If you graduate with your Master’s degree in library science but can’t find work as a professional librarian (due to lack of experience), build yourself a miniature library, fill it with your unsold library school textbooks, and appoint yourself “director.”
Wednesday, August 08, 2012
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9 comments:
To get supervisory experience, hire some convenient child to be a shelver. Preferably a child young enough to be paid in gummy worms.
I know the feeling. Back when I was getting ready to graduate from library school, American Libraries magazine actually used to be filled with job notices. They always wanted the applicants to have an MLS (PHD preferred), at least one subject master's, be fluent in at least 2 foreign languages, and have at least 5 years experience (increasing responsiblities, of course). Starting pay: $22,000. Yeah, right. I always wanted to meet some of those shining examples of librianship myself! :)
Actually you can. In so many school libraries these days librarians and para-professionals are being replaced with "someone's mom". No experience or even any degree required. Because don't ya know that anyone can check out a book. It's a race to the bottom in our schools, folks.
That is an amazing, yet fantastically simple idea. I went the last year without a library job and just got one in a vocational school about 2 months ago but I still want to do this!
don't forget to query the homeless taking your books on which they do and don't like so you can claim "collection development" experience.
You could also start a "free little library" http://www.littlefreelibrary.org/ in your community. It shows community outreach, planning, and initiative.
How about a shadowing a well known frequent user of a library, and then writing up your notes as if it was a research log for a library consulting project.
You'll need a deafeningly loud wheeled cart to push around the house, too. Hardwood floors are GREAT for this. Ambiance!
Ladder? More ambiance!
If your kids are small, or you have pets, encourage them to chew on the books (wipe them down with lunch meat, if you have to). Fix them. Book Repair!
Bought yourself a book? Collection Development!
Visits to a therapist? Staff In-Service Day!
Answer a question anytime, anywhere? Reference Experience!
Ask a related question of someone for whom you've just answered a question: Reference Interview!
Read a good book? Tell a friend: Readers Advisory!
Invite a friend to come over to tell jokes, play a guitar or just talk about his or her favorite subject. Pay him or her a small fee. Programming!
Tweet/blog/Facebook (yes, I'm making these verbs) about what you're doing: Marketing!
Oh, I could go on. But I'll show pity and shut up.
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