis-
grads/
Keywords for Job Searching. Retrieved from: http://inalj.com/

Job Searching

Identify potential employers
 Consider constraints, deal-breakers, preferences,
and skills
o Virtual work may be preferable
 Libraries, library organizations, library consortia,
library/education vendors, bookstores, publishers,
library consultants, yourself (i.e. freelance
consulting services), nonprofits, for-profits,
government, employment/staffing agencies, etc.
 Tools: Reference USA, LibraryThing Reader App,
Librarians’ Yellow pages

General Tips for applying
 Market yourself
 Market skill set more broadly. Avoid tying yourself to
one institution type or traditional titles.
 Sites for collated listings and go to individual sites too
in order to register for job opening alerts
 Apply for what you are interested in.
 Be strategic on what you spend your time applying
for.
 Develop templates for resume/CV/Cover letter and
then tailor to the job (Do this for different information
agencies and institution types. Different language is
utilized).
 Keep track of what you have applied for/will apply for.
Celebrate your accomplishments!

General Tips for applying (continued)
 Obtain certifications (e.g. Professional Librarian
for LVA, SLA Copyright Management, SLA
Knowledge Management/Knowledge Services)
 Get any additional training you need
 Pull from and develop your network via
professional associations, social media, etc.
 Talk to recruiters for advice and tips

Resources

Local Resources
 VLAJob Line, MLS Programs (job banks)
 INALJ (Virginia, Washington, D.C., North
Carolina)
 Virginia Association of Law Librarians (VALL)
 Employment/staffing agencies: LAC group (DC
office), InfoCurrent (DC and VA office)
 SLA
 Global HQ in Alexandria, VA
 Chapters (Virginia, Washington, D.C., North
Carolina)

National Professional
Associations
 American Alliance of Museums
 American Association of Law Libraries (AALL)
 American Medical Informatics Association
 American Society for Information Science &
Technology (ASIS&T)
 American Theological Association
 Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS)
 Association for Library & Information Science
Education
 Association of College & Research Libraries (ALA
Division)
 Association of Independent Information Professionals
(AIIP)

National Professional
Associations
 International Federation of Library Associations
and Institutions (IFLA)
 Library & Information Technology Association
(LITA) (ALA Division)
 Medical Library Association (MLA)
 Music Library Association (MLA)
 Society of American Archivists (SAA)
 Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals
 Special Library Association (SLA)
 Visual Resources Association

Additional Reading/Resources
American Library Association. (2012 Dec. 27).
Library Job Search. Retrieved from:
http://wikis.ala.org/professionaltips/index.php?title
=Library_Job_Search
Altman, Rachel.(2015 April 2). Non-Traditional
Career Paths: Lessons from Members After
Transitioning. Retrieved from SLA Illinois chapter
website: http://illinois.sla.org/?p=4509
Singer, R. S. (2008). What’s the Alternative?:
Career Options for Librarians and Info Pros.
Medford, N.J.: Information Today, Inc.

Questions?
Easter DiGangi, MLIS
mlis (at) easterdigangi (dot) com
www.easterdigangi.com

Capitalizing on Your Skill Set as an Information Professional

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