A presentation given to MMU Graduate Trainees, Nov 2012

2. Alternative careers for the new library &
information professional
Bethan Ruddock
MMU, 12th November 2012
mimas.ac.uk

3. What is an „alternative career‟?
Depends what you think of as traditional!
Can be:
• A traditional role in a non-traditional environment
• A non-traditional role in a traditional environment
• A non-traditional role in a non-traditional environment
Whatever it is, it will use your librarianly skills and knowledge – and you might get to
learn interesting new ones, too!
mimas.ac.uk

4. It‟s not all stamping books and shhhhh!
When you say „librarian‟, most people think of public or academic librarians.
In fact, there are librarians (often called „information professionals‟) in nearly every
sector.
I asked some of them what they do every day...
I am an Information Governance Office in the children‟s services directorate of a local
authority in Greater Manchester. I am responsible for providing advice and guidance in
relation to the Data Protection and Freedom of Information. Most of my work is to ensure
information is shared appropriately and securely, and includes providing guidance
around how to do this and putting data sharing agreements together. I also coordinate
all the Freedom of Information requests we receive, and provide help if colleagues think
any of it might be exempt from release. I also work on records management, including
putting together retention schedules.
Michelle Peel
mimas.ac.uk

5. Digital Resources Librarian, Royal Institute of International Affairs
Organisation: an International Relations think-tank, commonly known as Chatham
House
Responsible for: Electronic resources including discovery search, authentication and
LMS.
Customers: Members of the Royal Institute of International Affairs, who are politicians;
policy makers in government, private sector, law; academics and others interested in
international relations. Staff of the institute who are researchers in the fields of
international relations, and international aspects of law, environment, economics and
health.
Job Involves: Managing subscriptions and access to e-resources, system administration
of LMS, Sharing enquiry desk work with the other 2 librarians, supporting archive
digitisation project with corporate partner, and being the library go-to person for IT
questions.
Magda Robertson
mimas.ac.uk

6. Our main day-to-day role is research support for editorial staff. This involves putting
together cuts packages on request, for interviews or opinion pieces (for example, today
I've been asked to find cuttings on Scott Walker, the PCC elections, and the Social
Charter of the Maastricht treaty in 1989.)
For this we use a variety of sources - we still have the old school cuttings files, where
librarians would have literally cut and pasted articles on specific people/subjects into
files, but its mostly electronic sources now, primarily Factiva and Lexis Nexis.
We are also asked for things like factboxes and timelines, either in advance of things
that might happen or as a story breaks and develops, and fact-checking and statistical
information - at the moment one of my colleagues is looking something up on the 1851
census.
We also compile things 'from the archive' - a daily piece which goes onto the website
and in Saturday's paper, and an archive blog if we want to go into stories in more depth
- from the digital archive (all of the Guardian and Observer have been digitised - see
more here!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/series/from-the-archive
We are a research library for our journalists rather than for the general public, so it varies
every day, although Nina (the current graduate trainee) does deal with queries from
members of the public (this is usually asking for the date an article appeared, or
someone whose grandad was in the paper in 1904 or something)
Lauren Niland, Research and Information Dept., Guardian News & Media Ltd

7. In terms of more traditional "library" type management:
Head of Information manages subscriptions and access to the databases we have
access to.
The graduate trainee manages the daily digital archiving of the paper and the storage
of bound volumes and microfilm.
We maintain an intranet research page of resources (although this is being overhauled
at the moment)
We do have a physical library, but (sadly) this is not used as often as it could be - here
we have books relating to the paper itself and media/journalism history and
biography, and magazines.
Lauren Niland, Research and Information Dept., Guardian News & Media Ltd
mimas.ac.uk

8. • Provide a multiple-jurisdiction (Scotland, England/Wales, Ireland, Europe) internal
current awareness service, tailored to the business interests of the firm. These interests
cover many areas: waste and recycling, utilities like wind farms and wave
power, banking, planning, construction, company law, employment law, commercial
landlord and tenant issues, civil procedure in the various courts...
• Provide research on any topic requested, whether it's a core business interest or a
targeted new market - I'm always having to learn something new!
• Train trainee solicitors on abstracting and categorising material from journals
assigned to them, content is then uploaded to the current awareness system.
• Train users on request on electronic resources such as databases we subscribe
to, and organise external trainers to visit regularly for same purpose.
• Identify, purchase, catalogue and process new materials, and general library
maintenance.
Jennifer Findlay, Law Librarian
mimas.ac.uk

9. My job is to ensure health professionals have access to the best available information so
that patients receive evidence-based treatments and care. I conduct literature
searches for staff which involves searching online for guidelines, published research and
systematic reviews (which are generally considered the strongest form of evidence-
based medicine) on many different topics. I quality check and publish to the Trust
intranet all new and updated clinical guidelines and policies. I also conduct regular
information skills sessions with staff searching for and appraising medical information.
Lesley Firth, Health Librarian
mimas.ac.uk

