4/29/2005
Becoming a Special Librarian
Someone in the Library Grrls LJ community wanted some input on how she could best prepare for a career in special libraries while in library school; she’s a student at San Jose State University, and she specifically had questions on what kind of courses she should take.
I just finished writing a long e-mail to her - admittedly, I got a bit beyond courses because I honestly believe that coursework is only the bare beginning of an education in librarianship. I’m reposting my e-mail here.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has a very hefty concentration in public and academic libraries, and so those of us interested in special libraries have had to tailor our coursework personally. There is a “Special Libraries” course that is supposed to be very good, though I never could fit it into my schedule personally.
I have taken a lot of technology-oriented classes - networking and database design and management particularly. I think that these classes are useful even if you won’t necessarily be doing these things in your future career, because you will have to deal with people who have. I also took a course in digital libraries; while digitization projects in academic libraries get more press, there’s also a big push in corporate and government libraries in particular for digitization of collections. As a special librarian, your clients will want remote access to the collection whenever possible.
Also, if you can get some experience in grant-writing whether in class or through practical experience, that will take you far. I can’t stress practical experience enough, in fact. Try to do internships and independent studies and practica in local special libraries. San Jose should have a number of those. You might also want to join the local SLA chapter if you haven’t already done so; not only is it a great way to network, it’s a great way to develop a mentoring relationship with a more experienced librarian who can give you some guidance in the field.
I am admittedly a beginning librarian, and I’ve only been focused on special libraries for about a year and a half. The fact that SLIS has very little special library-oriented coursework, however, has made me more creative in my education. I’ve tried to work in jobs where I get a variety of experiences, and my position at the UW OCR is essentially a special library experience. I also just completed an independent study indexing periodicals for American Girl in Middleton.
The best advice I can offer any beginning library school student - whether they’re focused in special libraries, or public or academic - is to snatch up experience where they can. It’s the best way to make your resume shine above all the others, and that’s essential in this tight job market.
Filed under: Librarianship
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