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September 26, 2004
Librarian/information professional temp agencies
As I've been searching for a job over the past four months, I've been finding more and more librarian and information professional temporary and job placement agencies.
I've known about, and registered with, Wontawk since before I started at Simmons (I found them when I was researching the masters program). They're based out of New York, but they also do placements in Boston, and they seem to be branching out to Chicago and other cities. They handle temp, temp-to-perm, and permanent placements.
I found out about InfoCurrent through their postings on the Special Libraries Association Job Index. They have locations in Washington, DC and New York City, but they place librarians, archivists, catalogers, records managers, indexers and more in many parts of the country. Most of the postings they have for the Boston area so far are for experienced business types, but they will keep your resume on file if anything comes up that suits your talents. InfoCurrent offers searchable listings as well as nifty tools such as a Salary Wizard, links to professional associations and continuing education information. They also place temp, temp-to-perm, or direct hire.
A very new player to the field is BiblioTemps, which specifically services central Massachusetts. Run by the Central Massachusetts Regional Library System -- very cool and innovative, a library system helping librarians find work, focusing on temp work -- BiblioTemps "will provide an essential service to members while developing an alternative source of funds to support ongoing services." They offer great resources for libraries looking for temps, including a map of their service area and necessary forms, and information for temps, like guidelines, timesheets, and a directory of Massachusetts libraries.
My most recent discovery is Library Associates. Their name recently started popping up in the LISJobs.com listings. Job listings on the site seem to indicate that they have national coverage, and that their coverage of positions is really broad, including "Fortune 500 corporations, law firms, libraries, government agencies, museums, archives and other organizations" for librarians, database managers, catalogers, and more. As a temp, you can register online through a *long*, but comprehensive, form. Off-site services are also available for clients who wish to outsource their projects, so you could be assigned an at-home project.
Quite the crop of librarian placement agencies. LISCareer.com recently posted an excellent article on the merits and downsides of temping as a librarian. If anyone has had any experiences with any of these companies, good or bad, let me know.
September 26, 2004 9:55 PM