Another "job search" question

I was planning on asking a question about Academic librarianship and research, but after reading a recent post to "The Librarian's Guide to Etiquette" I was reminded that interview etiquette is a murky area for new professionals entered academic librarianship.

The post I'm referring to was a humorous comment on sending thank-you notes after an interview, but it did made me seriously question the issue. After the interviews for what turned out to be my first and second professional, academic positions I did send thank you notes to each committee member (first time was actual cards and the second time was emails). Is it a coincidence that I was offered those two positions?!

I'd like to ask you, especially those of you who have sat on hiring committees, what your opinion is about sending thank you notes, or any other 'interview etiquette' suggestions. I know there will be a variety of opinions, but I think new librarians will benefit by hearing from seasoned pros.

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Gillian in Print

For anyone who hasn't yet seen our very own blogger quoted in a national daily:
Not Your Grandfather's Library System

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New Librarians and Management Roles

While many new librarians just starting their careers may not be thinking about taking on a management or supervisory role, this is still an issue that should be of interest to newer professionals and library school students. Are people thinking about taking on leadership roles (either sooner or later)? Is management something that even appeals to most new professionals and students?

The famous “8 R’s” report points to research that shows that when asked about why they chose librarianship, none of the respondents mentioned an interest in managing or in supervising others. This is consistent with my own experience in library school. I remember how negative classmates were toward our program’s only management course, saying that they were not interested in being managers and wouldn’t have chosen librarianship if they had been. I also hear librarians colleagues express the view that a management role would take them away from the things they really enjoy doing. Yet according to the report: “librarians are increasingly required to assume managerial, business, and leadership roles.” I’m wondering how others feel about this, and whether or not people think this will present a problem in the future. Are people enthusiastic about or dreading the possibility of taking on management roles?

“8 R’s” also suggests that libraries “experienced greater difficulties replacing the leadership qualities” and that “the possession of managerial skills and leadership potential are two of the most important and difficult to fulfill competencies”. Depending on the institution, newer professionals may be called upon to assume a management role sooner than expected. We’ve started seeing quite a few younger people in high ranking positions in academic libraries. Are newer professionals already planning for this or taking steps to prepare themselves to fill these positions? How can they best go about doing this? Do newer professionals feel that their institutions are providing the kinds of opportunities which allow them to develop these skills?

Just a few questions to think about.

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Getting involved - it ain't easy...or is it?

This always seems to me to be the silliest obstacle facing library associations today. New professionals want to be an active part of the associations they belong to, but there never seems to be advertised opportunities; and when there are openings on committees, they don't seem to ever go to newbies.

Well, I've come to a conclusion. I'm chair of two CLA committees, as well as co-convenor of an Interest Group. I love the work, and let's face it, I love being in charge of things. But the fact is, in most committees, members' eyes are bigger than their stomachs. They start all these projects that they simply don't have the membership to maintain properly.

Here's my revolutionary thought. Association structure is archaic; we need to move away from the mindset of keeping activities in the hands of committees/executives, and start looking at things from a project perspective. I have many projects on my committees that I would like accomplished; and I believe the best way to do this is to recruit students & new professionals on a project basis. I’m thinking something along the lines of a CLA website/blog, which all committees/IGs can post to, soliciting help for projects. We all win - associations get more done, new professionals get their foot in the door and something on their resumes. And I can concentrate on my agenda of taking over the library world! ...er...i mean...

What do people think?

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