OLA Conference 2018

Just got your MLIS and need professional experience? Burned out in your current job and ready to make a big career move? Working abroad might be the key to a brighter future.

Believe it or not, international jobs are often less competitive than American ones, and there is a shortage of librarians with an MLIS degree in countries without accredited library schools. There are opportunities for all types of librarians, and you can get academic library positions even if you’ve only worked in public libraries.

Meet Lara Phillips, a public librarian who became a reference librarian at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji from 2012-2015. She’ll describe the current international job market for youth and adult librarians, focusing on university and international school jobs that do not require foreign language skills. She'll explain the job search and hiring process and will give you the scoop on what working for a foreign library is really like. You’ll learn how to decide if a foreign job is the right move for you and what you need to know before you move if you get hired. Even if you're not considering taking a job abroad, you will enjoy this peek at the unique challenges presented by library life in the developing world.