4. What is ‘alternative’?
• Same job, different sector
• Same sector, different job
• Different job, different sector
• ... anything you want it to be!
5. What is ‘alternative’?
• Might not be called ‘librarian’
• Or archivist, records manager,
knowledge manager
• Might not be in a library
• Will use your librarian skills
• And require you to learn new
ones
• Might be in a library
• But a different sort of library
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6. Image used under a CC licence from http://www.flickr.com/photos/id-iom/2879070702/
8. Research
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9.
10. What do we do?
• Take in data from major UK libraries and archives, and
make it searchable from a single interface
• But not just the major libraries/archives!
Specialist/underused too, eg:
St Paul’s Cathedral Architectural Archive; the Freshwater
Biological Association; the library at St George’s Chapel,
Windsor Castle; the library of the Royal Botanic gardens,
Kew, and the archive of the Royal Botanic Gardens at
Edinburgh; the Met Office; the Scottish Brewing Archive;
the Royal College of Surgeons of England; the library of
the Society of Friends; the archives of the British Postal
Museum.
12. The techy stuff
• HTML
• XML
• XSLT
• UNIX
• json
• Javascript
• Linked Data
• Learning to code with CodeAcademy codeyear.com
13. Linked Data
WasWrittenBy
Charles
Bleak House
Dickens
Wrote
Subject: Bleak House
Predicate: WasWrittenBy
Object: Charles Dickens
Subject > Predicate > Object
14. The people stuff
• Teaching/training
• Archivists
• Archive students
• Conferences
• Working stands
• Attending as delegate
• Giving presentations
• On panels
• Giving posters
16. Communication
Since joining Mimas, I’ve:
• Given 5 conference presentations
• Been on 4 conference panels
• Given 2 conference posters
• Authored/co-authored 11
journal/magazine articles
• Written regularly for 5 blogs, and
guest-blogged on others
• Written a book
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18. The traditional stuff
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19. 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/
20. Finding an alternative career
• Decide what you want to
do!
• Skills audit
• What can you do?
• What do you enjoy
doing?
• How can you do more
of the stuff you enjoy?
• Tools:
http://www.sla.org/content/
learn/members/competenci
es/index.cfm
• http://www.sla.org/content/
resources/toolkit/index.cfm
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21. Finding an alternative career
• Look beyond “librar*”
• Information
• Communication
• Research
• Training
• Data handling
• Outreach
• Support
• Metadata
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22.
23. Where to look?
• Job sites
• Library/information-specific
• Sector-specific (eg Higher Ed, Legal)
• www.libraryjobpostings.org
• http://infospace.ischool.syr.edu/2011/12/23/61-
non-librarian-jobs-for-librarians/
• http://www.wearelibrarians.com/
• Recruitment agents
• Your network
24. What to look for?
• Think about your skills
• Think about your interests
• Where would you like to work?
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
• Disney Animation Research Library?
• San Diego Zoo?
• The Pentagon?
• Eton College?
• What would you like to specialise in?
• Manga?
• Film?
• Orchestral music?
• Botany?
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25. Use your contacts
• Build good professional
networks
• Be generous – give and
receive
• Ask them about their
workplace
• Make new contacts
• Talk to people at
conferences
• Talk to vendors in the
exhibit hall
• Talk to friends and family
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26.
27. Get that application right
• The application is your chance to show how flexible,
adaptable, and knowledgeable an info pro can be
• Use all of the information you can find about yourself
and the organisation
• Include as many examples as possible
• From whatever source
• Don’t use librarian/info pro/sector jargon!
• Prepare to be Googled
• Have a good online reputation that showcases your
professional skills
28. Get that application right
• The application is your chance to show how flexible,
adaptable, and knowledgeable an info pro can be
• Tailor your application to that job.
• Speak the language of the organisation – align yourself
with them
• 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.
• Be brave! A job application costs you nothing, except a
little time and effort, and the rewards can be huge.
29. • Soulla Stylianou
• BSc Hons, Information Science
• Client Director, Daden Ltd
• Virtual Worlds and AI solutions provider
• Virtual Library of Birmingham in Second Life
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11SPISd1qUI&
• HR/management
• Proposals/press releases/social media
• Account management
• Negotiation
• Skills:
• Research
• Finding resources
• Using Boolean logic
• Writing copy
30. • Jo Alcock
• MScEcon Information and Library Studies
• Evidence Based Researcher, Evidence Base, Birmingham
City University
• Research
• Evaluation
• Consultancy
• Project work
• Funding/bids/proposals
• Skills
• Project management
• Research skills
• Technology/software
31. • Wendy Padley
• MSc Library and Information Skills
• Academic Research Assistant, Health and Life Sciences
Faculty, De Montfort University
• Information gathering
• Information synthesis
• Bid writing
• Data management & storage
• Clinical systematic reviews
• Skills
• Information handling
• Analytical skills
• Writing skills
• Data handling
32. And finally...
• Keep an open mind
• And a wide field of view
• Talk to people
• Be polite and generous, and
they’ll want to talk to you
• Align with the organization
• Speak their language, refer
to their values
• Don’t be scared!
• Believe in yourself
• Take a chance
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33. @bethanar bethan.ruddock@gmail.com
bethaninfoprof.wordpress.com lisnewprofs.com
http://www.slideshare.net/bethanar/alternative-careers
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34. Thursday, February 23, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EST
• “Content Negotiation” with Barbara Hirsch”
Thursday, March 29, 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EST
• “Mining Enterprise Assets: Another Role for Info Pros”
with Deb Hunt, SLA President-Elect
2012 Virtual Professional Development Series