Building & Running a Successful Research Business, 2d ed by Mary Ellen Bates
Content Strategy for the Web, 2d ed by Kristina Halvorson and Melissa Rach
The Start-Up of You by Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha
The Librarian’s Skillbook by Deborah Hunt and David Grossman
Digital Asset Management: Career-Path Intro
Full disclosure here, everything I know about digital asset management I owe to the good graces and generous knowledge-sharing of Deb Fanslow, MLIS (above), a contributor to one of the key resources in this field, DAMNews, aka “Digital Asset Management News, Reviews, Trends & Opinion.” I had an opportunity to interview Deb for a client project, and was fascinated by the breadth and variety of career opportunities digital asset management represents. (See more about Deb here, here, and here.) (more…)
4 Reasons Why Asking to Connect on LinkedIn is Not Stalking
Recently I had a conversation with a colleague who is bright, extremely competent, and someone I turn to for great ideas and feedback on a regular basis. In other words, this is a colleague (and friend) you really want in your life because she brings so much value to it.
However, during our conversation she mentioned that she hesitates to ask people to connect on LinkedIn because it feels a bit like she’s stalking them. (more…)
Invest/Maintain/Kill: Awful Way to Treat Employees, But Smart Way to Manage Your Career
I’ll admit I’m not a big fan of Yahoo CEO Melissa Mayer, and the spate of recent articles about her stealth layoff approach (here’s one) remind me of one of the things I like best about being an independent information professional (i.e., no one’s going to lay me off).
But as I read the articles, I was struck by what a terrific approach the Invest/Maintain/Kill mantra could be for your career. If you’re the type who regularly (okay, at least annually) does a career review, sorting out your priorities along these lines can help focus your efforts in ways most likely to keep you moving toward your goals. What might the invest/maintain/kill approach look like? (more…)
Crashing Around, Knocking Things Over….
Yep, I’m the person who champions being fearless, not perfect. Who nags her students about getting comfortable with “beginner’s mind,” which roughly translates into “get used to feeling like an idiot, grasshopper.”
But I don’t think I’d actually thought through quite how public that cluelessness might be when you’re crashing around, knocking things over, and showcasing your screw-ups on social media. (more…)
5 Non-Snarky Ways to Build Your Career Network
If your eyes (and brain) glaze over when someone brings up the subject of network-building, rest assured that you’re not alone.
In fact, in a study that tested people’s feelings about instrumental networking, defined as networking in order to advance your career, respondents indicated that they literally felt dirty, “so much so that they think about taking a shower or brushing their teeth.”
It turns out that most people tend to feel just fine about those spontaneous moments of relationship-building whose goal is the more authentic pursuit of human connection and possible friendship. (more…)
Identifying and Researching Alternative LIS Careers
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. (more…)