We are happy to announce this year’s SLA New England Chapter Stipend Recipients. All will be attending this year’s Annual Conference.

Student Travel Stipend Winner: Sophy Bishop

Sophy Bishop just finished her third semester at Simmons GSLIS where she is the current president of SLA @ Simmons and is interested in Special Libraries, User Experience and Content Strategy. She works part time at Harvard Law School in the Communications Department and interns at Harvard Business School with the Knowledge Management team. Originally from Connecticut, Sophy likes to cook, bike, travel and read in her spare time. She is very excited to attend her first professional conference.

Diversity Leadership Development Scholarship Winner: Brendan Thompson

Brendan is currently an Information Specialist at Gnarus Advisors, LLC, and hopes to use his platform as the Diversity Stipend recipient to advance partnerships and collaboration with New England information schools, and increase diversity within campus student groups.

Unemployed/Part-Time Employed Annual Conference Stipend Winner: Brandy King

Brandy King is an independent Information Professional with her own new, consulting company Knowledge Linking. She has been an SLA member for 8 years. Brandy helps with chapter ongoing communication and programming efforts, providing practical advice for the chapter’s social media presence.  She also chairs the SLA Social Science Division.

Congratulations and see you in Chicago!

Our fourth profile in the Meet the Division series is the SLA Solo Division written by 2012 Chair and SLA New England member, Patrick Clapp.

The Solo Librarians Division is one of the most unique divisions within the Special Libraries Association. Our members hail from every industry, every field, and almost every corner of the globe. Our unifying trait is in our motto: Working Together for those Working Alone. We are called Librarians, Information Professionals, Research Associates, and a variety of other handles. We serve groups of all sizes from small teams to sprawling organizations. And we do it (mostly) on our own. It is a daunting challenge and it is not for everyone.

One of the secrets to the success of the Solo Librarian is the Solo Division. For many it is a professional lifeline. It is a place to turn for advice, for assistance, and much needed professionally informed opinions. The division began as the SLA Solo Caucus on January 1st, 1989. In 1991 it became the Solo Librarians Division. In 1995 one of our most powerful tools was established: The Solo Librarians Discussion List. The list quickly became a beacon in the night for Solos around the division. The list has remained an active node for conversations about current trends, product reviews, professional advice, and help finding just about anything.

The other channel of active communication between Solo members highlight another major strength of the Division. The Solo Division has a LinkedIn group with over 900 members. That is roughly twice the current active membership of the division itself! This indicates there are more professionals in the world who identify as Solos than have been collected under our banner and there are non-Solos who consider the Solo Librarians Division a useful resource in their work. The Solo Division welcomes both groups and would like everyone to foster a closer relationship with the division. Our diversity and openness make us stronger as professionals.

The Solo Librarians Division hosts a number of panels and receptions at the SLA Annual Conference. The Solo is often responsible for budgets, acquisitions, content management, and, quite frankly, everything a library needs. Therefore the Solo Division content at the Annual Conference is designed to highlight tools and techniques to help the Solo in his/her work environment. One of the highlights of each conference is the Success Stories for Solo Librarians panel. Everyone enjoys ninety minutes of stories about what went right. And because the members of the Solo Division come from all directions, there is also an annual reception co-hosted by the Solo Division and a number of other divisions.

If you would like additional information about the Solo Librarians Division you can find us at our division website here: http://solo.sla.org/. If you would like to become part of the conversation, the Discussion List is here: http://www.sla.org/content/community/lists/joinlists.cfm. and you can find us on LinkedIn here: www.linkedin.com/groups/SLA-Solo-Librarians-Division-156062

Join fellow SLA New England and Art Libraries Society of North America/New England (ARLIS/NE) members for a Spring Program at EBSCO Publishing on Friday, June 1st in Ipswich, MA.

