Category

Jobs and Careers

Continuous Learning, Jobs and Careers, News, School Libraries
Upcoming Changes to the LIS Endorsement Requirements
December 7th, 2011 | Permalink | Comment?

Effective February 2012, certified teachers in Illinois seeking the Library Information Specialist (LIS) endorsement will have to complete 24 semester hours of coursework – half of which will be required to be taken at the graduate level - and the Library Information Specialist (175) exam. The changes in LIS endorsement requirements will take effect with Public Act 097-0607.

The LIS endorsement prepares state-certified teachers to take positions in school media centers. To see the Illinois State Board of Education’s (ISBE) Endorsement Schedule for the February 1, 2012 changes, click here.
Continuous Learning, Jobs and Careers
College of DuPage Library & Information Technology Classes
March 2nd, 2011 | Permalink | Comment?

Classes are now forming for the Summer, 2011 and Fall, 2011 semesters of the College of DuPage Library & Information Technology program. Summer classes begin on May 23 and Fall begins on August 22. Take classes on campus or the Internet. Registration for new students begins April 4 (Summer) and April 28 (Fall).

Look for their table at the Reaching Forward Conference on May 6 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont. Additional information may be found on the College of DuPage Library & Information Technology webpage, on Facebook LTAatC.O.D., and on our blog . Please contact Carol Sturz, Coordinator, with questions. Call 630-942-2597 or e-mail sturzc@cod.edu
Continuous Learning, Jobs and Careers, Reference
WebJunction and Project Compass: Workforce Recovery Survey
January 21st, 2011 | Permalink | Comment?

With the award of a follow-on grant from IMLS, WebJunction and the State Library of North Carolina are continuing their Project Compass work to bolster library-based employment services and programs to assist library staff in guiding the struggling workforce.

The project will deliver local workforce recovery workshops to public library staff, and Illinois is one of 20 states selected to participate. While local workshops will take place in critical need areas, the program is being designed to reach across the nation with support and resources for all public library staff serving the unemployed. This will be done by publishing workshop curricula and all project materials on WebJunction.org, by producing local programs such as conference presentations at state or regional gatherings, and by delivering free workforce recovery webinars.

As the curricula are being planned, your suggestions and advice are very much needed. You can help by completing a short survey at: www.surveymonkey.com/s/workforcerecovery.

To be included in the discussion, surveys must be returned no later than February 1. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Bill Erbes at the Bensenville Community Public Library District, billerbes@gmail.com
Jobs and Careers, Marketing, New @ WJ-IL
What’s New @ WJIL: Chart Your Course – A Marketing Toolkit for your library
December 16th, 2010 | Permalink | Comment?
Want to let job-seekers in your community know what a wealth of resources and services your library has to offer? Use this “Chart Your Course” marketing toolkit recently added to WJIL as a part of the Workforce Resources collection. Here is a sneak peek at what you’ll find. For the full story and resources follow the links.

Overview
- Why it’s important to make sure that your community knows what your library has to offer.
Get Started
- Ideas for setting achievable and measurable goals and objectives as well as a quick survey to help you identify new opportunities to raise awareness.
Tell the Story
- How to find the story and develop the key messages and talking points.
Reach out to the Community
- Outreach strategies for a number of key groups and tips on how to sustain your efforts.
Marketing Materials
- A wealth of customizable ready to use graphic templates such as bookmarks, flyers, graphics, etc. that can be used in reaching job-seekers. All assets are branded with the marketing slogan “Chart Your Course – The latest news about Jobs and Careers is always at Your Library.”
Continuous Learning, Jobs and Careers, New @ WJ-IL, Online Learning
Libraries and Workforce Development Videos Now Complete
November 11th, 2010 | Permalink | Comment?
Over the first year with Project Compass, WebJunction heard about the many successful ways in which public library staff around the country have responded to the needs of the unemployed.

They also heard that library staff could use more training and knowledge to augment their ability to help the struggling workforce. And of course, they heard about budget cuts and how little time there is for learning

Working with library trainer and consultant Pat Wagner, WebJunction has developed a series of five short video presentations in which Pat shares her knowledge and experience on some key topics that will help library staff help their patrons. Think of them as “learning tapas” or small chunks of information to be consumed when you have the time and the appetite

Find links to all five in the table of contents.

