A Roll of the Dice? Considering Professional Status in Determining Your Career Path

1- Short Session Description: Non-tenure track faculty, general faculty, professional staff; is it all just a roll of the dice? We will convene a group of panelists to discuss the merits and drawbacks of these different types of librarian positions and solicit feedback from attendees on their experiences. We will discuss how LIS programs do (or do not) prepare us for research-intensive positions and, in doing so, consider why there is so much variation among professional positions in this field. What are the challenges of switching jobs in this environment? Should we be pushing for change at the institutional level, and if so, what does that look like? This panel will consider these questions and more as we assess the impact of professional status in this field.

2- Session Style/Format: Interactive panel

3- Takeaways: Participants will share personal experiences with and consider the relative merits of different professional statuses in the library profession, and leave with an understanding of whether and how professional status should factor into their career plan.

4- Organization: We will initiate a call for participation for panelists to engage our audience.

5- Contact Information: Abby Flanigan, akf3g@virginia.edu and Sherri Brown, slb4kt@virginia.edu