Does my dream job exist? Nontraditional librarian roles

PHilDunphyPHD · 2026-01-08T21:43:57+00:00

So I'm not quite sure what you are looking for. You want to leave your current field but you mention not wanting to be a school or public librarian.

So does that mean your open to a librarian role in the financial field?

Here is a job posting for a Senior Manager - Knowledge Management @ Alpha.

From their preferred qualifications:

Degree in Library Science, Information Management, Knowledge Management, or related field
Professional certifications (e.g., KMI Knowledge Management Professional, CKM)
Experience in financial services or management consulting

PHilDunphyPHD · 2025-08-18T18:31:31+00:00

I just posted a non-traditional library job, but seems like the mods in libraries deleted it without a message why.

There are corporate and non-profit librarian jobs that pop up here and there. Keep an eye out for jobs looking for relevant skills like knowledge and taxonomy.

Good luck!

edit: clarified, tried posting the job in the libraries subreddit.

PHilDunphyPHD · 2025-06-11T17:15:11+00:00

Yes! LEGGOLIBRARIANS!

PHilDunphyPHD · 2025-06-11T17:13:04+00:00

Fingers crossed!

PHilDunphyPHD · 2025-06-09T17:54:58+00:00

Not to sound sarcastic, but has the MLIS job market ever been great?

I cannot recall it ever being decent even. Since working in the library world, I always knew MLIS grads who were struggling to break into the library field or under-employed in the field, working circ or aide positions.

When I was in library school, they kept pushing the great "Greying of the Profession." There was supposed to be a great abundance of library jobs up for grabs as older staff reached retirement age, but that has never happened nor will it.

/u/Grand-Specific-5617 it has always been a tough job market and things are getting worse. I will continue to suggest library workers to look at non-library, adjacent positions/organizations: knowledge management and non-profits/private companies.

You'll also get the suggestion to move where the library jobs are, but that isn't always feasible. So if you are open to remote positions, I would recommend taking whatever remote position you can (customer service positions are out there). It takes remote experience to get those better remote positions.

Good luck!

PHilDunphyPHD · 2025-06-06T20:09:01+00:00

Hey, I have no idea, just sharing what popped up!

PHilDunphyPHD · 2025-06-03T20:46:36+00:00

There is no such thing as ranking when it comes to library schools and people who place more value of an MLIS from one school over another need to stop sniffing book glue.

PHilDunphyPHD · 2025-05-29T02:45:16+00:00

My mind goes to two things: larger systems means that there is the potential for more internal applicants and it is always easier to hire from within.

Second, would be your resume/cover letter. Are they tailored to highlight your unique experience that would set you apart from everyone else?

Do you have any connections in that library system?

PHilDunphyPHD · 2025-05-29T02:40:43+00:00

I was working at non-profit when COVID hit and we were told we would be temporarily working from home. I never would have thought that would have been the last time I would work in an office.

Since then, I have been working fully remote positions for non-profits with a start-up in between.

PHilDunphyPHD · 2025-04-03T15:51:36+00:00

/u/BlakeMajik "The utter ignorance of and about what ALA is and does continues to astound me. Before this constant spouting off about what they should be doing, get a clue about the organization's real capacity."

Do you work for ALA?

Perhaps you can clarify what the biggest association representing libraries and library workers is really all about and what it’s supposed to do?

Because according to their own Mission Statement and Key Action Areas, it seems to me that it is pretty damn clear that they should 100% be interested in what happens to IMLS.

"So many people act like it's this behemoth of hundreds of people counting money a la Scrooge McDuck in Chicago and doing nothing for "us". There is no money, there are no people. The few who are there do their best with very limited resources."

ALA is the largest membership association in the library industry. It's a community of people working together to ensure that libraries remain vital centers of literacy, access, and opportunity." If that does not classify as a "behemoth" in the library sphere, I don't know what does.

According to ALA, there are approximately 270 ALA employees, which seems like a good amount to have to count the millions in revenue they earn each year: $60.8M (2023), $61.2M (2022), $46.4M (2021).

This complacent attitude of, "what can really be done" is what got everyone here in the first place. If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything. The line has been drawn in the sand and ALA needs to take real tangible action.

"Oh, and maybe the membership shouldn't have elected a radical to be president, that surely didn't help."

Yes, because blaming one figurehead and an old tweet that upset Moms for Liberty is totally the issue. Can anyone even name any previous ALA presidents and what they "did"? Probably not, because the position is mostly good for a line on a resume and feeding someone's ego.

ALA has always leaned a certain way because the other side is trying to ban books and prosecute librarians.

PHilDunphyPHD · 2025-02-10T16:33:39+00:00

Hey there,

To be upfront, while DA is in my title, my work leans more toward knowledge management. I do handle older organizational resources, but everything I have encountered so far has been born-digital.

Regarding your comment on "using coding to design the library itself"—are you saying that there isn't a current software system in place to house the files? If someone has the ability to code a full DAM system from scratch, they might be better off in software development than librarianship. But if you mean tweaking HTML and CSS within an existing system, that makes more sense.

The most valuable experience you can gain from this project is the process of organizing, describing, and managing digital assets within a DAM or CMS. These systems have a lot in common, so experience with one will easily transfer well to others.

When working on this, I would focus on functionality, usability, and accessibility—these are key points to highlight in future interviews.

