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- Description
- Table of Contents
- About the author
Your foundation in library science is an invaluable asset—and you can build on it to succeed far beyond the library walls. Whether you're seeking a fresh perspective to combat burnout in your current role, navigating a transition to or from a new career, pursuing a side passion, or considering an entirely new path, the inspiring real-world stories by library and archival professionals in this collection will show you how to harness your own interests and strengths to thrive both professionally and personally.
Librarians and archivists possess a wealth of highly transferable skills. From research and information management to community engagement and organizational leadership, these competencies open doors across industries and sectors. No matter where you find yourself professionally, The Reinspired Librarian meets you where you are: helping you recognize and communicate the valuable skills you already have, discover fields and activities that benefit from your expertise, and move beyond the notion that you are pigeonholed in your career. Offering a rich and energizing blend of perspectives and possibilities, this book
- explores the many ways you can apply your expertise, whether you’re shifting to a new career, launching independent projects, or contributing to community initiatives;
- tells the stories of creatives like documentary producer Rodney Freeman, podcaster Lolita Rowe, and Allie Avis, who leverages social media to share knowledge;
- showcases individuals whose pursuit of innovation and new learning transformed their lives, among them Tracie D. Hall, Shaneé Yvette Willis, Rabbi Cristina Ramirez, and birth worker Rayyon Robinson;
- shines a light on career paths you may have never considered, from private investigation and teaching English to non-English speakers to writing, nonprofit leadership, and consultancy;
- spans the globe, featuring librarians and archivists from Canada, South Africa, and the James Smith Cree Nation, among other locations; and
- reflects a broad spectrum of lived experience—including recent library school graduates, professionals navigating disability, current leaders in the field, and those who have entered retirement—ensuring that you'll see yourself reflected in these pages.
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Recognizing What is in Your Hand
Part I TEACHING
Chapter 1 Teaching Archives in the Classroom: Cultivating Archival Consciousness for Democratic Citizenship
Rebecca Hankins and Miguel Juárez
Chapter 2 TESOL and Librarianship: Two Professions Sharing Goals, Values, Skill Sets, and a Love of Language
Barbara Bernoff Cavanaugh
Chapter 3 Influencing Advocacy: Public Communication and the Library Worker
Allie Alvis
Chapter 4 From Research to Reel: How Librarianship Prepared Me to Tell Stories That Matter
Rodney Freeman
Part II REIMAGINING
Chapter 5 Reimagining Librarianship: Makerspaces, AI, and the Future of Memory Work
Tova Harris
Chapter 6 Surprising Similarities: Mapping Library Skills to Tech Work and Coding
Courtney McAllister
Chapter 7 Privacy is Not Dead; It’s Hiring
Alexandra Wieland
Part III WRITING
Chapter 8 A Conversation about Curating Curiosity: Archival Research as a Catalyst for Classroom and Lifelong Discovery
Geoff Campbell and Sara Pezzoni
Chapter 9 “You too can be a grant writer!”: Sharing Grant Writing Skills with Community Partners
Constance Caddell
Chapter 10 From Archivist to Author and Film Essayist
Ashley D. Stevens
Chapter 11 Thank You for Being a Friend: Library, Community, and Beyond
Jade T. Woodridge
Part IV MANAGING
Chapter 12 From Librarian to Proposal Manager: A Journey and a Map
Angela Price
Chapter 13 Leveraging Regulatory Expertise: How Librarian Skills Transform Careers in Product Compliance and Consulting
Cassandra Pershyn and Kimberly Plassche
Part V LEADING
Chapter 14 Mediators of Knowledge, Catalysts of Change: How Librarians Can Prepare for Roles in Philanthropy
Tracie D. Hall
Chapter 15 Expanding the Boundaries of Librarianship: Building Equity and Community through Digital Collaboration
Shaneé Yvette Willis
Part VI LAUNCHING
Chapter 16 A Consultant’s Framework for Leveraging Librarian Skills in the Field
Brandon A. Owens, Sr.
Chapter 17 Building a Book Donation Business
Richard E. Ashby Jr.
Chapter 18 From Job Barriers to Advocacy: Experiences of a Disabled Archival Accessibility Consultant
Michael Marlatt
Part VII VOLUNTEERING
Chapter 19 Utilizing Library Skills During Times of Crisis and Beyond
Nicollette M. Davis
Chapter 20 It All Comes with You: Bringing Personal Advocacy to Librarianship
Imani Spence
Part VIII PODCASTING
Chapter 21 What Else Can I Do with My Skills? Notes from Librarian Linkover
Lorene Kennard
Chapter 22 Beyond the Building: Librarian Skills That Travel Across Roles and Platforms
Lolita Rowe
Chapter 23 A Librarian’s Hustle: Applying Library Skills and an Entrepreneurial Spirit to Endeavors Beyond the Library
Jamillah R. Gabriel
Chapter 24 How Librarianship Gave Me the Blueprint
Jamia Williams
Part IX CONNECTING
Chapter 25 A Call to Action: From Librarian to Birthworker
Rayyon Robinson
Chapter 26 Pews, Pages, and Preservation: Empowering Communities to Become Their Own Archivists
Maya Riley Banks
Chapter 27 Librarians as Cultural Organizers by Monica Foderingham
Chapter 28 Using LIS Skills in Community Work to Uplift the Jewish Community
Cristina Dominguez Ramirez
Chapter 29 Timeless and Available Skills: How Librarians Can Apply Their Skills and Thrive in Cultural Centres
Cindy “Ayanda” Xaba
Chapter 30 From Collections to Connections: Librarianship and the Making of the Georgia Asian American Community Archive
Chella Vaidyantathan, Gautham Reddy, Erica Bruhko
Chapter 31 The Cataloguing Librarian Who Gives Art Tours
Kaia MacLeod
Part X INNOVATING
Chapter 32 There and Back Again: Expanding Experience Beyond Libraries
Whitney Buccicone
Chapter 33 Look Again: Steps to Identify Your Skills and Change Careers as an Information Professional
Brittany Harden
Chapter 34 Markers, Lighthouses, and What We Carry: Navigating Careers Beyond Libraries
Erik Valenzuela
About the Editor and Contributors
Index