Rethinking Information Work: A Career Guide for Librarians and Other Information Professionals » (1st Edition)

G. KIM DORITY, adjunct faculty at University of Denver's graduate library school, teaches courses in Information Entrepreneurship and Career Alternatives for Library Science Students and Professionals. Founder and president of G. K. Dority & Associates, an information strategy company, she led the team that designed and created Jones e-global library, an online library for students and other researchers, and was corporate librarian for the National Cable Television Center's information center. In addition, she served as Interim Assistant Director for DU's graduate library school. A longstanding ARBA reviewer, Kim has authored two editions of Guide to Reference Books, as well as numerous journal articles.

Today, information work offers you an unprecedented number of career options. Whether you are a student, taking your first steps in librarianship, a mid-careerist planning your next best professional move, or a seasoned information professional looking for new directions and growth; this practical guide can help you sort through the options. Leading you through a process of planning the information career of your choice, it shows you how to determine what type of work would be most fulfilling to you, explores what types of work are available to those with an LIS-based skill set, and helps you create an action plan for accomplishing your career goals and reaching your full professional potential.

The author discusses the entire spectrum of information work, revealing a wealth of possibilities you may have never considered. These range from work within traditional, facilities-based librarianship, working in library-related but not necessarily library-based jobs, and working in non-library related positions that utilize the traditional skill sets of the LIS degree, such as research, information organization, training and development, business development, non-profit work, and so on.

Designed as a text, this book can also be used as a self-directed guide. The author takes readers step-by-step through a fascinating process of career exploration and action. Taking into account the inevitable shifting priorities that occur throughout one's career, she emphasizes tools for lifelong career resiliency, rather than a rigid commitment to a single career goal. Thus, this is a book you will turn to again and again throughout your career. With numerous tables, worksheets, lists, and extensive bibliographies of recommended resources for further study, both print and on the web, you have everything you need to begin this exciting journey.

Rachel Singer Gordon - Library Journal

Dority (A Guide to Reference Books for Small and Medium-Sized Libraries, 1984 1994) teaches a University of Denver MLIS class on alternative career paths. Here, she encourages readers to plan their careers with an understanding of ongoing changes in information work and the broad range of options open to information professionals, leveraging skills and strengths to meet either traditional or nontraditional career goals. The topics include self-knowledge in terms of career planning, identifying paths (traditional, nontraditional, independent), creating a portfolio, growing a career, thriving on change, creating a career map, and taking charge of your own career. A focus on rethinking what we know and do and putting this in terms that will resonate with nonlibrarians is particularly useful, as is an emphasis on proactively and continuously acquiring new skills and knowledge. Exercises and practical suggestions throughout help readers identify goals and steps they need to take, while extensive annotated resources point to further information. This title belongs on the shelf of every LIS student and new librarian; highly recommended for all professional collections.

• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Rethinking Information Work
• Chapter 2: Self-Knowledge: Your Career Starting Point
• Chapter 3: The Traditional Path
• Chapter 4: The Nontraditional Path
• Chapter 5: The Independent Path
• Chapter 6: Creating Your Professional Portfolio
• Chapter 7: Growing Your Career
• Chapter 8: Thriving on Change
• Chapter 9: Creating Your Career Map