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"

How Break Out of the Library Field and Feel Good About It, Veda Darby Soberman

Extract:

1.Don’t let them call you librarian.
2.Recall the broad core reasons why you chose to pursue a library career, and let those ideals carry you to other related jobs.
3.Pursue a variety of trainings, and apply for a variety of openings.
4.Maintain a Buddha-like detachment from librarianship. Continue reading all the details and much more, How Break Out of the Library Field and Feel Good About It @ INALJ: The I Need a Library Job eResource center! A community of information professionals working together to help you find a job!

Job Search Especially for LTs

Extract:
Library Technician Job Search 101 OR By Lisa Elchuk,  Ontario Library Association's Access Magazine, vol.19, No. 3, Summer 2013, 22-23

• Hint number one:  (try to) make friends with everyone.
• Hint number two: diversify your job scouring.
• Hint number three: consistency is key.
• Hint number four: if you are unemployed or even working part-time, VOLUNTEER.

On the same shelf for Library Technician (LTs):

Notes from and for Library Technicians

SHARPENING OUR SKILLS

by Donna Brown