A Librarian's Guide to an Uncertain Job Market (ALA Editions Special Reports)

During these tough economic times, more people are relying on libraries than ever before, even as library funding is being slashed or eliminated altogether. The hard truth is that many seasoned librarians are losing their jobs, and many recent LIS graduates are having a hard time finding one. Being unemployed is potentially devastating; without a clear, well-thought out game plan and considerable attention to their own personal well-being, those affected may find it difficult to recover. In this ALA Editions Special Report, Woodward, a veteran librarian with decades of experience, helps at-risk librarians * Prepare for budget crunches by showing them how to develop versatile skills and plan ahead for potential changes in employment * Educate themselves about which library positions are being phased out and which will hold steady or expand * Adjust their career goals, repurpose their existing skills for non-traditional librarianship, and even search for work in non-library settings This Special Report provides the compassionate guidance and pragmatic support that librarians will need to survive possible career crises and reenter the job market with renewed confidence.

Jeannette Woodward is a principal of Wind River Library and Nonprofit Consulting. After a career in academic library administration, she began a second career in public libraries, serving as director of the Fremont County Library System in the foothills of the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming. Woodward is the author of several books, including What Every Librarian Should Know about Electronic Privacy, Nonprofit Essentials: Managing Technology, Creating the Customer-Driven Library: Building on the Bookstore Model, and Countdown to a New Library: Managing the Building Project. She holds a master's degree in library and information science from Rutgers University, with doctoral study at the University of Texas at Austin.