What else you can do with a library degree: Career options for the 90s and beyond

opers: HTML: The Definitive Guide (2nd edition), JavaScript: The Definitive Guide (2nd edition), CGI Programming on the World Wide Web, and Programming Per1 (2nd edition). These texts are run on a Web browser, are very easy to use, and include valuable information. The CD-ROM can be used as a reference tool by browsing the tables of contents or by searching all five books at once. Or, it can be read straight through for those individuals starting from scratch. For both the novice and the experienced Web creator, this is a very convenient way to access the how-to’s of Web development. O’Reilly also includes a URL and password allowing access to updates of these texts, free for one year. This is an excellent resource for anybody who works with the Web. It may not be as valuable as a library book/electronic resource, as it contains the sort of information individuals will want to have at hand, when needed. My advice: buy it and put the book on reference; give the CD-ROM to your library Web developer.-Elizabeth Caulfield Felt, Reference and Electronic Resource Librarian, Holland Library, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 991644610 . What Else You Can Do with a Library Degree: Career Options for the 90s and Beyond, edited by Betty-Carol Sellen. New York: Neal &human, 1997. 300~. $29.95. ISBN 1-55570-264-3. Archivist, art dealer, author, publisher, marketer, building consultant, business owner, salesperson, private eye, bookseller, association manager, fund raiser, image manager, and translator: these are but some of the career stories featured in this new edition of What Else You Can Do with a Library Degree. First published in 1980, only a few of the same authors appear in the revision, and those authors have updated the contributions. This collection of short pieces on alternative careers is one of many volumes on career choices for librarians. Only a few, however, have been published in this decade, and the Special Library Association has taken the lead by publishing works on this topic such as Opening New Doors: Alternative Careers for Librarians, edited by Ellis Mount (1993), or Extending the Librarian’s Domain: A Survey of Emerging Occupation Opportunities for Librarians and Information Professional, by Forest Woody Horton, Jr. (1994). Each of the 65 authors gives a personal perspective on his or her career. While many of the career stories are not really unusual, they all illustrate career choices involving work that is not located primarily in a library. The chapters are organized into sections as follows: l

Publishers,

l

Products and services for libraries;

writers, booksellers,

reviewers;

Independent

librarians:

on their own;

Independent

librarians

with companies

Association

work and work in the academic world;

Librarians

employed

Some librarians

of their own;

in the corporate world; and

who have traveled farther afield.

When reading through these often-engaging first person sto_ . ries about how career paths can veer, some recognizable themes in a career development or career change can be seen. These include the need for flexibility when one relocates, and the need to refresh oneself after 25 or 30 or more years of working in a traditional library setting. A number of the contributors are librarians of retirement age who have changed work environments, gone into consulting after a highly successful traditional career, or who simply are not ready to leave the field. These voices of senior experts are balanced by a number of contributors who have chosen, early in their careers, to opt out of the library as a workplace. Many of the writers recognize that any person’s career is unlikely to be replicated, but each career can serve as a guide to others. All the authors seem to be highly satisfied with their accomplishments, and confident that others would also find pleasure in the pursuit of a similar work environment. It is very useful to read, in each essay, about the reasons the authors decided to become educated in librarianship, why she or he wanted to work as a librarian in the first place, and why she or he made the choices which led to the current work environment. Especially intriguing are the essays by very nontraditional librarians. As one can tell from the section headings, technology is not emphasized in this collection of work choices. Neither is it entirely overlooked. There are some technology-oriented careers presented here-system vendor, expert in imaging, end user software developer, work with compact disks, and work in technology hardware corporations. Still, in the age of html and highly sought and highly paid information system positions, it is somewhat surprising that careers in programming, system or network management, Web authoring or Website management, or geographic information systems are not pulled together and featured in a section of essays. Instead, information technology work is reflected as part of the featured emphases on library vendors and companies, or on consulting. Actually, consulting (or selling information expertise in one way or another) may be the real theme of this updated edition. This volume would be very useful in any collection supporting a school of library and information studies. It would also be appropriate for any collection on careers, since it provides an excellent array of ways to use a degree in information managemerit.-Nancy Allen, University of Denver, 2150 E. Evans Ave., Denver, CO 80208 .

May 1998

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