What is the best approach for LIS careers events?

I’ve blogged about my experiences of delivering careers talks to university students recently here and written about my involvement in careers stories here.  Those experiences led to thoughts on how LIS careers can and should be promoted to university students.  I don’t know how LIS careers are promoted at most universities nor do I know that much about the work of careers services in general as I’m guilty of never having used mine, so I’m basing this post on very limited knowledge.

I was asked to speak about librarianship at an arts, culture and heritage event; at first I was critical of the choice to lump library work with arts and culture careers because information is much broader than this area. My first thought was that LIS is not just part of arts, culture and heritage but a sector of work in its own right.

However I’ve come to realise that including libraries in other less obviously and appropriately focused careers events is a good idea.

If the Library Routes Project has revealed anything to me it is that libraries are a career path many of us fall into by accident. So having a careers event just about libraries wouldn’t have worked for me.  Many of us didn’t consider libraries as a career until we discovered them somewhat by accident.  Whilst the sector specific event model works well for some professions; law, finance, engineering and even things publishing, I’m not sure it is the best way to promote LIS careers.  My experiences as a student lead me to suspect that sector specific events for librarianship would be far less popular because a lot of people don’t really know what it is all about or haven’t ever consider it as a career.  I probably wouldn’t have attended a careers event specifically focused on LIS when I was in my final years of university. But if I’d heard about it at a more general event it would have interested me and then I would have gone to find out more.

I was initially  sceptical of the placing of LIS careers in a seemingly random and inappropriate event but I’ve come to realise that adding library work into events with a broad focus is a really great idea.  From chatting to students at the event after I speaking I realised that in attendance were lots of arts students who were using the events to find out what careers options were possible.

Careers events which draw together a range of speakers representing a variety of roles which recent graduates are doing is the way forward.  When I delivered my talk I was part of a line up of recent graduates from libraries, museums, galleries, conservation organisations and the performing arts which is a good thing when it comes to highlighting the range of options available.   I would have loved to have attended an event in my final year which brought together former students from my department to talk about what they’ve done since leaving, as it would have highlighted the range of possibilities.

Of course there is a downside to the lumping of LIS in with all the possibilities of the careers spectrum.  The breadth and depth of LIS careers is difficult to get across fully when it is one person with a 10 minute slot.  Essentially there is a lot to cram in.  In my talks I’ve made an effort to get across the idea that most sectors have libraries or information professionals working in them and that it is a sector all of its own.

I’ve really enjoyed doing careers talks about would love to do more but I’m interested to know how LIS careers are promoted by careers services. Are the ways in which LIS careers are currently promoted is the best way to do it?

Answers on a postcard please!