Dream Career

 I currently work as a Library Assistant in a college library which I love and am very privileged in as I am granted such a free range of what I can work on. I pretty much perform the role of a Librarian but on my own terms! I know that no where else would I have so much freedom and I am so grateful I have this chance to get experience in so many different areas. I have completed an NVQ in Library Studies followed by the ACLIP qualification. I am due to start my Graduate Certificate in Library and Information Management in September after which I plan to do my MA followed by my Chartership.
I have been working hard on the path to becoming a Librarian but realised recently that I hadn't thought about what kind of Librarian I would eventually like to be. So I did some research and discovered News Librarians. I have always been a writer and when I was little I wanted to be a journalist. As I grew up I moved to Librarian but kept the writing part and the interest in newspapers and journalism. So, this would be my perfect career! I emailed the News Librarian at the Leicester Mercury, our local city newspaper and she invited me in to have a tour and a chat in a couple of weeks which I have very excited about.
I love the feeling of having a definite focus, I just have to work hard to make it come true!
Here is some more information about the career.

Manages information resources library stored in files, on tape or microfilm, or in computers for use by news and editorial staff in publishing establishments, such as newspaper and magazine publishers, and in broadcasting establishments, such as radio and television stations: Directs activities of workers engaged in clipping, classifying, cataloging, indexing, storing, editing, and retrieving library information, or performs these activities as needed.

Researches, retrieves, and disseminates information in resource library or commercial data bases in response to requests from news or editorial staff, using knowledge of classification system or computer data base. Maintains records and statistics on use of data bases and information services provided. May manage in-house data base of news information, assign classification terms to news articles, input news articles into data base, and research news information in in-house data base. May develop data bases for data storage and retrieval, according to needs of news staff. May hire, train, schedule, and evaluate library staff. May prepare library budgets. May promote and market library products and services to public. May coordinate activities of library with activities of other departments. May select and purchase reference books for library collection. May manage graphics library, assign classification terms to graphics, and research graphics and be designated Photo-Graphics Librarian (library).

Astrid is my new role model!!

Professional Profile: Astrid Lange 

Astrid Lange is a news librarian at the Toronto Star, where she has worked full time since 2000. Astrid’s daily tasks include conducting research and providing reference to the newsroom; maintaining a collection of books and magazines, as well as maintaining the Intranet, which consists of web resources that journalists make use of on a daily basis; and archiving the newspaper feed — the raw data newspaper that has to be cleaned up and sent off to various databases. As well, Astrid often prepares the old newspapers for microfilm, which is bought by libraries across the United States and Canada. Astrid is also involved in training new members of the newsroom, whether they are new hires or summer students; she gives them a crash course in journalism research, teaching them which resources to use and how to use them. 


Astrid did not always know she wanted to be a news librarian, but rather came to her present career through trial and error. She went to the University of Toronto, where she obtained her Bachelor of Arts in International Relations. She stayed at the University of Toronto to pursue a Master’s degree in History, specializing in American history. After this degree, Astrid went into the workforce, where she began what would be a series of various research roles. She first worked for a television program on CBC Newsworld called Face Off. After this position, Astrid contemplated going back to school, and thought that law school would be a good choice for her. Before enrolling, however, she spent a year as a legal intern. It was here that a legal librarian noticed her penchant for research and suggested she look into a degree in library and information science. Astrid took this advice applied to library school. She then took on a few other research positions; specifically conducting prospect research for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and entertainment research at CTV. 

Astrid (second from right) with her colleagues on "Desk Set Day"

While at school, Astrid had the foresight to scour summer positions she felt she had a serious interest in; and even if the company had not put out an advertisement, Astrid nonetheless sent her resume in. This lead to a summer position at the Toronto Star, which continued as part time work throughout the last year of her degree. After she graduated, she stayed on at the Toronto Star working part time. While she really loved this position, she was aware that she needed full time work, and thus applied for various positions that interested her. However, Astrid exercised a great deal of patience and perseverance in this job search, and chose to pass up on several job opportunities that she didn’t find herself too interested in. This patience paid off, as eventually a full time position opened up at the Toronto Star library, and Astrid was hired on. 

Astrid credited her time at library school to introducing her to a wide range of professional associations, such as the Special Library Association, and the Canadian Library Association and their Special Library division (CASLIS); she is still actively involved in both the SLA and CASLIS. It is through these associations that Astrid was able to build up a network, which helped her a great deal when she was a new professional. Moreover, Astrid noted that many of the courses offered to her during her LIS education were extremely helpful in preparing her for her current work. Courses such as online research, legal librarianship, and government documents were essential in giving Astrid a broad education, and molding her into a “jack of all trades”; which she noted is a beneficial characteristic for a news librarian to have. She suggested that current students should take advantage of courses in web design or basic HTML and databases, as these prepare you for any work environment and give you a basic understanding of information technology; which is helpful for not only news librarianship, but nearly every other library profession. Astrid suggested that all students should take a variety of courses to prepare them for a variety of roles — even if you hope to obtain a specific job, you may not be get it right away. Thus, it is beneficial to be prepared for whatever may come your way. 

Other pieces of advice offered by Astrid included the suggestion for current students to get involved with professional associations. As Astrid pointed out, this involvement helps one to start building a network of current, working professionals who may be able to help you in your job hunt. Such a network is also beneficial in making one aware of the variety of opportunities that are available to people with a library education. Moreover, Astrid suggested that students shouldn’t limit themselves to job postings. If you have an idea of where you might like to work or a position you would like to find, conduct some research and make some cold calls. Like Astrid, don’t wait for the job posting; you never know where a cold call might get you!
Link