10. I work for a property consultancy. This is a slightly niche, unusual job even within special
libraries. There are, as far as I can tell, about ten librarians in the UK who work for
properties consultancies which is tiny in comparison to accountancy, law or other
professional services firms.
We‟re a very small team, two full-time and one part-time so there is a lot of scope for
getting experience in lots of areas.
The way to manage working in such a fast-paced environment is to be as organised as
humanly possible. Time management and prioritisation skills are absolutely core in a role
like this. Communication skills also come in handy as you may need to pass work
around within the team to ensure everything gets done.
I don‟t really have an average working week because so much of my time is enquiry-
based and thus driven by what demands the users have put on my time but a few of
the tasks I might expect to get done over the course of a month are: meeting with one
of the suppliers to discuss our new contract, our usage stats and how the product is
developing; crunching the numbers on how many enquiries the Information Unit is
taking and what kind of information is required; current awareness on various topics
such as Planning or Housing; meeting with the heads of teams to see if the Information
Unit can help them; cataloguing newly bought books or reports; checking in and
circulating journals; attending fee-earner briefings; downloading and circulating market
data such as property specific information, exchange rates, inflation and house price
indices; undertaking complicated searches for the ownership of a piece of land; setting
up new accounts for various databases; investigating companies or people with whom
we might work; and training people on databases.

11. The main key to working in a professional services environment is to socialise with the
users. You need to know what makes them tick. If there is a briefing open to anyone in
the firm, go. If there is a drinks reception, go. If someone mentions a team event and
asks if you are interested, go. Additionally, go on courses in-house especially soft skills
both because it will help you but also in order to get to know your users. It is also
important that they know you aren’t a secretary. I chartered mainly because I work with
chartered planners and chartered librarians and I felt it was important to be and be
seen to be on the same level.
It might also be worth remembering that, unlike academic librarians, there is a dress
code. I get to wear cardigans but I generally am in smart office attire…on the plus side
there is very little climbing shelving or walking so I also get to wear killer heels!

12. I help lawyers find the information they need to win cases and negotiate deals. I search
specialist business, legal and news databases; I teach trainees how to use these
resources in tandem with general internet searches; I circulate journals and I buy books.
Sometimes I‟m searching on a short deadline to help save lawyers’ time; other times I‟m
leaving no stone unturned in search of an elusive piece of data. Sometimes I‟m
troubleshooting database problems, evaluating new resources or thinking how we can
promote our services to the firm.
Sara Batts, Law Librarian

13. Special collections are materials that require specialist handling, description and
storage because of their age, rarity, content or other significance such as who
collected or owned them. Special collections librarians draw on detailed historical and
technical knowledge to describe these materials using specialist standards. They
interpret their collections for others via exhibitions, articles, public talks and educational
events as well as managing and staffing reading areas where researchers can study the
materials. They answer a lot of enquiries from a wide range of people. Special
collections librarians have to manage security, preservation, conservation, budgets.
They require technical skills to commission and manage digital projects.
Katie Birkwood

14. Information Centre Manager for BDP -a multidisciplinary design firm (architects and
engineers):
I am a qualified information professional delivering Information Services throughout all
UK offices. I used to just look after our Sheffield office but am now the only remaining
info professional within the company, and thus am managing the Information Centres in
our Manchester, Sheffield and London studios, but also offering research and a quality
technical enquiry service to any member of BDP staff.
Roles also include library management skills, including stock control, digital and
hardcopy info provision, info literacy; Intranet editing and dealing with intranet
feedback and problems; assistance with marketing information, sourcing & collating
tenders/ bids (ie to win work).
The main difference working within a corporate environment as opposed to
academic, is that I am actually doing the research/ sourcing the documents in order to
save the technical staff* doing it, as every minute of their time is paid by the project
they are working on, thus wiser and hopefully more profitable for them to delegate than
spending time searching themselves. It is much more a research role than an info
literacy role, although we do subscribe to IHS so technical staff are encouraged to
always search this first (available on our intranet) before coming to me, and info literacy
does come into play with regards to teaching them how to search those databases
available to them on their desktops.
*technical staff = the architects, engineers, project managers, interior designers etc.
Basically those members of staff earning a fee. Although a qualified professional, I
come under “admin” and am not a fee earner as I am not being charged out to the
client.
Tracey Lunt

15. I am an Assistant Librarian at the National Police Library at Bramshill in Hampshire.
Currently our Library is a part of the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA), but
will belong to the College of Policing as of the 1st December. This makes me a
government librarian, but possibly only for the next few years. I am primarily responsible
for enquiries and literature searches, abstracting and indexing journals, line managing
two Library Customer Support Officers and I am now branching out into user
education, a new area for the library. Our customers are the NPIA, in particular the
research department, and potentially all UK police officers and staff. Often we support
officers undertaking Master or PhDs as we are able to offer them more focused support
than the universities they attend can. Challenges include the remote customer
base, working within a secure network, and making the UK Police Forces aware of our
existence!
Emily Powell

16. Looking for something even more alternative?
How about a career in a related field? You could try
Archives
Teaching
Technology
Research
Publishing
Cultural heritage
Knowledge management
Communications
Community relations
mimas.ac.uk
Image used under a CC licence from http://www.flickr.com/photos/duncan/99863704/

