Becoming An Independent Information Professional

Many LIS professionals and students are interested in independent work opportunities, either as a full-time career or on a temporary or part-time basis. This book shares the experiences of successful information professionals who work as contractors or consultants. Have you ever dreamed of "life outside the library?" If you've ever wondered how you, as an information professional, can carve out a career or even find lucrative temporary work serving as a contractor, consultant, or freelancer, this book is for you. Editor Melissa M. Powell and other successful independent library professionals will help you decide if contracting is right for you, describe what to expect as an independent information professional, and identify the key steps to take. This book is for any librarian in any type of library or any LIS student who wishes to do independent work, whether as a full-time consultant, trainer, or contractor or on a temporary or part-time basis. Readers will learn how to perform a self-assessment to decide if consulting work is a good fit for them and understand the market for values-based consulting. The book addresses important topics and common questions for those new to being a contractor, such as establishing a legal structure for your business, financing your start-up and maintaining the books, marketing, working with clients outside of the library profession, and project management. A list of resources and sample forms are also provided.

Many LIS professionals and students are interested in independent work opportunities, either as a full-time career or on a temporary or part-time basis. This book shares the experiences of successful information professionals who work as contractors or consultants. Have you ever dreamed of "life outside the library?" If you've ever wondered how you, as an information professional, can carve out a career or even find lucrative temporary work serving as a contractor, consultant, or freelancer, this book is for you. Editor Melissa M. Powell and other successful independent library professionals will help you decide if contracting is right for you, describe what to expect as an independent information professional, and identify the key steps to take. This book is for any librarian in any type of library or any LIS student who wishes to do independent work, whether as a full-time consultant, trainer, or contractor or on a temporary or part-time basis. Readers will learn how to perform a self-assessment to decide if consulting work is a good fit for them and understand the market for values-based consulting. The book addresses important topics and common questions for those new to being a contractor, such as establishing a legal structure for your business, financing your start-up and maintaining the books, marketing, working with clients outside of the library profession, and project management. A list of resources and sample forms are also provided.

Evans and new co-author Greenwell pay close attention to management in "new normal" straitened economic conditions and the pervasive impact of technology on a library manager's role.

Online research is one of the hottest work-from-home business opportunities of the decade, and this handbook provides the information necessary to launch, manage, and build a successful research business.

This book is about rethinking your career in a refreshing and systematic way to take into account your professional and personal goals. The book provides students and information and library professionals (at all levels) with tools and practical steps to making changes in their career. At the heart of the book is a methodology called ‘personal strategic planning’, which allows the reader to work out a baseline for what is important to them in a career and provide techniques and tools for moving forwards. Written in accessible style from an experienced practitioner’s point of view Draws on the author’s experience of moving between different LIS sectors having worked in the private and public sector Draws on the author’s experience of successfully moving and adapting skills from a career in another industry sector

For library students, paraprofessionals, and librarians who are wondering if they have their ladder against the right wall, Straight from the Stacks fills the need for an up-to-date resource that uncovers the amazing and varied jobs available in the library field.

This third edition of Information Services Today: An Introduction demonstrates the ever-changing landscape of information services today and the need to re-evaluate curriculum, competency training, professional development, and lifelong learning in order to stay abreast of current trends and issues, and more significantly, remain competent to address the changing user needs of information communities. Specifically, the Information Services Today: An Introduction: provides a thorough introduction, history, and overall state of the field, explores different types of information communities, the varying information needs within those communities, and the role of equity of access, diversity, inclusion, and social justice in those communities, addresses why information organizations and information and technological literacy are more important today than ever before, discusses how technology has influenced the ways that information professionals provide information resources and services in today’s digital environment, highlights current issues and trends and provides expert insight into emerging challenges, innovations, and opportunities for the future, and identifies career management strategies and leadership opportunities in the information professions. The new edition features chapter updates to address changes in information services, introducing new/updated topics such as emergency/crisis management/community resilience, sustainability, data analysis and visualization, social justice, and equity of access, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). Information Services Today: An Introduction begins with an overview of libraries and their transformation as information and technological hubs within their local and digital communities, as well as trends impacting the information field. Information Services Today: An Introduction covers the various specializations within the field – emphasizing the exciting yet complex roles and opportunities for information professionals in a variety of information environments. With that foundation in place, it presents the fundamentals of information services, delves into management skills needed by information professionals today, and explores emerging issues related to the rapid development of new technologies. Information Services Today: An Introduction addresses how libraries and information centers serve different kinds of communities, highlighting the unique needs of increasingly diverse users. Information Services Today: An Introduction provokes discussion, critical thinking, and interaction to facilitate the learning process. The content and supplemental materials – discussion questions, rich sets of online accessible materials, multimedia webcast interviews featuring authors from this book discussing the trends and issues in their respective areas, and chapter presentation slides for use by instructors – give readers the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of and engagement with the topics.

In this provocative call to action that encourages LIS students, researchers, and practitioners to question some of the underlying assumptions of their discipline, Bernier initiates an open discussion about how YA professionals perceive young adults.