Librarian

"I know exactly where to find the information you require. I select, develop, catalogue and classify library resources in a way that ensures ease and efficiency. I answer questions, direct library users and manage the data they are looking for. I always have an answer at hand."

Salary Range:

$49,000 - $78,000

The Tip

Be different and do one thing every year that causes people to ask, “So, why did you do that”?

Priority Knowledge & Skills

Advanced Research & Analysis Skills

Formulating research questions

Ability to critically analyze literature
Ability to develop and execute qualitative research
Ability to synthesize key themes from multiple sources

Contextual Knowledge

Knowledge of human behaviour
Understanding of context and values of audiences
Essential understanding of topics and themes as they relate to an audience

Advanced Communication Skills

Formulate and defend positions
Sensitivity to how communications is shaped by circumstances, authorship and intended audience
Formulate and defend positions
Apply written vocabulary to audience

Evidence-based Storytelling Skills

Ability to use research to develop an evidence-based story
Ability to generate story ideas
Ability to identify target audiences
Ability to create compelling narratives across media

Additional Skills

Excel in defined core transferable skills with a focus on transdisciplinary systems thinking, adaptive thinking, communication, organizational and interpersonal skills
Expertise in knowledge management and information sciences

Building Block Experiences

Education & Learning:

Bachelor of Arts (English)
Master of Library & Information Science
Ongoing professional development

"I’ve always loved working with children and teaching. I decided to pursue an English degree to develop my core research and written communications skills and to provide me options for graduate school as I was uncertain whether I wanted to do a Bachelor of Education or a Master of Library & Information Science. In my final year of my English degree, I decided to become a professional librarian."

Employment Experiences:

Worked at the local public library from age 15. I held progressively more advanced positions in different departments to learn the operations of a library.
Was a camp counsellor for two summers in university. In my second summer I was a coordinator with a staff of eight counsellors.
Teacher’s Assistant (TA) in the U.K. for 12 months
I was a virtual reference intern with the Virtual Librarian Service

"Being a full-time librarian is rare, as many positions are part time. I knew I needed to differentiate myself from my peers who had identical educational backgrounds. My combination of volunteering, plus my work with children as a camp counsellor and TA differentiated me from my competitors."

Community Experiences:

Volunteered at the local public library from age 12. I was hired part time when I was 15.
On the board of a literacy non-profit.

"Volunteering in the library system created great opportunities for me to build relationships in the industry and diversify my contextual experiences."

Contextual Experiences:

I took a year off from university to become a teacher’s assistant in an elementary school in the U.K.
I traveled to 14 countries

"My parents thought I was crazy to take a year off school and move to the U.K. for work. I worked for basically minimum wage and lived in a dorm room, but the experience was invaluable. My goal was to test-drive if I wanted to become a teacher. Though I loved it, it confirmed my desire to pursue a career as a librarian."

Relationships:

I had senior professional mentors in the library from a young age

"My professional mentors have made a huge impact on my career. My guides were the librarians I worked alongside from age 12 and they supported my key decisions later on. They were the ones that recommended English as a major and recommended taking a year off to work as a TA overseas. They also were my references to get into graduate school and ultimately I was hired full time by one of my mentors following graduation with my Master’s degree."