Participation in career events can help students learn about issues in the field of library and information science. These presentations can give students ideas on what is needed to prepare for the job search. Below is a listing of some of the events that were offered this fall at SLIS.
The Chi Chapter of the SLIS honorary society (Beta Phi Mu) hosted their annual career forum.
- Thinking about Jobs - Beta Phi Mu Fall Career Forum was held on November 10 in the Wells Library E174. Topics discussed by a panel included: how libraries fill positions; what library employers want to see in a prospective employee; networking tips that can result in a library position; and how you can make yourself more marketable. The panel included: Edra Waterman, Director of the Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library, Carolyn Walters, Executive Associate Dean, Indiana University Libraries; and Tony Stamatoplos, IUPUI University Library.
The ASIS&T (American Society of Information Science and Technology) Student Chapter hosted several events.
- An ASIS&T Networking Event (with full dinner paid for by I-ASIS&T) was held on December 2 at the Uptown Cafe. ASIS&T professionals were available to discuss professional development opportunities in ASIS&T. The event professionals were: Steve Hardin, Reference/Instruction Librarian, Indiana State University; Kent Holaday, Associate Consultant, Lilly Corporate Center, Eli Lilly & Co.; Kellie Kaneshiro, Research Informationist/Web Team, Indiana University School of Medicine Library; Sara Laughlin, Director, Monroe County Public Library; and Leonard Mascaro Jr., IT Project Manager, Roche Diagnostics Operations, eCommerce and Business Integration.
- Running E-Commerce: Finish Line was a talk held on November 18 at SLIS, Room 030. Topics covered included: Business Integration, Mobile Applications, Web Analytics and Usability, Development and Technology, Fulfillment and Payment and Customer Service.
- On October 21 at SLIS, Room 031, Brad Wisler, Cofounder/Managing member of SproutBox, gave a talk as part of the ASIS&T professional development series. SproutBox invests in other companies by providing the team, tools, and resources they need to turn their innovative ideas into reality.
The ALA (American Library Association) Student Chapter sponsored the following talks.
- Area Studies/International Librarianship was held on November 9 in Room E174 of the Wells Library. Four speakers from the IU Libraries discussed their professional experiences (Marion Frank-Wilson, Librarian for African Studies; Akram Khabibullaev, Librarian for Middle Eastern, Islamic, and Central Eurasian Studies; Wen-ling Liu, Librarian for East Asian Studies; and Luis Gonzalez, Librarian for Latin American, Spanish and Portuguese, and Latino Studies).
- With the SLIS Career Center, the ALA-SC sponsored an Alumni Career Talk on November 15 at SLIS, Room 031. The speaker was Rachel Slough (MLS'10), E-Learning Librarian, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Some of the topics discussed included:
*Finding That Job: where to start, how to prepare, when should I start looking, what happens next?
*I Got an interview, now what? What to bring, what to wear, what to expect?
*Job Offers: Making sure the job is the right fit for them and for you, figuring out contracts, when to accept.
*I’m new here! Navigating new places, people, job duties, and life.
The SLIS Career Services Center will open more formally in January 2011. To prepare for the opening, and to gather ideas from current students, two events were hosted.
- A SLIS Career Forum was held on September 17 to brainstorm about the new Center.
- On November 10, a SLIS Career Center Open House was held in Room 030-A (the location of the new Center). 33 students attended and gave ideas.
There were a number of other career-related opportunities at SLIS and at Indiana University this fall. There continue to be plenty of ways for a student to strengthen their résumés and to network.
Students were invited to SLIS alumni receptions at the ASIS&T and ILF conferences this fall, and to other state and national conferences throughout the year.
SLIS currently has seven student groups - and all have activities that help with professional development. For example - in March 2011, the Society of American Archivists Student Chapter will host a graduate student conference.
Take the time to be involved.
Posted December 09, 2010