A day in the life of an art librarian
Posted: January 2, 2007 Filed under: Advice: New Professionals, Advice: Students, Art Librarianship, Employment Resources 5 Comments »I think it’d be fun, and hopefully helpful, to share what we do on a day-to-day basis. If you have an art-library-related job — whether you’re a “librarian” or not, full time or part time — please give us a glimpse into your daily work life by leaving a comment below. It’d also be useful to read about jobs that aren’t necessarily in art libraries, but provide experience useful to art librarians, such as general reference, instruction, rare books, cataloging, or database/IT positions.
Is a watercooler forbidden or provided? Do you attend meetings? Do you spend more time with books, computers or people? Are you supervised closely? Do you boss people around? Do you commute? Do you work in library-like silence? Do you wear a boa to work or just gem-encrusted glasses? What’s the most repetitive task you do? Do you have any idea what the show The Office is about? What’s the most creative or theatrical role you play? And, of course, what are your favorite things about your job?
If you want to know something, please suggest questions! Be as creative you’d like; bullet points also accepted! No word min or max either. Just remember — your boss might read this! 
Happy New Year!
Personal is the Professional is the Personal
Posted: December 13, 2006 Filed under: Advice: New Professionals, Advice: Students 2 Comments »Rachel at The Liminal Librarian wrote a post titled Think Personally, Act Professionally, which addresses the important issue of how what we write online in our personal lives may affect our professional lives. This is something that many of us will face as we begin our careers, especially in this age of freely available personal content on the internet.
She also points out that several other librarians have been considering issues of balance between the personal and professional commitments, which leads to the question, “How in the world do we avoid burnout?!”
These are great issues to address at the Backpack to Briefcase session in Atlanta.
Copy Stand Sunburn?
Posted: September 20, 2006 Filed under: Advice: New Professionals, Visual Resources 4 Comments »I am new to copy photography. Has anyone else ever been sunburned by the bright lights on the copystand? Yesterday I got a farmer’s tan just in time for the new quarter. The dangerous life of VR professionals…
New on the Job: Rookie Flubs
Posted: September 14, 2006 Filed under: Advice: New Professionals 1 Comment »SEPTEMBER 18, 2006
BusinessWeek
BEST PLACES TO LAUNCH A CAREER
By Paula Lehman
The first year brings high expectations which can quickly deflate if you make some of these beginner’s mistakes
Few times in a young person’s life are as stressful as the first year out of college. If all goes well, you land a dream job in your chosen profession. But now everything hangs in the balance. Do well in your rookie job and it could put your career into overdrive. Your employer may shower you with promotions, pay raises, and increased responsibility, and you’ll be able to leapfrog ahead of the competition in your next position. Do poorly, and you may be sent down to the minors.
The good news: Barring any serious infractions, relatively few people get completely sidetracked in their first year on the job, as most employers allow for a learning curve. The bad news is the reputation you make for yourself will be yours for a good long time—the corporate equivalent of your permanent academic record—coloring the way people see you for many years.
Rookie mistakes are hard to avoid, but easy to learn from. Here’s some advice to keep you sailing straight.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_38/b4001622.htm
