McGill SIS graduates dominate the job market!

Reading library news from the United States can be flat-out depressing. Despite awesome stories of libraries working to better serve the public, one cannot ignore the incessant news of budget cuts and library closures. I have read one too many blogs and subsequent comments that lament the lack of career opportunities for librarians especially recent graduates. Since I know tons of grads who were able to find librarian jobs with relative ease in Canada, I wondered how different the job market must be on the American side of the border. Yet, last year I had many American classmates who found awesome library jobs in the U.S.A. quickly after graduating and in two cases, people had job offers before they had even technically graduated in April.

Well, now a friend of mine and fellow SIS grad 2010 who moved back home to the States after graduation has just announced that he has been offered the position of Library Director at a public library in Maine. I am so proud of him! Way to go Luke! McGill grads dominate the job market even in the U.S.A!

My heart honestly goes out to the countless librarians who have lost their jobs due to budget cuts and library closures. Yet reading all the bitter comments regarding the lack of jobs, I can’t help but wonder how much having a negative attitude has influenced these librarians’ ability to secure an awesome position. Something to think about for all you die-hard pessimists…

Anyways, good luck to everyone who is currently in search of a job. For those of you presently in library school or for those contemplating studying library and information studies, do not let all these reports mislead or discourage you. There are awesome jobs awaiting you after graduation, you just have to work for them and maintain a positive attitude. So congratulations to all the members of class 2010 who are prime examples of how realistic it is to find a librarian position so soon after graduation.

Salon des Bibliothécaires -Budgets

Last night I attended this fall’s 2nd “Salon des Bibliothécaires” hosted by the CLA Montreal Chapter. Like October’s salon, it was held at EM Café in Mile End and although less people attended than last month, it was still very fun and informative. Our two experts were Ann Moffat, the newly retired director of Westmount Public Library and Suzanne Payette, the director of la Bibliothèque de Brossard. Both these women have extensive experience creating and managing library budgets and they shared many examples of practical advice on how they have dealt with issues like budget cuts, staff demands, getting extra money for special projects, etc. At first I didn’t think that it would be relevant for me to attend this “salon” because I figured that once I graduate from library school in April, it will be awhile before I am in a position where I need to manage a library’s budget. However, I have heard recently of two graduates from last April who were hired as head cégep librarians. This means they must not only manage the budget but also the staff of library technicians and circulation employees, the collection, and all the other administrative duties. Whew! Talk about a baptism by immersion!

I guess the lesson that I retained from last night’s Salon is to be ready for anything. Both Ann Moffat and Suzanne Payette emphasized the fact that budgets are not as scary as they seem which reassured me that by paying attention and applying a bit of common sense, I should do fine if one day if I do need to manage a budget.