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Recovery, Reframing, and Renewal: Surviving an information science career crisis in a time of change

Oliver Cutshaw, Chicago School of Professional Psychology, USA

Chandos Information Professional Series

Every librarian should read this optimistic, practical, honest and insightful, easy-to-read, and highly relevant guide.
Australian Library Journal

 - provides the tools and resources that will help the reader decide on the best approach to re-start their career
 - presents first-hand experience about the anxiety, hard work, and excitement that go into career renewal
 - shines a light on the understanding of the various challenges that come with working in multiple library environments
 - draws upon the author’s uniquely broad background

This book examines the difficulties confronting information professionals who, due to financial downturns, technological change, or personal crises, are forced to re-evaluate their career options. It is divided between a case study (based on the author’s own experiences) of career dislocation and eventual career renewal, and several sections that offer pragmatic advice on how to recover from job loss, conduct a skills assessment and develop a practical job search strategy. The author, with honesty, confronts the serious and sometimes troubling psychological and professional consequences of layoffs and job burnout. This book presents an overall positive outlook on personal growth and the opportunities our new information environment holds.

Readership: Primary focus is on information professionals who are anticipating career change or who have experienced a career downturn. Information Science graduate students will also benefit from the book’s common sense approach to job searching and the advice on maintaining psychological well-being during the quest for that hard-to-find first professional job. Additionally, administrative leaders, who want to analyze and better understand the needs of their staff and how they can be met in their organizations, are also encouraged to read this book. A perfect example is to show how they can help their staff either find fulfilment in their jobs, or develop career survival skills.

£47.50 / US$80.00 / €55.00

An e-book version of this title is available to purchase as part of a Collection or Pick n Mix. Visit Chandos Publishing Online

About the author

Oliver Cutshaw has over 30 years experience as both a para-professional technician and professional librarian; having worked at world-renowned universities, including Harvard University, and small graduate schools he brings a broad and established perspective to the question of career change. The author holds both MA and MLIS degrees from the University of Maryland, College Park. He served as a middle manager and preservation librarian for over a decade at Harvard University and is now the Librarian for Southern California at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, California.

Contents

Introduction to the parameters of career renewal
 - Reference

Career recovery: a case study of my personal job search
 - Off to California
 - First you fail and then, guess what, you fail again
 - Why not try something new? Re-envisioning the problem
 - New approach, but the road is still bumpy and long
 - Your social network is not always a source of support
 - At last, I found a job
 - Dos and don’ts: some lessons to be learned from my experience
 - Lessons to be drawn from my case: or some of the deadly sins of modern-day employment and job searching
 - References

No job, no way: librarians are often unprepared for voluntary and involuntary career changes
 - The dodo effect: too much specialization and too much complacency
 - It comes like a thief in the night and sometimes it doesn’t
 - The job market: there is a big world outside these hallowed halls
 - We have it within our power: self-assessment and reframing

First you grieve: job loss, job stagnation, and job burnout in an age of transition
 - We are handling it, but are we really?
 - You got a right to sing the blues!
 - You are more than just a job title
 - Rethinking your skill set and reframing your career goals
 - References

Re-envisioning your career: a new look at yourself and your skills
 - Who are you and what do you want to do with your career?
 - The really big change
 - Skills analysis: don’t sell yourself short
 - The generalist, the hybrid, and the specialist: know
 - yourself and consider how others may know you
 - You are a person not just a category
 - Outside work is not outside of the box
 - Getting another perspective
 - References

Reframing your skills and search strategies: preparing for the job search and looking at your professional goals with a fresh and realistic approach
 - You cannot fi nd what you want unless you know what you need
 - How do I know what I want and need in a job?
 - Job searching: it’s better than you think
 - Searching may be easier but applying for a job can be confusing
 - The essentials: résumé, cover letter, references
 - Now set sail
 - Reference

New résumé, new interview skills, but the road can still be bumpy: preparing for the job search and practicing the survival skills needed for success
 - Trends in twenty-fi rst-century job interviews: forewarned is forearmed
 - The three Ps for surviving the job hunt: patience, persistence, and perspective

You got your job! Hurray! But now what?
 - Sometimes a bargain is not a bargain
 - Stay prepared, stay alert
 - Reference

How can our professional organizations and graduate schools build a better professional support system?
 - A roomful of worry and hope: the ALA-Allied
 - Professional Association meeting
 - Our graduate school programs: part of the answer and part of the problem
 - What kinds of support can our professional organizations provide?

Conclusions: recovery, reframing, and renewal are a matter of interpretation
 - What do we mean by recovery?
 - What do we mean by reframing?
 - What do we mean by renewal?