Working Knowledge

By Mary Pergander

A monthly column on employment issues.

MARY PERGANDER is director of the Deerfield (Ill.) Public Library. Send comments or questions to working@ala.org.

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2008

• “Working Through Grief: How To Deal With A Coworker's Loss,” August 2008
  
• “This and That: Holding Down Two Dream Careers at Once,” June/July 2008
  
• “Living the Dream: Take a Moment to Appreciate What You've Got,” May 2008
  
• “Failure to Perform: What To Do When a Director Isn’t Directing,” April 2008
  
• “Loose Lips Sink Ships: Preparation and a Calm Demeanor Counter Career Perils,” March 2008
  
• “Be It Resolved...Twelve Resolutions for the New Year at Your Library,” January/February 2008
  

2007

• “Oh Behave! Using Behavior Questions to Get Inside Your Head,” December 2007
  
• “Shifting Gears: Academic and Public and School and Special—Oh My!”, November 2007
  
• “Leaving Libraries: Why Do Some Librarians Switch Careers? (Part Two of Two),” October 2007
  
• “Positions of Transition: Why Do Some Librarians Switch Careers? (Part One of Two),” September 2007
  
• “Take It or Leave It: The Delicate Art of the Revolving Door,” August 2007
  
• “Where Ideas Come From: Inspiration Can Come from Almost Anywhere,” June/July 2007
  
• “Setting Your Own Standards: 19 Questions for You to Ask Yourself,” May 2007
  
• “To Share or Not to Share: When Good Comments Go Bad,” April 2007
  
• “Let’s Meet in the Middle: How to Make Meetings Matter,” March 2007
  
• “Working at Finding Word: Finding a Job Can Be a Full-time Job,” February 2007
  
• “In the Company of Friends,” January 2007
  

2006

• “What Are You Waiting For?” December 2006
  
• “Taking the Lead,” November 2006
  
• “Manage Your Boss—Please!” October 2006
  
• “Making the Ask,” September 2006
  
• “Still Happy After All These Years,” August 2006
  
• “Calling All Transplanted Librarians,” June/July 2006
  
• “Be Your Own Successor,” May 2006
  
• “A Tale of Two Librarians,” April 2006
  
• “Seeking the Land of Plenty (of Jobs),” March 2006
  
• “Mastering the Group Interview,” February 2006
  
• “The Road Taken—Eventually,” January 2006
  

2005

• “Watching Workers' Web Use,” December 2005
  
• “Brushing Up on Patron-Service Skills,” November 2005
  
• “Designing Dress Codes,” October 2005
  
• “Banishing Boredom on the Job,” September 2005
  
• “Safeguarding against Employee Fraud,” August 2005
  
• “Fine-Tuning Your Field of Focus,” May 2005
  
• “The Death of an Employee,” April 2005
  
• “Going Paraprofessional,” March 2005
  
• “¿Como Puedo Servirle?,” February 2005
  
• “The Great Director Search,” January 2005
  

2004

• “Picture Yourself in the Director's Chair,” December 2004
  
• “Fighting Age Discrimination,” November 2004
  
• “Making Meetings Work,” October 2004
  
• “It's Not What You Say, but How You Say It,” September 2004
  
• “Manners Matter for Employers and Applicants,” August 2004
  
• “Checking Out Background Checks,” June/July 2004
  
• “Rekindling Your Passion for Work,” May 2004
  
• “Saying Thank You—Part Two,” April 2004
  
• “Family Planning: Home, Career, or Both?” March 2004
  
• “Salary Negotiation 101,” February 2004
  
• “Knowing How to Say ‘Thank You,’”January 2004
  

2003

• “Putting Networks to Work,” December 2003
  
• “There’s Gold in That Thar MLS Degree!” November 2003
  
• “Test Careers with Informational Interviews,” October 2003
  
• “All Around the Career Ladder,” September 2003
  
• “Today’s Times: Surviving Job Loss,” August 2003
  
• “Helpful Hints for ALA Conferences,” June/July 2003
  
• “Judging Books by Their Covers,” May 2003
  
• “Timely Tips for Time Management,” April 2003
  
• “Real-Life Retirement,” March 2003
  
• “Dealing with Workplace Stress,” February 2003
  
• “Strategies for a Successful Job Search,” January 2003