Select Page

Adaptability-1

What would you like to know about specific alternative LIS careers?

I have all sorts of questions, things I’d like to know more about and be able to share with my students and colleagues, so I’ve got a starting point, but I’m wondering if I may be missing some obvious questions – and if so, I’d really appreciate your feedback and suggestions.

The Stretch Goal: Mapping the Alternative LIS Careers Universe

What I’m planning to do is create an ongoing series of career profile posts that highlight specific alternative or emerging (or both) LIS career paths. My goal is to map out a universe of LIS opportunities that often remain hidden when not specifically labeled with the “librarian” title. We know some of them already, but my goal is to unearth as many invisible LIS career paths as possible – and identify as many interesting, engaging, and financially rewarding LIS alternatives and options as I can.

To do so, I need your feedback in the comments section below regarding two questions: what would you like to know about each career path, and what career paths would you like me to research? Answers to both of these questions will help ensure that the research and writing I’m doing is as useful for you as possible.

Thinking So Far

The areas I’ve identified so far as potentially useful for a given career path are:

  • Definition of job/work/career
  • What do people do in this role?
  • For whom (or where) do they do it?
  • What skills or education background are required?
  • What jobs/work/career paths are related to or overlap with this one?
  • What MLIS or iSchool programs offer relevant coursework (including CE)?
  • Is this job/work/career identified by any other names or job titles? (for job-searching)
  • Key resources for further information

What am I missing? What other questions and answers would be useful to you in terms of exploring and evaluating a given alternative LIS career path for yourself?

What Alternative LIS Careers to Explore

I have a list of job/career titles to work from, but if there are any types of work you’ve come across or wondered about not on this starter list, please let me know what they are. I know some things, but all of you know a lot more, so your feedback in the comments section below would be invaluable in terms of creating a resource collection that’s truly useful for you and the profession.

And oh by the way, if you’re a student looking for a research project or a professional who’d like to write about a specific alternative LIS career, please connect with me at kimdority@gkdority.com. I’d love to hear from you!