june04b.indd INTERNET RESOURCES Success at every stage Web sites for a career in academic librarianship by Melissa Laning and Margo Smith Managing a successful career in academic librarianship is more art than science. There is no “one-size-fits-all” set of rules that applies to everyone in the profession, but there are a series of stages that are typical of most careers. This column identifi es selected resources that are useful to aspiring and practicing librarians as they approach each of these stages. Whenever possible, the resources contain information focused on a career within a higher education setting, however there are too many excellent general sources to make that a strict limitation. Professional association resources were not included simply because the authors assume most information seekers will start there. If you’re reading this article, you are probably already aware of the job postings available through C&RL News, as well as other ACRL resources. Instead, these resources are presented to expand the search beyond these sources. Most of the sources selected for this column are chosen because they provide a well-designed, easy-to-navigate approach to multiple sources in a specific area, and they are regularly updated. However, a few discussion lists are also included, particularly in those instances where there were few sources available on a specifi c area. Entry to the profession • librarian_wannabes. This is a dis- cussion list for students in graduate pro- grams of library and information science. Access: http://groups.yahoo.com/group /librarian_wannabes/. • Librar yHQ.com—Resources for the Wired Librarian. This site covers many aspects of librarianship, including a very thorough section on Library Science as a Career under the Resources tab of the main page. Within that section are multiple links to descriptions of a career in academic librarianship, employ- ment possibilities and salary data, accredited library schools, accredited distance education programs, and scholarships for students in library or information science programs. Ac­ cess: http://www.libraryhq.com. • NEWLIB-L, The Discussion List for New Librarians. An electronic list that pro- vides an opportunity for new MLS recipients to share experiences, seek advice, and pro- vide mutual support. Access: http://www. lahacal.org/newlib. Finding the right position: Entry-level and beyond • ALiNUS—Academic Library Newslet- ters in the United States. Find out what is hap- pening in a library where you have applied About the author Melissa Laning is assessment and resource planning librarian, e-mail: melissa.laning@louisville.edu, and Margo Smith is collection access and management librarian, e-mail: m0smit01@gwise.louisville.edu, at the University of Louisville Libraries © 2004 Melissa Laning and Margo Smith 318 / C&RL News June 2004 mailto:m0smit01@gwise.louisville.edu mailto:melissa.laning@louisville.edu http://www http:http://www.libraryhq.com http://groups.yahoo.com/group for a job by checking its library newsletter at this site. There are links from this site to the newsletters of more than 600 aca- demic libraries. Access: http://www.snhu.edu /Southern_New_Hampshire_University /Library/Electronic_Resources/ALiNUS_ Home.html. • Chronicle Careers. These are the job listings from the Chronicle of Higher Educa­ tion, and it is the place to look if you want to strictly limit your job search to academic libraries. In addition to date, location and category, this site allows the user to sort by institution. This site also has a link to a sec- tion of nonacademic careers for academics. Although the emphasis is on opportunities for Ph.D.s, the listings may provide useful avenues for individuals with an MLS. Access: http://chronicle.com/jobs/. • Jobs for Information Professionals. This site is a gateway to links on all aspects of job hunting, ranging from trends in employ- ment to relocation information. This site also includes sections, such as “Writing Job Descriptions,” that are useful to employers. Access: http://web.syr.edu/~jryan/infopro /jobs.html. • Library Job Postings on the Internet. Serves as a gateway to numerous other sites that actually lists job openings for librarians, such as state and local district job listings. The user can choose to look at sites by type of library, type of position, region, or state. This source is very useful for postings that might not appear in national sources. Access: http://www.libraryjobpostings.org/. • Lisjobs.com—Jobs for Librarians and Information Professionals. Provides a daily listing in reverse chronological order of open positions that is searchable by keyword. It includes U.S. and interna- tional posi- tions, includ- ing overseas job exchange opportunities. Job applicants may also post their résumés. The latter is as useful for résumé examples as for actual job-hunting. The site also includes an advice section with multiple links for improving the job-hunting process. Access: http://www.lisjobs.com/. • Research Library Residency and Intern- ship Programs. New job hunters can fi nd a database of residency and internship opportuni- ties at this site. Most of the opportunities are job openings for recent gradu- ates of MLS programs, but some are for short-term positions that do not require an MLS degree or provide a stipend to current MLS program students. Access: http://www.arl.org/careers/ residencies.html. • Volunteering Opportunities for Librar- ians. One of the unique links found on the LibraryHQ.com site, it provides links to a number of opportunities nationally and internationally. Opportunities that might particularly appeal to academic librarians involve helping overseas librarians improve their information literacy and teaching skills. Access: http://www.libraryhq.com/volunteer. html. Improving the interview • 101+ Commonly Asked Interview Ques- tions. This is exactly what it sounds like. The list has not been updated since 1999, but the questions are classic library interview questions and many of them are particularly good for academic library situations. Access: http://www.geocities.com/aer_mcr/libjob /interview.html. • Having a Successful Job Interview. Al- though this list is not specifically oriented to positions in librarianship, it provides useful advice on how to answer questions that are typical in any job search. Access: http://www.sla. org/chapter/ctor/toolbox/career/success.htm. • Interview Questions. This site has an- other list of typical questions for a library position interview. It is organized under headings that match typical job qualifi cations, such as leadership, flexibility, or written com- munication skills. This allows an applicant to anticipate questions based on the require- ments of a position. Access: http://www. indiana.edu/~libpers/interview.html. • Interview Tips. Covers brief but sound advice on the interview experience. Access: http://www.geocities.com/aer_mcr/libjob/in- terview2.html. Effective salary negotiation • ARL Annual Salary Survey. This site posts annual salary data from Association of C&RL News June 2004 / 319 http://www.geocities.com/aer_mcr/libjob/in http://www http://www.sla http://www.geocities.com/aer_mcr/libjob http://www.libraryhq.com/volunteer http:LibraryHQ.com http://www.arl.org/careers http:http://www.lisjobs.com http:http://www.libraryjobpostings.org http://web.syr.edu/~jryan/infopro http://chronicle.com/jobs http:http://www.snhu.edu Research Libraries members for all types of academic librarian positions. Access: http:// www.arl.org/stats/salary/. • Salary.com. This site has an excellent tool for identifying the expected salary for many different professions, including academic librarianship, by metropolitan area or zip code. It also has a cost of living comparison tool to compare the costs of liv- ing in a new place with users’ current loca- tions. Access: http://www.salary.com/salary /layoutscripts/sall_display.asp. Staying current—Professional news sources • Library Email Lists and Newsgroups. Offers a comprehensive list of electronic lists with direct links to the subscribe pages. Many are of interest to academic librarians, such as LIBPLN-L, a list for university library plan- ning efforts. Access: http://www.itcompany. com/inforetriever/email.htm. • Library Journals, Newsletters & Zines. This is an extensive alphabetic list of online, library-related journals published in the United States. The list includes titles issued by professional organizations, commercial publishers, and individuals. All of the links are to titles with at least some free, full-text available. Access: http://libdex.com/journals. html. • Library Weblogs. The central focus of this site is an alphabetic listing by country of Weblogs on library-related topics that are as eclectic as the people and organizations that have started them. A sample of the postings that may be of interest to academic librarians are “The Education Librarian,” “EngLib, for Engineering and Science Libraries/librarians,” and “Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog.” In addition to the links to these sources, the site has links to articles on the creation of Weblogs and other useful links. Access: http://www.libdex.com/weblogs.html. • LISNews.com—Librarians & Informa- tion Science News. LISNews is a Weblog of news items related in a very broad sense to libraries, librarianship, and information sci- ence. A team of authors submits items they believe are appropriate, and the site is up- dated whenever new items are found. Read- ers can submit suggested items for posting. There is good access to the different news items through a topic guide and another in- dex that allows the user to identify the most popular recent items. Access: http://www. lisnews.com/. • Steven Bell’s Keeping Up Web Site. This site provides resources and tools for librar- ians to explore the literature of multiple fi elds in order to stay abreast of trends that affect librarians and other information profession- als. It includes links from a special section of “Resources for Higher Education” and a daily blog called “The Kept Up Academic Library.” Access: http://staff.philau.edu/bells/ keepup/. • WebScout Lists. For those who prefer professional updates delivered to their inbox, this site contains a listing of free, subscrip- tion-based newsletters on various topics, including career-related newsletters for li- brarians. Access: http://www.webscoutlists. com/listing/102. Staying current—Professional development • CPDWL—Continuing Professional De- velopment & Workplace Learning List. This electronic list is sponsored by the Interna- tional Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and is intended to provide a forum for anyone who is interested in the topic. Access: