Do my Goals Match my Ideal Job?

Hello, Readers!

Over the last several weeks, I have done a lot of “talking” about my personal goals, professional associations, and actual job listings that match what would be my ideal jobs. Now that I am 7 weeks into the program, I have been challenged to see if the job listing I chose earlier actually fit into the personal goals I listed during week 3. I think this is an important practice for anyone to do in the course of their study in order to identify if what you want is what you are working towards!  It helps to be able to focus and put time and energy towards things you want.

So here we go!

During week 3 when I posted my original personal goals/objectives, I was slightly vague because I was still working out a path myself.  I did state that I had hoped to work in resource preservation and archiving. While I mentioned working within the museum setting, I revealed I also had an interest in working with resource preservation and archiving in an academic library setting, as well.

I think that this goals do fit into the job description I listed in my last posting of University Librarian for Special Collections and Archiving.  As described in that job posting, the person would be working as part of a management team within the archiving field at an academic library. 

As of today, I am building a solid basis towards that role.

·         I am working towards my ALA accredited MLIS degree, as well as, a certification in Archival Administration.  I am mapping out a path through the courses so that I can take a variety of archival, management, and information technology classes.

·         I am applying to volunteer at not only the Detroit Institute of Arts, but also the Detroit Historical Society. This experience will allow me to have a solid basis of working within an archival field.

·         I am looking for a part-time job within a public or a smaller academic library, which helps to get “my foot in the door” for practical and professional librarianship experience.

·         By joining the NDSA student group at WSU, I will have access to various research projects involving digital technologies that I can get involved in.

·         I am continually building upon my communication skills (both written and oral), while working with groups and teams during my coursework.

·         And, I have a desire to continue my education after this degree and work towards a Ph.D.

Anyway, I know the road to this career will be long and there is always the possibility that I may get side tracked along the way. I am hoping that my drive and the support from my family and friends will help me to be strong and stay the course.  If down the road I find that my goals change, I hope to be brave enough to change my path, as well, to be in conjunction with my new goals.

 

At any rate, this evaluation practice is one that can be continually conducted and the results helpful to shedding light on if what you are doing is helping you to reach what you want, ultimately.

Thanks for reading and have a great rest of your day!

What Would be My Dream Job and How to Get There

There are several things that I am learning about as my LIS program continues on throughout this first semester. One of the items is that it is important to look ahead at potential career possibilities, find the type(s) of career that interests me, and analyze the skills and competencies requires to make sure that one day I’d be able to perform that job.

While I know I would like to focus my concentration on Archives and Digital Management Content, there are a few different types of job, that I would be interested in working in some day.  Below is short list of these jobs and some quick analysis!

Associate University Librarian for Special Collections & Archives

This position is what I think would be an ultimate goal of mine.  It combines the worlds of academia with document archiving in a senior management position.

The following information has been taken from an actual job listing. Per GW Job Listings, for this type of position you need:

• “ALA accredited MLS degree
• 10 years of experience or more as a professional librarian or archivist with increasingly responsible positions in collections development, special collections, or acquisitions
• At least five years of experience in a managerial or supervisory role in an academic or research institution” (Associate University Librarian for Special Collections and Archives, 2014)

Other experience desired is:

• “Ph.D. degree in a subject discipline
• Experience working in a research library and supporting university faculty with their research that involves digital technologies
• Work in digital humanities and experience with technologies used to support digital humanities scholarship
• Experience in budget preparation, projection and analysis and grant proposal development
• Knowledge of an experience with current digital collection management practices and issues
• Able to work with other faculty to develop collections that can be used in research and teaching
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing
• Ability to work effectively as a part of a team” (Associate University Librarian for Special Collections and Archives, 2014)

I believe this job would be very tasking and yet very rewarding. With this type of position, you would be working within the world of academics as I have mentioned earlier.  You would be working on a team and reporting to a Dean or Director of some sort.  While developing policies and strategies, you would be improving the collections and services giving 21-century research libraries their importance and place (Associate University Librarian for Special Collections and Archives, 2014).  You would still be interacting with users such as students, faculty, and other scholars giving the position that level person to person contact, too. You would be in charge of important decisions while still operating within the ideals of traditional librarianship. 

A job that one may have before reaching this goal may be the following.

Archives and Special Collections Coordinator

This type of position would most likely be found within the world of academia, as well. The person in this role “develops and implements uniform arrangement and description standards and ensures the materials or efficiently and effectively processes…[as well as]…creating, revising, and encoding finding aids” (American Library Association, 2013). This type of position works with both the physical and the digital collections of the University library.  They would report to department heads and overall the Dean or Director.

Minimum requirements would be:

• “ALA accredited MLIS degree
• Formal training and coursework in archival management and theory
• Two or more years of professional archival processing experience” (American Library Association, 2013)

Other desired qualifications may be:

• “In-depth knowledge of library archives and special collection services, business practices, and methodologies
• Skill in conducting institutional research
• Ability to establish and maintain effective work relationships with students, faculty, staff and the public
• Experience and proficiency with current information technologies and computer applications
• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills
• Work experience in diverse populations” (American Library Association, 2013)

Anyway, I know that my dreams are not the dreams of everyone. Regardless, I strongly encourage you to do take a look at your chosen field and dream job.  See what is necessary and/or required.  This may help you or sway you to determine if that type of job and the work required to get it are for you or not.  If it’s not, then you are saving yourself a lot of time and efforts.  If it is, then I hope it helps to shed light on the next steps you need to take!

