Librarian's (LIS) career inside—or outside—jobs in the traditional library setting: Hype or Hope???

This blog is updated regularly, last updated 14 Oct, 2014

•  Who Needs a DAM Librarian? Part I: Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are (DAM = Digital Asset Managemen)

• “The Graph” & What To Do About Rising LIS Graduation Rates
• Do not go to library school. Librarianship is a dying profession.http://hiringlibrarians.com
• Jobs Situation: It’s not Pretty, Library Journal,  BY ANNOYED LIBRARIAN OCTOBER 28, 2013
• Placements & Salaries 2013: Explore All the Data  
• Alternative Careers for LIS Grads 
• Forbes survey (2012): "The low pay rank and estimated growth rank make library and information science the worst master’s degree for jobs right now." in The Best And Worst Master's Degrees For Jobs - Forbes

Ps. The billion dollar question: Is the LIS profession saturated? If they say, NOPE. Then see the frustration, shock and the rest in the stories below; compare with the responses / hopes / dreams in the next section (other side...):

One side of the story (i.e., the new graduates and those who have completed LIS, but have no leads), Library and information science (LIS) career:

• Shame on Library Schools!   Nitty Gritty Gal  @ Linkedin.com nittygrittygal.com
• Rejected  @ Librarians Without Borders  
• Beggars Can’t Be Choosers   @ Librarians Without Borders 
• Second Time Around: Staying Positive during My Job Search, or I’m a Recovering Debbie Downer @ Librarians Without Borders 
• See also: 61 non-librarian jobs for LIS Grads @ Librarians Without Borders 
• JobHunter’s Revenge! The Survey @ Librarians Without Borders  
• 3 Off-the-Beaten-Paths to Librarianship   @ Librarians Without Borders  
• Breaking Out: Non-Traditional Jobs for Library Technicians  @ Librarians Without Borders  
• IWALJ – I Want A Library Job by Qraig De Groot   @ Librarians Without Borders
• My Friend Is Interested in Becoming a Librarian, … | INALJ
• New Grads on the Market: Report from the Field — Annoyed Librarian
• It's Academic: Using Programming Librarian in LIS Courses
• MLIS: a waste of money? - libraryschool newmexico sjsu |
• the pinakes: QUESTION FROM A MLIS STUDENT
•  Can We Talk About the MLS? | Editorial, Library Journal  
• Come to Library School! Just Don't Expect a Job! — Annoyed Librarian

Other side of the Story (i.e., the LIS Schools, policy makers, academics, proponents, etc. who are involved in the programs?):

• ALA Guidelines for Choosing a Master's Program in Library and Information Studies
• Is a Master's Degree in Library Science a Poor Investment?   @ infospace.ischool.syr.edu/
• “It's a Mad World” by Raymond Wang | APALA 
• RECRUITMENT TO THE PROFESSION : STUDENT WORKERS IN ACADEMIC LIBRARIES ... 
• Future directions for the library profession and its education: CLA ...  
• Future of Law Libraries: The Future is Now? | John Palfrey 
• The Future in Context: How Librarians Can Think Like Futurists 
• Librarians: Real Expertise for a Virtual World
• any one there??????????????????????????

On the same shelf:

•  Assessment Skills and the Academic Library Job Market 
• Most underpaid, overeducated occupations
• 5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Accepting a Job Offer You Don’t Love, By Heather Huhman    [Re: Wonder is this true in this age and time, of challenges that were never so many? I am not sarcastic. Aren't there applications in dozens for each post (are we still having the luxury of choosers, with malice towards none)? Aren't there shortage of opportunities? Aren't there highly specialized jobs that you need to be picking without love/hate formula?]
• The Countries You May Like to Go with your American / Canadian MLIS - A literature survey
•  Factors in success or failure of foreign-trained librarians in Canada
• "The evaluation of international credentials and the hiring of internationally trained librarians in Canadian academic and public libraries, Keren Dali and Juris Dilevkoa, The International Information & Library Review Volume 41, Issue 3, September 2009, Pages 146-162:
  

  "This study examines the way in which libraries in Canada approach the issue of the evaluation of international credentials (ICs) held by internationally trained librarians (ITLs) and the eventual short-listing and hiring of such individuals. In the United States and Canada, librarianship, a non-regulated profession, is to a large degree governed by the American Library Association (ALA), but the ALA's statements regarding ICs and ITLs are often ambiguous. It is therefore frequently left to individual libraries to decide how best to deal with ICs and ITLs"

Why it matters that you can't own an electronic copy of the Oxford English Dictionary

Cory Doctorow  @ Boing Boing  Aug 24, 2013

Extract:
In my latest Guardian column, I talk about the digital versions of the Oxford English Dictionary and the Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, the two most important lexicographic references to the English language. As a writer, my print copies of the OED and HTOED are to me what an anvil is to a blacksmith; but I was disturbed to learn that the digital editions of these books are only available as monthly rentals, services that come with expansive data-collecting policies and which cannot be owned. It's especially ironic that these books are published by Oxford University, home of the Bodleian, a deposit archive and library founded in the 14th century, a symbol of the importance of enduring ownership of books... continue reading + + Oxford English Dictionary – the future, The Guardian Cory Doctorow 23 August 2013

On the same shelf:

• Reference Process -- Readings  
• Oxford English Dictionary : Toronto Public Library 
• ASAPLive - Virtual Reference Library - Oxford English Dictionary ...
• Definition is not endorsement Baltimore Sun (blog) 24 August 2013
• Why editors are 'literally' changing the dictionary BBC News Aug 18, 2013
• Let pedants roar, Oxford proves itself a friend of tin ears, literally  Brisbane Times-Aug 17, 2013
• http://oxforddictionaries.com 
• Oxford English Dictionary: Home 
• Oxford English Dictionary Revises Definition of Marriage to Reflect  Same-Sex Relationships. Towleroad-Aug 23, 2013
• UBC prof lobbies Oxford English dictionary to be less British Toronto Star-Aug 13, 2013
• Daily Mail Oxford University Press Monitoring Evolution of Marriage Definition

  Lez Get Real-Jul 27, 2013 Extract: "The definition of marriage has already changed in several countries. France changed their before their Parliament enacted same-sex marriage. The French dictionary Larousse changed their definition to a “solemn act between two same-sex or different-sex persons, who decide to establish a union”. The Canada Space Dictionary defines marriage as “the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)”.
  However, given the diversity of marriage throughout the world, wouldn’t it just be simpler to bite the bullet and define it as the union of two or more people for the conveyance of property, raising of children, and/or companionship with other individuals?"