http://infoserv.inist.fr/wwsym- pa.fcgi/info/cpdwl. • Information Professional’s Guide to Career Development Online. Appendix B: English-Language Publishing Outlets with an Online Presence. These pages feature publishing opportunities for librarians and provide a link to the publishers’ pages. Most of the listings also contain information about the types of articles that the publication requests. Access: http://www.lisjobs.com/ca- reerdev/appendix_b.thm. • LCP, Douglas Hasty’s LIBRARY CON- FERENCE PLANNER. Features a linked list of upcoming (currently 2004 and 2005) library conferences in the United States and internationally. In addition, the site provides (continued on page 326) 320 / C&RL News June 2004 http://www.lisjobs.com/ca http://infoserv.inist.fr/wwsym http://www.webscoutlists http://staff.philau.edu/bells http:lisnews.com http://www http://www.libdex.com/weblogs.html http://libdex.com/journals http://www.itcompany http://www.salary.com/salary http:Salary.com www.arl.org/stats/salary (“Information Access,” continued from page 313) companies is purged from the public record. United Kingdom, Competition Commission, “Reed Elsevier plc and Harcourt Gen- eral, Inc.: A Report on the Proposed Merg- er,” July 2001. Available online at www. competition-commission.org.uk/rep_pub /reports/2001/457reed.htm; and, European Commission, “Case No. COMP/M.3197—Can- dover/Cinven/Bertlesmann-Springer: Regula- tion (EEC) No. 4064/89 Merger Procedure,” July 29, 2003. Available online at europa. eu.int/comm./competition/mergers/cases /decisions/m3197_en.pdf. 6. Office of Fair Trading, “The Market for Scientific, Technical and Medical Journals: A Statement by the OFT, “OFT396, Sept. 2002. Available online at www.oft.gov.uk/news /publications/leafl et+ordering.htm. 7. For more information, see the AAI Web site at www.antitrustinstitute.org/.  (Internet Resources,” cont. from page 320) links to all major airlines, hotel chains, rail- roads, shuttle services, and other useful travel sites. Access: http://www.fi u.edu/~hastyd/ lcp.html. • Librarian’s Datebook. This site consists simply of a chronological listing of library-re- lated conferences and workshops scheduled between the current year and 2014. Whenever possible, links are provided to conference or workshop Web sites. The listing is interna- tional in scope and includes virtual as well as in-person opportunities. Access: http://www. hsl.unc.edu/libcal.htm. • The Mentor Program: Share What You Know. This site provides a list of print and Web resources on mentoring as well as links to organizations that offer mentoring services. The information could be used to set up a pro- gram or to participate in a mentoring relation- ship. Access: http://www.libs.uga.edu/mentor /resources.html#Web. • Papersinvited. Papersinvited is a sub- scription-based database of Calls for Papers in numerous disciplines. One of the areas of specialization that can be searched in the database is “Generalities, Library Science & Journalism.” The calls are from a variety of sources, including journals, conferences, and universities. A paid subscription allows the user to personalize many of the database features. Access: http://www.papersinvited. com. • T he Researching Librarian—Web Resources Helpful for Librarians Doing Re- search. This site is designed to assist academic librarians who have publication requirements for promotions and/or tenure. The focus is on providing links to tools for conducting research in librarianship and information science. There is also a section of links to conference proceedings, which can be use- ful for seeing the format and content of past papers. Access: http://www.researchinglibrar- ian.com/index.html. Retirement planning • Choose to Save: Education Program. Sponsored by the Employee Benefit Re- search Institute and the American Savings Education Council, this site promotes the concept of saving as a vital component of financial security. The information is orga- nized by age group, e.g., “Tools for Adults Ages 40–59,” and provides links to more than 100 online calculators. Access: http://www. choosetosave.org/tools/index.htm. • CNN/Money: Retirement. This commer- cial site offers a simple retirement calculator with topical articles for retirement planning. The articles are succinct and provide a good starting point. Access: http://money.cnn. com/retirement/. • FirstGov for Seniors. Provides a lengthy list of resources for seniors, including a number of items related to education and volunteer opportunities particularly geared toward retirees. Access: http://www.fi rstgov. gov/Topics/Seniors.shtml. • Retirement Living—The Gateway to Resources for Senior Living. A site about all aspects of life after employment. Subsections range from links to retirement communities, state tax information, and services directo- ries. Access: http://www.retirementliving. com/index.html. • TIAA-CREF Web Center. Primarily designed for TIAA-CREF customers to manage their accounts, however, the general information on investment and retirement planning resources are useful to anyone. Access: http://www.tiaa-cref. org/.  326 / C&RL News June 2004 http://www.tiaa-cref http://www.retirementliving http:http://www.fi http://money.cnn http://www http://www.researchinglibrar http://www.papersinvited http://www.libs.uga.edu/mentor http://www http:http://www.fi http:www.antitrustinstitute.org www.oft.gov.uk/news