Alternative MLS Career Paths, or, the Dark Side?
Last weekend at NASIG I attended a panel session at which several librarians discussed their career choices and described their jobs at organizations such as consortia and subscription agents. It was a pretty good session, and one which I understand pops up at NASIG every now and then.
One phrase that kept coming out of the mouths of the panelists, however, was “the dark side.” Now I like a good Star Wars reference as much as the next person, but as someone who just made the switch from working in a library to working for a library software company, I found it a bit perturbing. When I started telling people about my new job, the only people who used that phrase were in sales, and I don’t recall anyone who works at a library using it during the panel session.
I’m sure there are librarians working in libraries who do think those of us in industry have gone to the dark side, but for the most part that has not been my experience. If we want to change perceptions about what we do and why, we should at least give ourselves a little credit and leave the “dark side” comments to, um, the Harrison Fords of the serials world.
June 14th, 2007 at 8:28 am
Hi Abigail,
I’m sorry I missed you at NASIG. I passed you in the hallways a couple of times, but either you were busy talking with someone or I was. I wanted to say hello, tell you that I’m enjoying your blog, and ask how you’re finding the new job.
I didn’t attend that alternative careers session at NASIG, but I can speculate as to why the panelists referred to “the dark side”. First of all, it’s usually said with a heavy dose of sarcasm. Maybe that didn’t come through from some.
Second — I doubt if any library-based librarian would be so crass as to say so out loud, but there really are folks out there who think that those of us who are librarians and have chosen to work outside of libraries (for booksellers, systems vendors, subscription agents, etc.) are suspect. We work for profit-based companies; surely the bottom line is all we care about?
Nope. Not me, and not lots of non-library-based librarians I know. In fact, one of the *nice* things about working for a vendor is that I get to serve many libraries, not just one!
I can pretty comfortably guarantee that you will experience this attitude from librarians sometime during your tenure working outside of a library. Not often, I hope.
And you’re probably right; we should probably stop making comments like that out loud, in public forums.
Cheers!
June 15th, 2007 at 10:52 am
HI Katy:
Yup and yup. The sarcasm was there but I still don’t think it’s helpful in a session aimed, presumably, at encouraging people to think about non-library-based career choices.
Sorry we missed each other at NASIG and glad you’re enjoying the blog!