The art and science of securing a job in an academic library: Landing your first, or next, position

Abstract

While there are countless numbers of books, articles, webinars, forums, and courses that provide helpful tips, tricks and strategies to successfully navigate the academic job search and interview process, they may only slightly improve a candidate’s chance of successfully landing a job. This article, based on the author’s experiences, focuses on five factors that can make a significant difference in improving an LIS student or recent LIS graduate’s odds of success in landing a job in a research library. A study found that factors such as prior academic library experience (including practicums), professional service/committee work, and a record of publications can significantly increase or decrease the odds of getting a job after graduation. Brian Kenney suggests that LIS candidates can significantly increase their chances of landing a job by being willing to relocate and by effectively marketing themselves.