17. Bethan Ruddock
Content Development Officer,
Library and Archival Services,
Mimas,
University of Manchester
mimas.ac.uk

18. How did I get here?
Graduate Trainee, University of Manchester Library, 2006-7
MA Library & Information Studies, MMU, 2007-8
Copac Challenge Fund Officer, Mimas, 2008-9
Content Development Officer, Library & Archival Services, Mimas 2009-now
How did I get this job? I took a chance, and applied!
mimas.ac.uk
Image used under a CC licence from http://www.flickr.com/photos/wes2theg/2913960324/

19. What do I do?
Take in data from libraries & archives in the UK, to make them searchable from a
single interface.
My job includes:
• Communications
• Data handling (MARC, EAD)
• Data manipulation (XML, XSLT, json, javascript)
• Cataloguing knowledge (library & archival)
• Project management
• Teaching/training (archivists & archive students)
• Presenting
• Writing (articles, blogs, columns)
• Enquiry handling
• ...
mimas.ac.uk

20. My job requires me to be...
• A good communicator
• Face to face
• In writing- various styles
• Teach & train
• Technically literate
• Enough to know what can and can‟t be
done, and work with programmers
• Flexible
• Work on different projects & need to
switch quickly
• Willing to learn
• Don‟t be scared of trying new things –
always ready to have a go
• Proactive
• I need to identify and take opportunities
• An expert
• And willing to use that expertise
Image used under a CC licence from http://www.flickr.com/photos/jessicafoley/4270697958/ mimas.ac.uk

21. Finding an alternative career
• Decide what you want to do!
• Skills audit
• Write down everything you can
do!
• Think about:
• What can you do?
• What do you enjoy doing?
• How can you do more of the stuff
you enjoy?
Resources:
CILIP Professional Knowledge & Skills Base: SLA Future Ready Toolkit:
http://www.cilip.org.uk/jobs-careers/professional- http://www.sla.org/content/resources/t
oolkit/index.cfm (members only)
knowledge-and-skills-
base/pages/professional%20knowledge%20and%2
0skills%20base.aspx (members only)
Image used under a CC licence from http://www.flickr.com/photos/squeakywheel/296747265
mimas.ac.uk

22. Finding an alternative career
• Use the skills you‟ve identified as
keywords
• Look in professional press for the
area you‟re interested in
• Look beyond “librar*”
• Information
• Communication
• Research
• Training
• Data handling
• Outreach
• Support
• Metadata
Image used under a CC licence from http://www.flickr.com/photos/boliston/3966640589/ mimas.ac.uk

23. Use your contacts
• Build good professional networks
• Who knows where your
current colleagues might end
up?
• Be generous – give and
receive
• Make new contacts
• Talk to people at conferences
• Talk to vendors in the exhibit
hall
• Ask them about their
workplace
• You will often find out about jobs
through word of mouth, rather
than adverts.
mimas.ac.uk
Image used under a CC licence from http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobbygreg/168206195

24. Use your opportunities
While you‟re training and studying, you‟ll have
lots of opportunities to make contacts and find
out about different areas of library and
information work.
Make the most of them!
Can you shadow someone in a different area
of the library?
Or in a different library altogether?
Apply for bursaries to attend conferences
Once you have this experience? Make the
most of it!
Write it down and reflect on it
mimas.ac.uk
Image used under a CC licence from http://www.flickr.com/photos/iansand/2216235850/

25. Applying for jobs
So, they haven‟t asked for a librarian...
How do you convince them they need one?
• Tailor your application to that job.
• Speak the language of the organisation
• Don‟t use librarian/info pro/sector jargon!
• Address all essential requirements
• Address as many „desirable‟ requirements as
you can
• Be explicit, not implicit.
• Don‟t expect them to make the connections
between your experience and their needs – lay
it out for them.
• Prepare to be Googled
• Have a good online reputation that showcases
your professional skills
• Be brave! A job application costs you
nothing, except a little time and effort, and the
rewards can be huge.
mimas.ac.uk
Image used under a CC licence from http://www.flickr.com/photos/timothygreigdotcom/4975771901/

26. Resources & further reading
Library routes/roots: http://bit.ly/W34IrV
Library Day in the Life:
http://librarydayinthelife.pbworks.com/w/page/16941198/FrontPage
My First Month: http://lisnewprofs.com/category/my-first-month/
Special Collections Librarianship: a map of the field:
http://prezi.com/bmoag2sdf1d5/special-collections-librarianship-a-brief-
map-of-the-field/
Voices for the Library features on „celebrating librarians‟:
http://voicesforthelibrary.org.uk/
Alternative careers webinar: http://vimeo.com/34984523
mimas.ac.uk

27. Bethan.ruddock@manchester.ac.uk
@bethanar
http://lisnewprofs.com
Sign outside Boise State University Library, from mimas.ac.uk
http://www.flickr.com/photos/travelinlibrarian/223839049/ 27