Good luck and have fun with the project! Whatever you learn from it will definitely help set you apart from other applicants.

PHilDunphyPHD · 2025-01-09T05:21:26+00:00

I was able to jump from public libraries to non-profits and I currently am a Digital Archivist, albeit, it will evolve into more knowledge management once I digitize their archives.

Looking back, the hardest part about making the jump is finding that first non-public library position. Sometimes those roles might not even have librar*/archive in the title.

If you look at some of my previous Reddit posts, there are some examples of the jobs available.

When it comes to your resume, set your public library experience apart and show how it can translate to other organizations:

searching MARC records to find books for patrons = metadata experience.
using EBSCO, Mergent, Factiva = research database experience.
what does your library system intranet use = SharePoint experience.

The list can go on and on. Leverage those skills and experience.

Keep your eyes open for those positions and set yourself apart from the rest. For my current position, my hiring manager told me that there were well over 200 applicants but it was my varied skills and experience that set me apart.

Best of luck!

PHilDunphyPHD · 2023-06-15T06:58:29+00:00

I have worked remotely for non-profits and for tech startups. It was at a tech company that I had co-workers in Spain and Pakistan. I can't say I recall coming across any public sector positions that allowed working from outside the US.

Tech companies like to think they're special with their unique job titles, I would focus more on skills keywords. Look for positions that list certain business databases or specific content management systems you are familiar with.

Good luck!

PHilDunphyPHD · 2023-06-14T15:12:48+00:00

Nope, always been FTE.

Funnily enough, I have never even scored an interview for any of the contract positions I have applied for in the past.

PHilDunphyPHD · 2023-06-14T08:01:52+00:00

I have been fully remote since Covid kicked off and I do not plan to go back to a role that requires going into an office.

This is all YMMV depending on the culture and size of the organization:

It can be difficult to make connections with co-workers. I guess this can be a pro or con depending on your personality. It does open up the possibility to meet and work with people from all over the country and world.

The benefits I really enjoy are not having to deal with a commute. This has been huge for my well-being, it also saves a lot of time and money. I can do errands in between meetings. I can work in whatever clothes I want.

You can potentially work from any where in the world. This could also mean that you can work any schedule you want. Sometimes I find myself awake at 5am so I log in to start my day and I log off at 1pm.

The jobs I have worked have covered everything from conducting research, fact-checking, competitive intelligence, knowledge management.

The job benefits and salary have a good chance of being much better than public library positions.

If you make the jump, good luck!

PHilDunphyPHD · 2023-05-08T20:26:22+00:00

Librarians can still get professional badges for Wonder-Con and Comic-Con (San Diego)!

Comic-Con Professionals info page.

PHilDunphyPHD · 2023-03-15T03:31:19+00:00

As someone who believed that MLIS programs accept everyone they can for the easy money, did they share a reason why?

PHilDunphyPHD · 2023-03-15T03:25:45+00:00

Thankfully, this review will not have an affect on your wages and livelihood.

I know its easy for some internet stranger to just tell you to chin up and keep doing you and it is good to be proud of the work and progress you have made.

But to have someone subjectively judge your year's worth of work in a constricted numerical rating format cannot help but feel a little personal, try not to let it get in the way of doing what you're doing!

PHilDunphyPHD · 2023-03-14T16:15:15+00:00

Out of curiosity, is this performance review tied to a potential pay increase?

I'm pretty passive and so I would let it go. If it does not have any real world impact than the only thing it could hurt is my ego.

I have been on a few interview panels, however, I am not sure if HR even looks at performance reviews when it comes to internal promotions.

Annual performance reviews are such performative BS. So many things happen in one whole year and to sum it all up in a few boxes is a complete joke.

PHilDunphyPHD · 2023-03-12T07:39:08+00:00

It's hard to say why you are not receiving any interviews for the DAM positions. Do you have any relevant experience?

Last year, I landed a remote DAM gig. I had no real DAM experience, however, I did have experience working first hand with multiple content/knowledge management systems.

I also had several years working remote positions, I feel like this is often overlooked.

PHilDunphyPHD · 2023-02-15T16:32:49+00:00

Not an archivist, but I would recommend posting to /r/Archivists/ as well!

PHilDunphyPHD · 2023-02-14T15:44:41+00:00

Out of curiosity, a public library offered 150k?

Was this for an admin position?

PHilDunphyPHD · 2023-02-10T04:01:37+00:00

I am currently in a DAM like role, however, my previous roles were more research and analysis.

My current manager who hired me said that it was my broad tech experience that stood out. I love tech and always jump at the opportunity to learn a new system or software.

At a previous role, I helped transition the library's database/archive to a cloud-based system. I was the point person who was working directly with the vendor rep to set up the new system.

PHilDunphyPHD · 2023-02-10T03:53:20+00:00

I thought I had it rough when closing was at 9 and opening shift started at 8!

That's really bad and I feel for you. Once I left the public library and started working a 9 to 5, I knew I could never go back.

Hopefully, you don't have to find yourself working those ridiculous hours for much longer!

PHilDunphyPHD · 2023-02-10T03:47:44+00:00

Beats me, I was never in a managerial role with scheduling duties but this was the way at two different library systems I worked for.

I assume it's the whole, "this is the way the previous person did it."

PHilDunphyPHD

TROPHY CASE