Heard of Ex Libris Association?
Have you heard of the Ex Libris Association? The Ex Libris Association is a Canadian national association for retired library and information professionals. I spoke with Ex Libris Association representatives at their exhibit.
An association for retired library professionals? I asked if I could join. With a quick wit, the representative said that I could join the Ex Libris Association, since it is an organization for any librarian who wants to retire some day. Sign me up!
We started to talk about how an association for retired librarians could benefit a new librarian, such as myself. There are three points that come to mind: (1) as a new librarian, I enjoy seeing successful librarians who have had long careers because it gives me something to look towards; (2) the association is able to capture "corporate knowledge" (i.e. the priceless experience of librarians who have seen changes in terms of services and tools); and (3) the association serves as a networking tool, since more and more librarians are set to retire. When I look at librarianship, I often wonder how librarians have adapted, and the Ex Libris Association has the stories that will inspire us and help us define our own career paths.
Let's talk name recognition. Being from SLAIS, I recognized the names of Sylvia Crooks and Basil Stuart-Stubbs in the Ex Libris Association's newsletters. (I researched early BC newspapers based on an essay by Basil Stuart-Stubbs as one of my first volunteer projects in library school). I only quickly glanced at one of Ex Libris Association's newsletters, so I am sure there are more names worth mentioning. As a young and upcoming librarian, I am constantly coming across references to retired librarians who still want to be involved in their communities. At the same time, I can appreciate librarians who want to retire after years of service, and enjoy other aspects of life.
Finally, ELAN, the Ex Libris Association Newsletter has a column on "How I Became a Librarian." I wish that I had known about this publication when I was first considering library school. I hope that Info*Nation (the CLA's recruitment web site) makes use of such columns because if you want to attract librarians, such as myself, then it is wonderful to see stories from librarians with decades of experiences!
An association for retired library professionals? I asked if I could join. With a quick wit, the representative said that I could join the Ex Libris Association, since it is an organization for any librarian who wants to retire some day. Sign me up!
We started to talk about how an association for retired librarians could benefit a new librarian, such as myself. There are three points that come to mind: (1) as a new librarian, I enjoy seeing successful librarians who have had long careers because it gives me something to look towards; (2) the association is able to capture "corporate knowledge" (i.e. the priceless experience of librarians who have seen changes in terms of services and tools); and (3) the association serves as a networking tool, since more and more librarians are set to retire. When I look at librarianship, I often wonder how librarians have adapted, and the Ex Libris Association has the stories that will inspire us and help us define our own career paths.
Let's talk name recognition. Being from SLAIS, I recognized the names of Sylvia Crooks and Basil Stuart-Stubbs in the Ex Libris Association's newsletters. (I researched early BC newspapers based on an essay by Basil Stuart-Stubbs as one of my first volunteer projects in library school). I only quickly glanced at one of Ex Libris Association's newsletters, so I am sure there are more names worth mentioning. As a young and upcoming librarian, I am constantly coming across references to retired librarians who still want to be involved in their communities. At the same time, I can appreciate librarians who want to retire after years of service, and enjoy other aspects of life.
Finally, ELAN, the Ex Libris Association Newsletter has a column on "How I Became a Librarian." I wish that I had known about this publication when I was first considering library school. I hope that Info*Nation (the CLA's recruitment web site) makes use of such columns because if you want to attract librarians, such as myself, then it is wonderful to see stories from librarians with decades of experiences!
posted by Jeremiah at 2:51 p.m.
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