For immediate release | May 18, 2011

A Librarian’s Guide to an Uncertain Job Market

CHICAGO — The hard truth during these tough economic times is that many seasoned librarians are losing their jobs, and many recent LIS graduates are having a tough time finding one. Being unemployed is potentially devastating; without a clear, well-thought out game plan and considerable attention to their own personal well-being, those affected may find it difficult to recover. In “A Librarian’s Guide to an Uncertain Job Market,” an ALA Editions Special Report, veteran librarian Jeannette Woodward helps at-risk librarians:

  • Prepare for budget crunches by showing them how to develop versatile skills and plan ahead for potential changes in employment;
  • Educate themselves about which library positions are being phased out and which will hold steady or expand;
  • Adjust their career goals, repurpose their existing skills for non-traditional librarianship, and even search for work in non-library settings.

Woodward is a principal of Wind River Library and Nonprofit Consulting. After a career in academic library administration, she began a second career in public libraries, serving as director of the Fremont County Library System in the foothills of the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming. Woodward is the author of several books, including “What Every Librarian Should Know about Electronic Privacy,” “Nonprofit Essentials: Managing Technology,” “Creating the Customer-Driven Library: Building on the Bookstore Model” and “Countdown to a New Library: Managing the Building Project.”

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