I’ve got the Education: What do I do now?

I’ve got the Education:

What do I do now?Kate Morrison

Library Technician, Hamilton Public LibraryMember of OLA & OALT/ABO

Friday, February 4, 2011

I’ve Got the Education: What do I do Now?

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Outline of Presentation

We will be covering:

1. Who am I?

2. The OALT/ABO salary survey & its implications for job hunting

3. What skills library technicians have to offer an employer

4. Where can you go from here?



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Who am I & why this session?

I have a varied professional career & have had to job hunt in many types of conditions

I wish to show how you can use a tool like the Ontario Association of Library Technicians/Association des bibliotechniciens de l’Ontario (OALT/ABO) Salary Survey to help you in your career at the beginning or any point



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So, what is the OALT/ABO Salary Survey?

Sent out every 2 yearsData collated and presented to show such

trends as:Types of libraries library technicians work inEducational level of staffResponsibilities of staffManagement level of respondentsSalary Years experience in the field



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Parts of the Survey Used

Library environmentJob responsibilities & activitiesPublic service responsibilitiesSalaries of respondents



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Before we go any further…

your turn to do some work!!

What job titles or areas of the library/information field have you

found in your travels?

(Please bring some suggestions with you to the session)



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The Salary Survey says…

Bibliographic services &

digitizatio

n technician

BorrowerServices

Technician

ChiefExecutiveOfficer

Technicienne, systèmes

Et remise deDocuments

Coordinator, Research Centre

DataInitiativesManager

MediaAssistant

SecondarySchoolLibrary

Technician

Team Member

Online Web

Library technician

Circulation &

ILL

Technician



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Library EnvironmentRespondents are evenly spread across library types

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%

public

schools

govt

academic

special

2009

2007

2005

2009 21% 23% 11% 25% 20%

2007 12% 28% 15% 17% 28%

2005 9% 37% 10% 13% 31%

public schools govt academic special



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Job Responsibilities & Activities – Technical

Technical services

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

intranet design & maintenance

technical writing

content management

computer/LAN admin

database design & management

internet/web design & maintenance

scanning/OCR

records mgt & maintenance

data entry/data admin

inter library loan

serials management

acquisitions

book processing & repair

cataloguing

circulation

2009

2008

2005



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Job Responsibilities & Activities – Public

Public services

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

SDI/info filtering

CD-ROM research

PR/marketing

brochure/sign design

internal pubns or newsletter

end-user training

detailed ref/info analysis

internet research

ready ref & general public enquiry

2009

2007

2005



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Job Responsibilities & Activities – Management

Management responsibilities

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

supervising & hiring

project management

financial

strategic planning

training / mentoring

purchases

2009

2007

2005



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Salaries

Median full-time salary is about $46,000

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

$25k-$28k

$28k-$32k

$32k-$36k

$36k-$40k

$40k-$44k

$44k-$48k

$48k-$52k

>52k



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So how does this help YOU!

Use it to discover other complimentary areas to pursue besides the traditional

Help you think outside the box for other segments of employers to approach to sell yourself for the job

Words to use to sell yourself to employers



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What do you, the person, bring to the equation?

Your skills from various places of employment

Your creativityVolunteer workLife education (life skills)Community involvementResearch about companies, job

descriptions & related careers



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What can I do as I hunt for a job?

Keep up with:Current eventsImprove your communication skills, if neededJoin professional associationsNetwork, in person and onlineDevelop new, broader areas of knowledgePop cultureProfessional websites, blogs, RSS feedsTake advantage of contract & volunteer work



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Small List of Resources

OALT/ABO salary surveys: [email protected] ALA JobLIST Direct:

http://ala.informz.net/ala/profile.asp?fid=1494 OLA’s Career Centre:

http://www.accessola.com/ola/bins/content_page.asp?cid=105

Service Canada site with labour market opportunities: http://www.workingincanada.gc.ca/content_pieces-eng.do?cid=1&lang=eng



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Further Resources

CLA’s job siteSchool Library JournalLibrary JournalArchives CanadaLibrary & Archives CanadaARMA Canada – records managementYour old school



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Further Resources

Resources in the Knowledge Ontario suite of databases – Learning Express Library, etc.

Microsoft web site for their applicationsOther associations in your related fieldDatabases provided by OLARSS feeds from various news outlets



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A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.Francis Bacon

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the

strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.

Harriet Tubman



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From a discussion last September on the OALT/ABO discussion list, after listing many ways to look for a job, Maggie ended with this statement:

“To be honest, I don't think it's about statistics, or about the economy, or about how persistent you are, or about how qualified you are. I think successful job-hunting is a creative activity. It's

about imagination.”

Maggie Weaver

OALT/ABO Member

A Different Perspective



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Summary

Use your life experience, common sense, and skills you have learned through your

education and with the help of others.

Relax & have fun in life while job hunting, this will help you take a look in unexpected

places and be ready to take risks.



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Contact Information

Kate Morrison

Library Technician

Hamilton Public Library

[email protected]