What's the Alternative?: Career Options for Librarians and Info Pros

by Rachel Singer Gordon

Overview

As the global information economy grows, librarians who are able to retool and transfer their skills are finding themselves increasingly in demand. In What's the Alternative? Rachel Singer Gordon explains the dynamics of the shifting market for information-based work, reveals a range of nontraditional employment opportunities for librarians, and encourages info pros to utilize their skills in new and exciting ways. Mixing practical advice with real-life stories of librarians working in various fields, Gordon provides a wealth of useful ideas and resources for info pros rethinking their career paths. Whether you're a recent library school grad facing a tight job market, a working librarian seeking improved work/life balance, or an info pro with an entrepreneurial streak, What's the Alternative? will help you explore your options and maximize your career potential.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781573879705
Publisher:	Information Today, Inc.
Publication date:	06/12/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	1 MB

Editorial Reviews

Every library professional-from new graduates seeking a first job to retirees looking for new challenges-can find something useful in this latest guide from Gordon, author (The NextGen Librarian's Survival Guide ) and LJ Computer Media columnist. She covers a range of nontraditional careers, including working for vendors and cultural institutions, setting up shop independently (e.g., as a consultant or information broker), performing information work such as knowledge management or competitive intelligence, working in information technology outside of libraries, and filling nontraditional roles within libraries. Each chapter presents various careers with an emphasis on transferable skills, along with personal accounts from practitioners explaining what they do, how they got there, what they like about their jobs, and more. Gordon presents both the rewards and challenges of alternative library careers clearly and provides sound advice for exploring options and breaking into new fields. Two other recent books on information careers-G. Kim Dority's Rethinking Information Work and A Day in the Life: Career Options in Library and Information Science , edited by Priscilla K. Shontz and Richard A. Murray, cover some similar ground, but neither title is an adequate substitute for this one. Highly recommended for graduate and professional collections.-Janet A. Crum, Oregon Health & Science Univ. Lib., Portland

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