The beginning of each semester always rejuvenates me. There is nothing more stimulating than those first few sessions with a class of expectant students, arriving with their high energy, curiosity, and desire to participate and impress. My new class at Pratt Institute’s SILS came to New York from all over America and the world. The students range in age from their 20s to their 60s, which has so often been typical of my LIS classes. It is a great privilege and honor to work with them to try to answer the accursed questions that continue to plague our profession.
In prior years I have worried for these new librarians about the shortage of jobs in our field, the low salaries, and the uncertainty in the outlook for libraries of all types.
This year, however, I feel much more positive about the opportunities available to these new information professionals and more optimistic about the potential for the future and the careers that they will find. I have no doubt now that they will move us nearer to the resolution of the many challenges we face. Read more…
Related articles
- Careers for Info Utopia: The optimism of a new semester | Blatant Berry (lj.libraryjournal.com)
- Carnegie’s Gift: The Progressive Era Roots of Today’s Branch Library (urbanomnibus.net)
Hey Millennials! Did you know employers are three times more likely to hire a mature worker than they are to hire you?
When I present to college students about launching an effective job search, one of my slides is an iceberg graphic. Under the surface of the water, in the largest portion of the iceberg, the words “hidden job market” appear.
Stephanie L. Gross, MSLIS 