Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Library Jobs, 2011




The October 15th issue of Library Journal is always a "must read," especially if you're looking for a job in the information profession. This year's cover article, "A Job by Any Other Name: A Few Bright Spots Shine for the Class of 2011," provides happier news than recent past years, though salaries in the western US have apparently dipped.

The most fascinating part of the article, however, is the titles of the jobs recent grads are acquiring:


Top Five Job Titles

Archivist

Digital Services Librarian/Coordinator

Information Resources Manager

Learning Resource Center Manager/Coordinator

Reference Librarian (who says reference is dead?)


New & Unusual Job Titles (LJ's phrase, not mine):* 

Digital Asset Manager

Emerging Technology Specialist

Health/Science Informatics Administrator/Analyst

Technology Development Librarian

User Experience Designer


What's important to understand here is that the article is addressing recent MLIS grad placements, so all the jobs listed above relate to entry-level positions. If you didn't know before, I'm hoping you'll certainly see now why Management is a core course.



*I doubt that any of these titles will seem "new" or "unusual" to my students!