Marymount University campus.
American Library Association and jobs The ALA, with almost 60,000 members, has a huge number of activities to get involved with, representing every library sector. There are a staggering number of groups covering everything from digital badges and tribal libraries to emerging technologies and teen mental health. Whatever your library niche, you’ll find it at the ALA. The ALA has national job listings, so it is a good place to start looking for US library jobs and get an idea of what is out there. The USA has a vast number of library jobs so narrowing down to a field of expertise or geograph- ical area will make the search more manageable. Once over the visa and work permit hurdle, the USA has vast opportunities for both work and study as a library and information professional.
My story
I moved to the Washington DC area in 2016 on my spouse’s visa. I had a great time volunteering for DC Public Library’s Special Collections, learning about the
December-January 2017/18
nation’s capital through the lens of local individuals and communities. With my Americanised CV and work permit approved, I secured a job as a part- time Special Collections Librarian at Marymount University, a small private University in Arlington, Virginia. In this newly-created role, my work focuses on acquiring new special collections materials which support the learning and teaching at the university.
I particularly enjoy co-teaching ses- sions with faculty using special collec- tions materials and introducing students to these types of materials often for the very first time. I am looking to develop primary source literacy based upon the ALA and Society of American Archivists guidelines. One of my least favourite tasks is environmental monitoring of in- sect traps because the insects, compared to the UK, are enormous in the Mid- Atlantic region!
Marymount University is part of the Washington Research Library Consortium consisting of nine
universities in the Washington DC area and represents a community of nearly 600 library experts. This means I have a fantastic resource of rare book librarians, conservators and archivists’ expertise to draw upon. Working abroad has definitely had its challenges but overall it’s been a hugely positive experience to work as a librarian in the USA. IP
Further information
CILIP International academic qualifications
http://bit.ly/2hmofey
US Department of State
https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en.html
US Citizenship and Immigration Services
https://www.uscis.gov/greencard/employ- ment-authorization-document
SAA-ACRL/RBMS Joint Task Force on the Development of Guidelines for Primary Source Literacy
http://bit.ly/2iIwz50.
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Working in the USA
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