The Successful Academic Librarian

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The Successful Academic Librarian

• Presented by Gwen M. Gregory
• CAL TSAD Spring Workshop
• May 24, 2007

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Todays presentation

• Academic libraries
• Why I created this book
• Networking with colleagues
• Tenure, promotion, and faculty status
• Continuing education
• Your likes and dislikes
• Suggested reading
• Your career

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Whats special about academic libraries?

• Work with faculty and students
• Emphasis on learning and teaching
• Struggle between centralization and distribution
• Group decision making
• Faculty status or rank for librarians
• University politics are vicious precisely
  because the stakes are so small Henry
  Kissinger

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The Successful Academic Librarian

• Help academic librarians get started
• Help them build a great career
• Share the basics
• Collect knowledge of many colleagues
• Show diverse approaches to the field

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Networking with colleagues

• Basic way to learn and grow
• Provides mentoring, continuing education,
  information
• Ways to network
• Conferences, workshops
• Organizations
• Coworkers, classmates
• Activity

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Tenure, promotion, faculty status

• What is faculty status?
• Variations
• Pros and cons
• Whats best for you?
• Activity

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Continuing education

• Why it is important
• New job duties
• Life-long learning
• Keeping up with the profession and technology
• Future job opportunities
• What you need to get it done
• Have a plan
• Find opportunities
• Get institutional support, grants, scholarships
• Activity

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What do you like and dislike about being an
academic librarian?

• Activity

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Suggested reading

• Buckingham, Marcus, and Donald O. Clifton. Now,
  discover your strengths. New York Free Press,
  2001
• Gordon, Rachel Singer. The librarians guide to
  writing for publication. Lanham, MD Scarecrow
  Press, 2004
• Gregory, Gwen Meyer, ed. The successful academic
  librarian. Medford, NJ Information Today, 2005
• Shontz, Priscilla. Jump start your career in
  library and information science. Lanham, MD
  Scarecrow Press, 2002
• Siess, Judith A. Time management, planning and
  prioritization for librarians. Lanham, MD
  Scarecrow Press, 2002.

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Conclusion

• Why we do what we do
• How to enjoy your career
• Understand yourself and what motivates you
• Develop and use your strengths
• Plan for the future

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Question or comments?

• Contact information
• Gwen M. Gregory
• Tutt Library, Colorado College
• ggregory_at_coloradocollege.edu
• [phone]