How To Become a Librarian-Updated
So, you want to become a librarian? Welcome to a vibrant and exciting profession! Before leaping into a library career, though, take some time to explore your options. Learning what is involved and how librarians generally spend their time can help you de...
NextGen: Is This the Ninth Circle of Hell?
In 2003, during the Biennial migration of academic librarians to the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) conference, several of the programs in Charlotte, NC, discussed the recruitment and retention of the next generation but with an obvi...
NextGen: Generational Journeys
The more I pay attention to issues affecting next-generation librarians, the more I feel trapped in some endless and unsolvable logic problem. It tends to run in circles along these lines: If many new librarians are frustrated by bureaucracy, a tight job ...
NextGen: Time To Make Some Change
In our evolving profession, perhaps the most important skill is the ability to become change leaders within our organizations. If we truly want to bring our NextGen enthusiasm, outlook, and skills to bear on our institutions and profession, then we must b...
NextGen: Where the Jobs Are
Commenton this articleDespite the discussion about the graying of the profession, we seem to agree on little but this: the jobs being vacated are generally upper-level and the departure of retiring library managers fails to translate into a glut of entry-...
Movers & Shakers 2008 Live and Loaded!
The 2008 Movers & Shakers supplement profiles50 library advocates, community builders, 2.0 gurus, innovators, marketers, mentors, and problem solvers transforming libraries. The supplement was included with LJ's March 15 issue, but all profiles and pix of...
NextGen: Moving On Out
Some nextgens face questions about whether and when to move up into management (see NextGen, LJ 9/15/04). Others face the potentially more wrenching decision of whether and when to move out of their institutions. We need to take regular stock to see if ou...
New Focus Needed To Recruit Minorities for Academic Library Jobs
If academic libraries hope to increase the number of minority librarians on staff, a single comprehensive recruitment and public awareness resource should be developed to channel profession-wide efforts to one place-taking a lead from other professions, l...
NextGen: In Our Own Words
What's the best way to find out what younger professionals think? Just ask! Here, several librarians, ranging in age from 25 to 35, reveal their thoughts about our profession. These NextGens share common concerns about the few entry-level opportunities av...
Fixing the First Job
We are new librarians. In our first year, after coming up against bureaucratic brick walls and resistance to new ideas for libraries, we were almost convinced that the field of librarianship was virtually unchangeable. In our frustration, we wanted desper...