Agenda

9:30-10:00 – Arrival, coffee, greetings
10:00-10:30 – Sam Brooks (Executive Vice President, Sales & Marketing)– Presentation on new products and services
10:30-11:00 – Editorial and Product Management Staff – Discussion of H.W. Wilson resources including Art Source, feedback about current products
11:00-noon – Tour of the EBSCO Publishing facilities including our Editorial Department and their scanners, our servers, and the rest of the campus
12:00-1:00 — Lunch – Chapter announcements and discussion
1:00 -2:30 — Ipswich Museum and John Whipple House tours

Cost:Free (including lunch and tours of the nearby Ipswich Museum and Whipple House)

Location: EBSCO Publishing, 10 Estes Street, Ipswich, MA (800) 653-2726

Public Transportation: Commuter Rail Stop: Ipswich on the Newburyport/Rockport line. It is literally a minute walk from the main building.

Driving Directions and Parking: Parking is free and available but we need to know how many spaces to reserve. Google Map Directions

RSVP Deadline: For an approximate attendee account, the registration deadline is Sunday May 20, 2012.  Please register at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/arlis_sla_ebsco

Contact: Khalilah Gambrell, gambrell9899 AT SIGN gmail.com

It’s time to cast your vote to select the recipient of our NEW SLA Annual Conference Stipend. Voting will be open from Friday May 4 until 5pm on Friday May 11, 2012.

Read the application: Application1

And then, vote here!

SLA New England will launch our Pinterest page in late May.  With Pinterest, we want to create a visual representation of all the places SLA members (not just SLA New England members) work. We are asking members to send photos to our Emerging Technology Committee Chair, Stefanie Maclin for “pinning” along with a brief description of your role, company, and location by Monday, May 28th.  We also need 1-3 volunteers to upload and ‘pin’ photos to the site.  Please contact Stefanie, srmaclinATgmail.com for details.

Cannot send work photos?

If you are unable to send photos in relation to work, we are building the following boards: Favorite Books and Scenes Around New England.  Please send Stefanie an email that includes your name and brief description of your photo.

SLA New England Pinterest’s website: http://pinterest.com/slanewengland/

We are kicking off a series of posts related to Career and Job Search Strategies.  SLA New England member, Sarah Burns has contributed our first post.  More details about Sarah can be found at http://www.linkedin.com/in/kmsarahburns. If you want to contribute a post, please email slanewenglandATgmail.com.

New to the field of librarianship and looking for an exciting job?  Looking for a change of pace from your current position? Not sure how your experience translates into new job opportunities? Want to try something new?

Many of us have had these experiences and most often, we end up wondering how to start the search for the new position that will add some excitement to (or start) our careers.  When looking for a new job and with so many job sites, where do we even begin?  Below are Five Easy Steps to Finding a New Information Career.

1. Dream Big

Most of us have trouble believing we are qualified or experienced enough to do our dream jobs.  Most of us, to be honest, have trouble even knowing what our dream jobs are.  So take some time to think about what it is you most want to do; not only work related concrete tasks, including the way you want to spend your day, but also think of non-work related things you want to do, including if you require the ability to work from home, or if you want flex time.  After you’ve really thought this through, ensure that your career goals and life goals are compatible; a public library reference librarian will have a harder time working from home (unless they provide virtual reference) versus an independent research consultant who will have an easier time working from home.

2. Research (it’s what we’re trained to do!)

After creating a list of what you want to do job wise and what you require life wise, start researching Information Jobs with titles that are similar to what you think you’d want to do.  If you’re unsure of job titles, start general!  Think of organizations you want to work for and look there, search all jobs with the word “librarian” in them or “information” or even “knowledge”.  Read about the different jobs and find ones that have duties similar to the tasks you want to do.  See if the jobs offer the life balance that you want as well, most job descriptions include their work-life balance goals.

To start your research, you can try job site aggregators like:

www.indeed.com or www.simplyhired.com

Look at http://www.linkedin.com/ and find people who are doing things that excite you, or people in groups that are doing interesting things; see what skills they have and what they’ve done in past jobs.

