Explore Careers

Library and Information Science is a dynamic and growing field with a multitude of career options available. Furthermore, an LIS degree is regarded as beneficial and necessary outside of the traditional library and information field.

While not exhaustive, the following lists provide information and resources in a wide variety of professional LIS areas, both traditional and nontraditional, to assist in exploring this extensive field. In determining specific competencies needed to fulfill your academic and professional goals, GSLIS students and alumni are encouraged to explore job advertisements (available through the GSLIS Bulletin Boards and Career Central Electronic Job Board), to get involved with GSLIS student organizations, and to utilize GSLIS advising resources.

General Careers

Professional Organizations

• ALA (American Library Association)
• ILA (Illinois Library Association)

LIS Job Listings

• LISJOBS
• LIBgig
• Library Job Postings on the Internet
• Libjobs.com
• JobLIST
• MLS Jobs
• NSLS Jobs
• Career Central Electronic Job Board (login required)
• LibInfoSciJobs on Twitter

General Career Listings

• The Career Center's I-Link. Students can search for internships, employment opportunities, as well as sign-up for interviews, and view a full calendar of career programs and events.
• The Career Center's Job and Internship Listing Database. A database of the mega-job search engines organized and searchable by industry.

Academic Libraries

Professional Organizations

• ACRL (Association of College and Research Libraries)
• ARL (Association of Research Libraries)
• EDUCAUSE

Job Listings

• Chronicle Careers
• HigherEdJobs
• EDUCAUSE Jobs

Public Libraries

Professional Associations

• PLA (Public Library Association)

Job Listings

• CPL Jobs
• USA Public Libraries on the Web (search specific library websites)

Youth Services / K-12

Professional Associations

• AASL (American Association of School Librarians)
• ALSC (Association for Library Services to Children)
• YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association)
• ISLMA (Illinois School Library Media Association)

Job Listings

• Center for Children's Books - Youth Services Jobs in the LIS Field
• Illinois School Library Media Association Job Links

Special Libraries (health, law, music, art, theological)

Professional Associations

• SLA (Special Library Association)
• AALL (American Association of Law Libraries)
• Medical Library Association
• Music Library Association
• ARLIS (Art Libraries Society of North America)
• American Theological Library Association

Job Listings

• All professional associations listed above provide job listings
• Military Libraries
• News Library jobs

Non-Profit / Government / Community Informatics

Professional Associations

• Government Documents Round Table (GODORT, ALA)
• National Council of Non-Profits

Job Listings

• Community Informatics Initiative Career Resources
• Idealist.org
• USAjobs.gov
• Making the Difference

Corporate Libraries and Information Centers

Professional Associations

• SLA (Special Library Association)
• SCIP (Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals)

Job Listings

• SLA Job Bank
• Pro Libra
• Wontawk
• Heller and Associates

Digital and Information Technology

Professional Associations

• ASIS&T (The Information Society for the Information Age)
• Association for Educational Communications and Technology
• LITA (Library and Information Technology Association)
• Polaris Library System
• Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)

Job Listings

• LITA Job Listings
• Job Target (ASIS&T)
• ACM Career Center

Special Collections (rare books, archives, preservation, conservation, museums)

Professional Associations

• SAA (The Society of American Archivists)
• RBMS (Rare Books and Manuscripts Section)
• AAM (American Association of Museums)

Job Listings

• SAA Employment

Data Curation

Professional Associations

• ASIS&T (The Information Society for the Information Age)

Job Listings

• The University of Texas School of Information Job Web
• Job Target (ASIS&T)

BioInformatics

Professional Associations

• MLA (Medical Library Association)
• AMIA (American Medical Informatics Association)
• ICSB (International Society for Computational Biology)
• International Society for Biocuration
• DCC (Digital Curation Centre)

Job Listings

• Bioinforamtics.org Job Forum

International Librarianship

Professional Associations

• IFLA (The International Federation of Library Associations)
• Listing of Library Associations Worldwide

Job Listings

• ALA Listing of International Library Positions
• LISJOBS.com International Job Postings and Job Exchange Programs
• Peace Corps, University of Illinois Peace Corps Recruiting Office Events and Information

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