Non-Traditional Career Paths for Librarians Jill Hurst-Wahl Hurst Associates, Ltd. April 4, 2006

Hurst Associates, Ltd. Agenda A strange career And what do I do now? Traditional vs. non-traditional Skills to develop Marketing yourself Q&A

Hurst Associates, Ltd. A Strange Career I’ve always enjoyed “the hunt.”

Hurst Associates, Ltd. And What Do I Do Now? Competitive/business intelligence Ad hoc information requests Digitization planning Workshops and presentations Articles and blogging Lots of marketing/networking

Hurst Associates, Ltd. Traditional vs. Non-Traditional Non-traditional  traditional/normal Library 2.0 –More interactive, collaborative, and driven by community needs

Hurst Associates, Ltd. Traditional vs. Non-Traditional For example: –Making libraries more interactive/responsive –Independent info professionals –Search engine/DB companies –Digitization –Training –Negotiating product/DB licenses

Hurst Associates, Ltd. Skills to Develop Management / business Marketing Finance Summarization / analysis Project management Subject area expertise Comfort with new technologies

Hurst Associates, Ltd. Skills to Develop Information Outlook, Nov. 2005, p. 48 (salary survey summary) –Web content mgmt. –Database mgmt. –Knowledge mgmt. –Competitive intelligence Average salary = $65,482 –$39,860 - $98,700

Hurst Associates, Ltd. Marketing Yourself Acquiring the right skill-set is only one step in the process. –Focus on your niche –Write (articles, blogs, etc.) –Be visible and findable –Network What & who you know –Have a skill-focused resume

Hurst Associates, Ltd. Jill Hurst-Wahl AIM: jillNYS