3. Refine (also what we’re trained to do!)

After doing the general background research and finding jobs that have the tasks you want, you can start refining your search to just those job titles.  You can also start using job boards:

For New England, there are quite a few library and information job boards:

• SLA New England : Jobs in special libraries in the Boston vicinity are posted on this site as they are received.
• Jobline – Rhode Island : This site lists primarily public and academic library positions in Rhode Island and other New England states.
• Maine Library Jobs : Public, academic, special, and school media library positions for professionals and paraprofessionals are listed. This site is updated as new positions are announced.
• Massachusetts Library Jobs : Public and academic professional and library support jobs throughout Massachusetts are listed here.
• New England Archivists Jobs : The New England Archivists maintain this site that lists archivist and special library positions; it also links to other New England and national job search sites.
• New England Jobline : The Graduate School of Library & Information Science at Simmons College maintains a New England Jobline that is updated weekly with public, academic, special, school library, and archivist positions.
• New Hampshire Library Jobline : The New Hampshire State Library’s job links are updated weekly and include public, academic, special, and school media library opportunities. It only lists jobs in New Hampshire.
• Vermont Library Association Jobs : Postings for academic, school, public, and special libraries in Vermont are listed here for up to two months.

If you want to look outside of New England, you can always try the SLA Job Center at http://www.sla.org/careers/ or you can look at Library School Job Boards in the vicinity near you by finding a school near you by going to the ALA Accredited Google Map of all schools: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=105865627555958965474.000449740ea1f057a8b91&ll=41.508577,-93.515625&spn=89.94393,163.125&z=3

4. Apply Specifically For Each Job

After you find a job (or jobs) that meet your dream big criteria, you have to complete the dreaded time consuming application process.  Usually this involves writing a cover letter and sending your resume/CV.  The most important thing is to customize your cover letter AND your resume for each job posting.  Describe how your skills best match what is required from the job.  Even if you do not have the specific experience they are looking for, explain how your experience allows you to accomplish that task or how you have experience that is similar to, if not exactly what, they are looking for.

Great resources on how to write a resume:

• http://www.wisconsinjobcenter.org/publications/9433/9433.htm
• http://applicant.com/writing-a-good-resume-a-comprehensive-guide/
• http://www.resumetemplates.org/

Great resources on how to write a cover letter:

• http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/career/guides/cover_ltr.shtml
• http://www.career.vt.edu/JobSearchGuide/CoverLetterSamples.html

5. Interview

So you’ve searched, you’ve applied, and now you have gotten an interview; this really is the make or break time for your job search.  That being said, there is no need to be nervous, you have the skills and training and are a competent information professional, by this point the employer knows how good you are, they have invited you for an interview haven’t they?  They are simply looking for the best fit at their organization for the position.  So be you, be honest, explain why you’re interested in the role, the organization, and what you’re hoping to get out of it.  If you’re the right fit, you’ll get the job; if not, you’ll find another one that is the perfect fit.

All of that being said, you still need to prepare for an interview;

• Make sure you get to know the employer
• Know the job description inside and out
• Know why the job excites you
• Think of questions you would ask someone applying for that role and practice answering them
• Have a friend help you practice
• Go prepared, in your best suit, and be yourself.

Nicole Fonsh, SLA First Five Year Advisory Council member wrote the following post on her blog “Living the Dream: Like this blog…we all evolve.“  She graciously has allowed SLA New England to re-post the following post originally published on February 15, 2012.  Check out her blog at http://sparklin29.wordpress.com.

That is a question that has been hanging over my head for about the last 9 months.

About 3/4 of the way through Master’s program, I was extremely fortunate to be offered a full-time librarian role at an investment firm in Boston where I had been interning part-time.  My role was Research Analyst working with 5 other researchers, all of who had the MLS degree.  I couldn’t believe my luck at being offered a full-time job before I had even finished my degree, especially in this economy.  As excited as I was, though, there was a part of me that was a bit nervous about taking the role.  When I left my previous job in finance and decided to get my Master’s in Library Science, I had dreams of leaving the corporate and finance worlds for a future role of a Reference Librarian at a urban public library.  And then one day I’d settle down and maybe work in a small-town library like the one I grew up with.  Those were my dreams.

But here I was.  Late 2010 with the economy barely back on its feet.  With libraries across the country, especially public ones, having budget slashes and having to adapt to working with less.  All I heard in my program was how if I really wanted to find a job, I’d have to expand my search in all types of ways, especially geographically.  And then a librarian position fell in my lap.  It may not have been in the environment I hoped.  It may not have been in the city I hoped (I had thought I’d leave Boston as soon as I finished my degree).  It may not have been in the industry I hoped.  But it was a job.  A job that was in a great city, paid well, and most importantly, a job where my degree was a requirement. It seemed like a no-brainer to not take it.

