The Librarian's Skillbook

Book excerpt: Having the right skillset is essential for successful growth and advancement at every stage in your career. Regardless of your current level of experience and expertise, The Librarian's Skillbook, which reveals the 51 hottest, most sought after library/information skills in today's workplace, is your personal ticket to a new or enhanced career. Once you have selected the most important skills you need to advance your career, The Librarian's Skillbook unveils six surefire strategies for acquiring new skills or leveraging your existing skillset to obtain a promotion, find and procure your dream job or embark upon a whole new career. The Librarian's Skillbook also helps librarians, information professionals and other knowledge workers devise a customized plan to acquire the skills they need to move their careers to the next level and beyond. The skills presented in The Librarian's Skillbook are divided into six broad categories: Computer/Technical Skills Beyond Reference Skills Business and Management Skills Interpersonal Skills Attitude Skills Intangible Skills To help the reader follow through the process of developing new skills, The Librarian's Skillbook also includes a "Further Reading" section and a "Bibliography" which list additional resources where readers can learn more about each skill. The text also includes "This Skill in Action," presenting readers with a mini case study for most skills to help them visualize how that skill may be typically applied in the workplace. The Librarian's Skillbook is a road map for acquiring skills that make librarians and information professionals essential to their organizations. Readers may elect to pick and choose among the list of 51 skills to pursue those skills they deem most useful to advance their own careers. The Librarian's Skillbook is a must read for those students, librarians and information professionals who want to become more employable or improve their prospects for advancement.