Workshop 7: Moving Out as a LIS Professional

This final workshop focused on tips from established LIS professionals on what we’ll need to make it out in the industry. It was a fine way to finish the semester with wine and cheese.

The first speaker centred around using LinkedIn and networking. This benefitted me greatly as I am still getting to grips with LinkedIn and while tips on networking were largely known from having studied a tough creative industry profession where networking is crucial, the information was still nice to have as a refresh.

The second speaker covered ethics and codes of practice that should be done within the LIS profession.

Prior to this course I never thought much of librarian ethics. I saw nothing more than them being the waypoint between borrowing out books or asking for assistance. I never knew there was an entire discussion behind this over what information to show, or who should be given which information, or the processes involved. This was an enriching talk that gave me plenty of insight.

The final speaker spoke of experiences in the first job. The stresses and constant feeling of unease in what direction one’s career is heading would be something I am definitely feeling at the moment. As a requirement of this course I must do 100 hours in a library position of some sort, and I still have no idea where or in what capacity would be suitable for my style of work. As well, the fact that this speaker was the sole librarian to service hundreds of medical staff with librarian and information as a medical manager sounded quite scary. While Fiona Doyle didn’t say it was all that stressful, I don’t see that as a viable option for my own working.