Fast-forward to mid-2011.  And I was asking myself how I had gotten here.  How was I working for a finance firm in Boston?  What happened to being that librarian that I thought I would be when I started my program?  How was I, again, feeling like I was getting a bit pigeon-holed at what I did?  I worked with great people and found the work to be interesting and different everyday.  But it was not what I had set out for when I quit my job.  I had hoped for a better work/life balance.  I had hoped for a bit of career development.  I had hoped to be a bit happier about going to work each day.  I had also hoped to find a role that could be transferable to other geographies should I want to move at some point due to life changes.  Again, I felt lucky to have a job, but I knew I wanted something different.

Sadly, I once again felt like I wasn’t qualified for the “real” librarian jobs.  I had very little experience when it came to the public and academic environment.  And I had loans.  And a bit of preference to living in a city on the East Coast (being single and all and accustomed to city-living now after 14 years).  But all I felt like I was qualified for were jobs in the same finance environment.  It was really frustrating and a bit saddening.

But I told myself that patience would be the name of the game.  As much as at times, my heart was telling me I had to move to a new city and job immediately, I knew that wasn’t the smartest way to go about the process.  I would really start to explore professional options where I could use my skills in areas that were not finance and were not necessarily in the traditional library setting.  At the same time this was all happening, I was also raising money for Fred’s Team as I trained for the NYC Marathon.  I was getting so much out of this experience and it introduced me a bit more to the world of development.  I knew of some librarian friends who worked in development as donor/prospect researchers, so I decided to reach out to them to chat more.  I also talked to non-librarian friends and family who put me in touch with people they knew who worked in development.  I even reached out to a childhood friend who did campaign research to see if she knew anyone on the Obama campaign.  I talked.  A lot.  And I emailed.  A lot.  I told my story.  A lot.  Anyone who would respond got my resume.  Just in case they saw something that may be a fit for me.  I owe a lot to my best friend who put me in touch with someone who then put me in touch with two more people.  And my mom put me in touch with someone who put me in touch with the boss I am now working for.  Network people!!!  It is a goldmine.  It can take some getting used to and it’s not always comfortable to put yourself out there but I have found that most people LOVE talking about what they do.  Especially, if they really enjoy it.  And if they really enjoy it, well maybe you will too!

As you may have figured it out, I just started a new position.  And the kicker?  I am still not a librarian.  At least not by title.  I am actually still a Research Analyst but this time working in the Development group of a local university.

I struggled with this non-librarian distinction a lot as I went through my job application and interview process (which lasted about 9 months if you’re curious, with probably more hard-core applications happening over the last 3 months once the Marathon was completed.  I applied to jobs in Boston, NYC, Chicago, and DC).  I was constantly asking myself, “why did I bother getting this degree if I’m not even going to be a real librarian?”  What was the point?  Well I think I’m still trying to answer this question but I know that, while my new position does not require a MLS degree, it is the research skills that I learned both in my program and in my previous job, that got me to this spot in my career.  It is that love of finding not only information, but finding different resources, that is what, I believe, makes me a librarian and is what makes me so qualified for my current role, if I do say so myself.

Over the last month I have left both my more official librarian role and ended my involvement over at Hack Library School.  I find myself still incredibly interested in the library profession as a whole, but realizing that my place in it is becoming a bit more as an outsider.  While I find issues of e-readers, copyright, digital libraries, etc all to be very interesting, I won’t be dealing with those issues on a regular basis in my new role.  I may never make it to another ALA Annual or Midwinter.  I’ve already removed myself from some list-servs and Facebook groups that I don’t think will apply to me anymore in the library world.  Trying to cut down on my information overload.  But there will be all sorts of different ones and new interesting things to learn and different professional organizations to be a part of.  I will still treasure all of the relationships; both professionally and personally, that I’ve made through my Master’s, Hack Library School, Twitter, and beyond, with librarians, but I know that I’m heading down a bit of a different path.  And I’m ok with that.  Because the life changes I had set out for a few years back, are now coming to fruition.  I will most likely have a better work/life balance, I will grow professionally, I will have flexibility in my path, and I will continue to work on that scavenger hunt for information each day.

And if anyone asks, well I’ll probably still say I’m a Librarian.  A proud one.