Library Directors

You can get a taste of what this job entails by volunteering or obtaining a part-time job at your local library or school library. Your duties will be clerical in nature—shelving books and periodicals, cleaning or organizing stacks, or working the circulation desk—but each task will give you valuable hands-on experience, as well as an opportunity to interact with library directors and other library professionals.

Participate in information interviews with library directors. In such an interview—which can be conducted in-person, on the phone, or through video-conferencing technology—you will get the opportunity to ask library directors about their job duties, work environment, likes and dislikes about their careers, educational training, and other topics that will help you to learn more about the field. Perhaps you could even job-shadow a library director to learn even more about the field.

You can also learn more about library science by reading periodicals such as Library Journal (https://www.libraryjournal.com) and American Libraries (https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org). Listening to the Libraries Lead Podcast (https://www.libraryjournal.com/section/LibrariesLeadPodcast) is another good way to stay up to date on industry developments.

Professional associations can also provide a wealth of information about this career. Visit http://www.ala.org/educationcareers/careers for articles on different library careers and profiles of librarians already established in their fields. You may want to also participate in online discussion groups to get an insider's view of this industry. Additionally, the American Library Association offers a membership option for college students and a "supporter" membership option for nonlibrarians who "through their personal commitment and support, promote library and information services."