School to Work Transition
I was recently asked by my alma mater to complete a survey on new grads and whether or not they were employed. What interested me most was "Any comments on how your MLIS program prepared you for a career in the IM field?" I personally feel as if my MLIS thoroughly prepared me for my current position; however, I known that this is not a commonly held opinion. I've spoken to classmates who were very disappointed in their career preparation and who found the school to work transition much more difficult than I did.
Alvin Schrader, the current CLA president, recently spoke to the students at Dalhousie's School of Information Management on this exact topic. (Find an excellent summary of his talk here). Dr. Schrader recommends that new professionals request job-shadowing experiences, ask to sit in on key meetings, and keep a journal of their experiences to refer to throughout, especially if no official orientation program exists. I would like to add one item to this list that I feel was extremely helpful for me: develop a core roster of mentors that you can approach when you are in need of assurance, advice, and coffee. I have three people here at my workplace whom I consider to be my mentors, plus a fourth mentor at another library. They each have a range of experiences and opinions that help me to sort out my own thoughts and opinions about the profession and my daily work. These mentors are in addition to my mentors from my MLIS.
Some of the schools of library and information studies in Canada offer mentoring programs between students and professionals. I hope these programs continue to flourish, both in an official capacity and in more unofficial ways. My school to work transition would have been much more difficult without the support and friendship of my mentors, and I hope one day to be in a position to offer the same encouragement to a new professional.
posted by Deborah @ 5:24 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
As an MLIS student at the University of Western Ontario, I was able to take advantage of their co-op program. The co-op was particularly helpful to me, because I entered library school with no library work experience, and I was, obviously, able to obtain academic library work experience from it. But, more than that, I was able to meet a number of librarians and make a series of professional contacts. The co-op opened countless doors for me, and I can honestly say that without that experience, I would not be working as a librarian at the University of Michigan.
Furthermore, the co-op was an outstanding learning opportunity. I was assigned a mentor, who was a tremendous help to me. I was given instruction and reference responsibilities. I was able to sit in on and contribute to committees and working groups. And, I was also able to work on several self-directed and team-oriented projects. Overall, I was given a relatively complete picture of academic librarianship.
The library schools can only teach you so much, and I don't think we should expect programs to fully prepare students to work in all library environments. That just doesn't seem feasible to me. Some of the responsibility should (and does) fall on to their hands. And, taking advantage of mentorship programs (and co-op programs if possible) is an important part of this.
I completely agree with the benefits of co-op and mentorship programs. I am still a student, in the MAS/MLIS program at UBC, and I have been able to take advantage of both of these types of programs, in addition to other professional experience type courses such as internships.
Theory will only get you so far in life, and already I can tell that the practical experience I have gained through co-op, courses and work study positions will stand me well in the near future, when it comes time to start interviewing.
Equally important to the experience are the connections I have made with professionals in the field. Aside from mentors assigned to me through professional associations, I have been able to make my own network of less formal mentors, and have drawn on them often as I complete my course work.
Although I have learned and continue to learn a lot from my classes, I consider all the benefits mentioned above to be where the true value in my tuition lies.
If you are still a student and your program offers you these sorts of opportunities, jump at them - even if it takes you a little longer to graduate. Take responsibility for your own professional development, before you become a professional!
Ah the tuition question! I'd like to stress that my MLIS program prepared me more than adequately for the working world. Graduate programs of all strips are only intended to give us a framework from which to work off. They are not intended to pop out fully formed professionals who are ready to handle anything that comes their way. I am a firm believer in the idea that your education is what you make of it. By taking advantage of mentors (both formally and informally) and co-op programs you are clearly making the best of your education! But, don't forget that there's a reason why schools of librarianship are graduate programs.
Post a Comment
<< Home