The Future Academic Librarian’s Toolkit: Finding Success on the Job Hunt and in Your First Job

Academic libraries are dedicated to supporting the academic pursuits of the students, faculty, and staff of their parent higher-education institutions. This work comes with unique employment statuses, reporting structures, and positions. How do you decide if this is the right career path for you, determine which kind of academic environment you might be most interested in, and develop the skills, credentials, and areas of knowledge commonly required of academic librarians?

The Future Academic Librarian’s Toolkit is a thorough handbook designed to guide you from library school through your first several years as an academic librarian. It can help you apply for your first position, find your bearings in your new job, establish yourself in the profession through scholarship and service, and transition to your next position. In addition, you will add important skills to your professional toolkit: advocating for yourself and your ideas, writing for publication, teaching effectively, connecting with faculty and students, and building your professional brand.

The academic library profession is an immensely rewarding one. You can play a crucial role in students’ journey to adulthood and independence by arming them with critical thinking skills, earn the effusive gratitude of faculty for successfully tackling their thorny research problems, safeguard rare and fascinating items for posterity, and much more. Whether you are a library school student deliberating career options, an academic library paraprofessional wishing to understand the expectations of professional positions, or a new librarian seeking to excel in your first professional position, The Future Academic Librarian’s Toolkit is for you.