“…My object in living is to unite
My avocation and my vocation…”
Frost, Two Tramps in Mud Time

Mission accomplished.

Images of the Braille and talking book library where I began work yesterday (click on each image to enlarge).

Yesterday, I began work as a library assistant with the Braille and talking book library. A Subregional Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped [sic], the library is administered and funded by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped [sic], the Library of Congress and the local public library system.

I am beyond happy to be working in the area of library services I left my work in the disability community to pursue. It was around this time two years ago that I decided to earn my MLIS degree, later writing the following in my application to the School of Library & Information Studies:

I am considering work in library services for people who are blind, deaf or hard-of-hearing, or have other disabilities. I have seen how alternate formats- like recorded, large print, and Braille books- allow people with visual or other disabilities to benefit from library offerings. Magnifiers, screen readers, listening
and other assistive devices give persons of all abilities equal, independent access to library programs and services. A position in a library’s equal access or disability services division would allow me to use technology to meet the information needs of a specialized population.

It was while working in information and referral-which has its own ties to the library community- that I learned of library services for people with disabilities. While maintaining resources databases and compiling directory entries, I edited descriptions of Nashville Public Library’s services for people with disabilities, including the Nashville Talking Library and its offerings in the areas of assistive devices and Library Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. I had the opportunity to connect older adults, people with disabilities, and their families with organizations like the Tennessee Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped and Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic. I did a lot of outreach work in Tennessee; this sometimes included staffing booths at conferences and other events. On one such occasion, my program was assigned to a table adjacent to the state’s LBPH program. As I watched the librarian show attendees audio and Braille library materials, I thought to myself: “Wow. THAT is my dream job. Who is lucky enough to get to do THAT?”

Me, that’s who. This working girl couldn’t be more thrilled to be living her dream.

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A note on language: It is my preference to refer to the library as a “Braille and talking book library” or, if absolutely necessary, library for people “with disabilities” or “with visual disabilities.”  However, the arm of the Library of Congress that administers the national network of cooperating libraries is known as the “National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped,” and many of its state, regional, and subregional libraries are known as libraries “for the blind and physically handicapped.”

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LINKS IN THIS POST

• Library of Congress
• Nashville Public Library
• NPL: Assistive Devices
• NPL: Library Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
• NPL: Nashville Talking Library
• National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS/LBPH)
• Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic
• Tennessee Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped

The library job hunt, that is.

I’m not job hunting these days; I begin my work as a library assistant with a Braille and talking book library next week and couldn’t be more thrilled.  A couple of months ago, though, before that opportunity presented itself and with graduation quickly approaching, I embarked on my first serious job search in quite a while.

I’m not going to write a “library job search how to” post-there are plenty of those out there, written by those with more experience and authority on the topic-  but, in my initial efforts to secure employment in the LIS field, I have discovered some resources that I’d like to share.

A quick Google search reveals what I found to be the most comprehensive collections of tips and tools for the library job seeker: LIScareer.com, LISJobs.com and ALAJoblist.  All three sites offer career development resources for information professionals; topics addressed include resume writing, interviewing, and professional development. The sites also offer access to job postings. ALAJoblist users, for example, can create and save search criteria and have search results delivered via e-mail or RSS.

When I created the website on which this blog is housed, I did a lot of online searching related to the organization of electronic portfolios. One of my favorite discoveries was What Not to Do When Applying for Library Jobs.  In this June 2009 In The Library with the Lead Pipe post, the authors offer practical advice based on their experiences as interviewers and applicants.

I’ve also discovered that, while the job listings offered by the three library career sites listed above are helpful, I prefer a different approach.  I like the Google-style interface and search refinement offered by the Indeed.com job search engine, which also gives users the ability to save searches and receive results via RSS or e-mail.  Speaking of RSS, the LibGig feeds send several new announcements to my reader each day, and it’s my sense that theirs is the most current and comprehensive collection of opportunities in the LIS field.

While aggregators are great and helpful, I also prefer to go straight to the source by viewing employment opportunities on the websites of organizations in which I am interested.  When exploring library work at community colleges, I checked the Alabama Commission on Higher Education’s employment opportunities page and the employment opportunities page of each institution listed in the Commission’s index of two-year public institutions.  When searching for jobs in public library systems, I looked for job vacancies posted by the Alabama Public Library Service, but I also looked for vacancies posted on the website of each library listed on the APLS website.  This process was made less onerous by the use of- you guessed it-RSS.  When a site offered a feed I subscribed to it and when it didn’t I created one with Page2RSS or Feed43.  I directed the feeds to the “Jobs” folder of my RSS reader and read them when I had the time (and volition- job searching is hard!) to do so.

While I’m hoping to not search for a job again anytime soon, I know that the tips and tricks offered here and on the library career sites referenced above will help me when the time comes.  I hope my friends and colleagues find them useful, too.

Happy hunting.

LINKS IN THIS POST

• ALAJoblist
• Alabama Public Library Service: Job Vacancies
• Alabama Public Library Service: Library Information
• Feed43
• Google search: librarian+job+listings
• Indeed.com
• In The Library with the Lead Pipe
• In the Library with the Lead Pipe: What Not to Do When Applying for Library Jobs
• LibGig
• LIScareer.com
• LISJobs.com
• Page2RSS