Melissa

References

American Library Association. (2013). Archives and Special Collections Coordinator. Retrieved from ALA Joblist: http://joblist.ala.org/modules/jobseeker/Archives-and-Special-Collections-Coordinator/25170.cfm

Associate University Librarian for Special Collections and Archives. (2014, February). Retrieved from GW Jobs University Human Resources: https://www.gwu.jobs/postings/20206

LIS: Professional Associations

To understand professional associations, I think it is important to first understand what the words mean.  Merriam-Webster defines the word association as, "an organized group of people who have the same interest, job, etc." (Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, 2014a) For the word professional, one of the many definitions outlines it as being “(1): characterized by or conforming to the technical or ethical standards of a profession (2): exhibiting a courteous, conscientious, and generally businesslike manner in the workplace” (Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, 2014b). Therefore, by incorporating both together, one can describe a professional association as a group of people with similar interests that is governed by a set of standards.

In my previous post on my personal goals and objections, I highlighted a few professional associations that I was interesting in joining on the student chapter level because they would help with bettering myself in my chosen profession. Each is different from the other and bring its own set of benefits.  Below, I have highlighted two: the American Library Association (ALA) and the Society of American Archivists (SAA).

American Library Association (ALA):

The ALA website is very helpful on providing information about this professional association.  Their mission “is to provide leadership for the development, promotion, and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all” (American Library Association, 2014). 

Per their website, a person can join as an individual, as a part of an organization, or as part of a corporation.  After joining, members enjoy the benefits of legislation advocacy, continuing education, the promotion of intellectual freedom, shared standards to help improve library service, a website with access to information, news, tools and services, networking, and focus/information on different types of libraries and library activities to name a few (American Library Association, 2014). You must sign up to become a member. More information can be found at http://www.ala.org/membership/how-to (American Library Association, 2014).

This ALA is very well known professional association in the LIS world.  They have a well-organized website and a large presence on Facebook with 28, 589 “likes” as of January 30, 2014 (American Library Association, 2014). Publications of theirs include but are not limited to the Ethical and Multicultural Information Exchange Bulletin, the Intellectual Freedom Report, and the Library History Newsletter (American Library Asssociation, 2014)

Society of American Archivists (SAA):

Much like the ALA website, the SAA website is very helpful in providing information on the organization. Their mission is to “promote the values and diversity of archives and archivists. [They] are the preeminent source of professional resources and the principal communication hub for American archivists” (About SAA, 2014). Their core values consist of the following:

·        “Advancing the public standing of archivists.

·        Ensuring the diversity of its membership and leaders, the profession, and the archival record.

·        Fostering a culture of creativity and experimentation across the association.

·        Providing an open, inclusive, and collaborative environment.

·        Providing excellent member service.

·        Social responsibility and the public good.

·        Transparency, accountability, integrity, and professionalism in conducting its activities.” (About SAA, 2014)

A person can join or renew a membership for 12 months for a nominal fee and enjoy number benefits.  These benefits include, but aren’t limited to receiving online access to American Archivists Online, a bi-monthly newsletter on current issues and topics in the field, discounts at various SAA sponsored bookstores and registration on continuing education workshops, and the ability to network with other professionals with similar interests around the country (Benefits of Membership, 2014).

Much like the ALA, the SAA have their own publications such as The American Archivist (The American Archivist, 2014) and Archival Outlook (Archival Outlook, 2014). The former is a journal and the latter is a newsletter.

There is a Facebook presence for WSU students to help provide information on what is happening with the student chapter (Society of American Archivists, WSU Student Chapter, 2014).  More information can be found at https://www.facebook.com/Societyofamericanarchivistswsu.

If you are interested in either organization, then I strongly hope you check out their websites.  I learned a lot by just researching them to write this post and it convinces me further too strongly consider joining myself.

Anyway, as always, thanks for reading.

Melissa

References

About SAA. (2014). Retrieved from Society of American Archivists: http://www2.archivists.org/about

American Library Association. (2014). Retrieved from Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmericanLibraryAssociation?ref=stream&hc_location=stream

American Library Association. (2014). About ALA. Retrieved from American Library Association: www.ala.org/aboutala/

American Library Association. (2014). How to Join or Renew Membership. Retrieved from American Library Assocition: http://www.ala.org/membership/how-to

American Library Association. (2014). The Value of Belonging to ALA. Retrieved from American Library Assoction: www.ala.org/membership/whyala/membtopten

American Library Asssociation. (2014). Round Table Publications. Retrieved from American Library Association: http://www.ala.org/tools/publications/rtpubs

Archival Outlook. (2014). Retrieved from Society of American Archivists: http://www2.archivists.org/archival-outlook

Benefits of Membership. (2014). Retrieved from Society of American Archivists: http://www2.archivists.org/membership

Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. (2014a). Retrieved from Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary: www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/association

Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. (2014b). Retrieved from Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary: www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/professional

Society of American Archivists, WSU Student Chapter. (2014). Retrieved from Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Societyofamericanarchivistswsu

The American Archivist. (2014). Retrieved from Society of American Archivists: http://www2.archivists.org/american-archivist