Advancing your career: advice for new MLIS graduates

By Eva McDonald

I was asked to mentor a library technician who earned her MLIS through a reputable online program. She described the issues she has had getting a librarian position and was seeking guidance.

I mentioned the usual things that new MLIS graduates should do in order to better their chances for advancing their careers. From discussions with my mentee, I realized that steps I consider  obvious may not be as apparent to others, especially those early in their careers.

My advice for this mentee was the standard list:

1. Expand your professional network. Requesting a mentor is a good first step, and OCULA has a robust mentoring program!
2. Join professional associations.
3. Volunteer for committees.
4. Do volunteer work for those associations and committees.

The core message was to get your name and face in front of as many librarians as possible, by every means at your disposal. If you like to write, write articles for publications such as Open Shelf. If you are meticulous in recording meeting minutes, stand for Secretary for OCULA. If you like math, stand for Treasurer of a professional library association. If you are good at organizing events, volunteer for OLA’s Super Conference committee. I don’t pretend that this work is easy; it requires your energy, time, and commitment. The advantage is that the opportunities to show off your skills and talents are nearly endless, and your volunteer work will be greatly appreciated.

As a new mentor, I realized why this advice is not obvious, and there are a few issues to unpack.

The first is that most people who want to work in libraries are readers, and many readers are introverted by nature. I recognize that for introverts, it takes courage to confidently introduce yourself to strangers and to ask for help, especially if it is a cold call where you have no mutual contacts. Nevertheless, I encourage graduates to do just that, for a targeted group. For example, if you have an interest in copyright, which may include e-reserves and scholarly communications, contact librarians working in that area. Be sure to cast a wide net. You may not have the luxury of moving to another province, but getting career advice from copyright librarians working across Canada will help build your knowledge and network.

The second issue is that with many MLIS courses or programs delivered partially or fully online, new graduates may not have had the opportunity to interact in-person with many people in their field. My advice is to try and meet as many people in-person where possible. An in-person meeting with a library professional may be better remembered and leave a stronger impression than an online meeting. Understandably, this is a commitment of time and resources, but it is important in developing your professional network, especially when interacting with an older generation that is now occupying senior librarian, leadership, and management roles.

Speaking as a member of that older generation, I value in-person meetings more than online ones, even if we meet only once, or only annually at OLA’s Super Conference. Your presence locks your name and face in my memory, demonstrates that you are serious about your career, and frankly, it’s harder for me to say “no” to a request for help if delivered in-person.

The third issue for graduates who have completed an MLIS program online, or have worked as Library Technicians, is that they might not have been immersed in the same professional culture as Librarians. The reason that the listed advice has always been obvious to me and other senior professional librarians, is that pre-online library school inundated us with this kind of advice. In my program, it was just assumed that you would lead projects and committees. It was assumed that you would constantly network. It was assumed that we would meet each other annually at professional conferences. In fact, in the welcome event for my MILS program, I remember Dr. Lynne Howarth saying, “Look to your left.  Look to your right.  These are the people you will be working with for your whole career.” One’s natural inclination is to shudder, thinking that you will be “stuck” with the same cohort for the next 20+ years, but her advice turned out to be very true. The friends I made in my MLIS program are still my friends to this day, and many are senior administrators, with a few who are chief librarians.

In general, library professionals are very willing to help new graduates. I strongly encourage people who have earned their MLIS degree and are looking for career advancement to consider and pursue the list of “obvious” things to do.

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Eva McDonald is the Library Systems & Electronic Resources Librarian at Centennial College. She can be reached at emcdonald@centennialcollege.ca.