A Guide to Job-Hunters: One Size Does Not Fit All
- Who Are They? What Do They Need? What Can Your Library DO? (12 min)
- Job-hunters arrive with different backgrounds and differing needs. Get to know some of the prevalent varieties.
You Want to Help, and the Clock is Ticking
- How Your Library Can Offer Effective, Timely Support for Job-Hunters (30 min)
- Learn how your library can best serve job-hunters and when it is appropriate to enlist help from other agencies and partners.
Bright Shiny Things: Social Media and Job-Hunting
- How Social Media Tools Can Help Your Job-Hunters (if you keep them focused!!) (18 min
- Pat looks at four prominent social networking tools from the perspective of the job-seeker: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Posterous.
Nothing Up My Sleeve? Job-Hunting Scams
- How to Identify and Protect Job-hunters from Scam Artists (15 min)
- The unemployed are particularly vulnerable to job offers and scams that sound too good to be true. Help your patrons beware.
Keeping One’s Cool In Difficult Times
- Stress Management for Library Staff and the People They Serve (20 min)
- Tough times bring new stresses, which patrons bring into the library. Pat offers cool and timely advice for reducing your own stress.
Jobs and Careers, Online Learning, Reference
Libraries and Workforce Development Videos now Available
October 6th, 2010 | Permalink | Comment?
Project Compass worked with educator-trainer Pat Wagner to develop a series of video presentations on topics to help library staff respond to job-seeking patrons’ increased demands on their time, resources, and energy. Available for viewing now are the following:

A Guide to Job-Hunters: One Size Does Not Fit All
- Job-hunters arrive with different backgrounds and differing needs. Get to know some of the prevalent varieties in this 12 minute video.
You Want to Help and the Clock is Ticking
- Learn how your library can best serve job-hunters and when it is appropriate to enlist help from other agencies and partners. This video is 30 minutes.
Three more videos—on social media’s role in the job search, job hunting scams, and stress management—will be available soon.
Jobs and Careers, Library Management
On a Positive Note: Keys to Success
February 15th, 2010 | Permalink | Comment?
by Kitty Pope, Alliance Library System

What makes a librarian successful? This was a question I was asked by a library science student several weeks ago. I thought I knew the answer, and then I started talking to folks in library land. This is what they told me.
- For the library community, success and lifelong learning seem inextricably intertwined. It’s no surprise that the drive to constantly be learning was library land’s #1 key to personal and professional success.
- The second most popular answer to my impromptu survey on keys to a librarian’s success was a passion for serving people and ultimately making a difference. Folks repeatedly commented that it is that burning desire in the pit of their stomach that keeps them focused and searching.
- Several folks suggested that being inquisitive was fundamental to success. Striving for the best answer, as opposed to settling for just any answer, seems to be a factor when quantifying success.
- Research has shown that 87% of highly successful people are at their desk by 7 a.m. “Early at work” is a matter of training and routine; I continue to be amazed by how much I actually accomplish between 6 and 8 a.m. Having said that, I must confess that I am naturally a morning person, so it is easy for me to say that the early bird catches the worm!
- According to a recent Google survey, more than 70% of highly successful people eat a protein-loaded breakfast, walk daily, watch less than 60 minutes of television each day, and read more than 120 minutes every day.
- My personal key to success is laughter. I think the person who incorporates humor into their daily life has an edge on success. It opens your heart, mind, and soul to new ideas and, ultimately, success (however you measure it).
So, to all those library students out there looking for the keys to success: embrace lifelong learning, be passionate about what they do, be inquisitive, start early, support a healthy lifestyle, and laugh! And, thanks for asking.
Jobs and Careers
MLS Announces Internship Database
November 24th, 2008 | Permalink | Comment?

MLS is proud to launch Internship Central, an online database of library internships in Illinois. This service is free to any Illinois Library that is a recognized member of an Illinois Library System.

A library simply registers for an account, gets a login and password, and can immediately start posting their organization’s library internships. Features include searching by library type, keyword description, paid or non-paid, and full or part-time internships. Posted internships can be viewed as a List or in Full Detail, including New Postings in the past 7 days. Check out this one of a kind service for libraries in Illinois. Questions can be emailed to internships@mls.lib.il.us.