See also:

 

Get ready for your job interview

SLAISers-at-work

SLAISers volunteering 

 

Paid work experience:

 

In addition to participating in the activities of Library and Archival Associations, students at SLAIS have the opportunity to gain work experience.

 

• Arts Co-op  provides SLAIS students with the opportunity for 4 - 8 month placements with employers across the country and around the globe.

 

• InterPARES has traditionally provided Graduate Research Assistant positions to students who have completed ARST 510 Diplomatics. InterPARES II  is currently wrapping up and InterPARES III has yet to be announced. Archival students should stay tuned for future announcements.

 

• Professional Experience Course both MLIS and MAS students have the opportunity to gain 3 academic credits while gaining 120 hours of work experience (Joint students can complete both a library and an archival term and earn 6 credits). Students work with an organization on a specific project.

 

• Richmond Public Library hires MLIS students to act as on-call Student Librarians.

 

• UBC Library hires MLIS students to act as Graduate Academic Assistants in several branches of the library system including Koerner, Woodward Biomedical, Science and Engineering and Fine Arts. The positions are general posted through the general student discussion list with April/May being the busiest posting time. Sample job postings.

 

• Vancouver Public Library  hires MLIS students to act as Student Librarians for Sunday reference shifts. Hiring for these positions usually occurs in the Fall of each year.

 

 

Professional associations:

 

In addition to gaining work experience, students at SLAIS are encouraged to participate in professional associations. They often offer discounted (or free!) student memberships and being involved exposes you to many a networking opportunity, not to mention the chance to find out more about future career paths from working professionals in the know.

 

Archival

 

• Archives Association of British Columbia AABC

 

• Association of Canadian Archivists∞ ACA

 

• Society of American Archivists  SAA

 

Library

 

• British Columbia Library Association BCLA

 

• Canadian Library Association CLA

 

• Special Library Association  SLA

 

• Vancouver Association of Law Librarians  VALL (Offers free student membership for the first year)

 

Records Management

• American Records Management Association  ARMA

 

Other

• American Society for Information Science & Technology  ASIS&T

 

 

Student organizations:

 

 

ACA

• Colloquoia with guest speakers
• Fundraising
• Social nights facilitating peer mingling
• Student involvement in the professional archives community

 

 

ASIS&T Student Chapter at UBC

• Bringing together students involved in the information sciences from across campus!
• Developing programs and events of interest to our student body.
• Social, networking, and discussion groups.
• Career and educational development opportunities.

 

 

BCLA/CLA

• Professional development events
• Professional and peer mentorships
• Seminars, guest speakers, and other events to promote the diversity and dynamism of the library environment in British Columbia and the rest of Canada
• Tours of various libraries in the Lower Mainland
• Regular monthly meetings

 

 

SLA Student Chapter

• Networking with the local community of information professionals
• Guest speakers and library tours
• Technical skills workshops
• Occassional subsidies to participate in SLA events/conferences/etc.
• For more info for further involvement, contact one of the co-presidents:
  • Tania Alekson  [alekson@interchange.ubc.ca]
  • Niki Penz  [nikipenz@hotmail.com] 

 

 

SLAIS-CHLA Student Group SLAIS-CHLA Student Group

• Share information on events and involvement in the local health sciences community
• Networking amongst peers with shared interests
• Social nights at local watering holes
• Monthly meetings on campus

 

 Student government:

 

LASSA 

LASSA is your student organization. It provides representation and support for all SLAIS students. The LASSA Executive will be looking for first year reps for the MAS and MLIS programs in the fall. Participating in committees and helping out at LASSA events are alternate ways of becoming involved in this organization and adding vital volunteer experience to your resume. Visit us to find out more information.

 

 

 Alma Mater Society  (AMS)

The Alma Mater Society (AMS) is the main student society of UBC; as a student you are automatically a member. Based in the Student's Union Building (SUB), the AMS provides advocacy, clubs, entertainment, food and beverage service, and many other services to UBC students. Visit us for more information. LASSA sends one representative to sit on the AMS Council.

 

 

 Graduate Student Society  (GSS)

As a Graduate student at UBC you are a member of the Graduate Student Society (GSS). SLAIS sends three representatives to sit on the GSS council. In addition to lobbying and advocating on graduate students behalf, with the university and provincial and federal governments, the GSS offers many opportunities to meet other graduate students. As a member you are always welcome at the GSS councils monthly meeting (free food and beer). Watch the LASSA bulletin board and you email inbox for upcoming events. Further information about the GSS can be found on their website or you can speak to one of our GSS Reps.

 

Other Opportunities to Get Involved

 

SLAIS seeks student input and volunteers at various times throughout the year. For example, students have been invited to participate in selecting new faculty members and in the few past years, the School's Director, Dr. Edie Rasmussen, had held several open meetings with SLAIS students to elicit feedback. More broadly, there will be presentations, workshops, and colloquia throughout the year, providing opportunities for professional development and networking. Watch the SLAIS listservs for information on these events.

 

 

 Professional development:

 

SIRLS Podcasts

School of Information Resources & Library Science - University of Arizona

SIRLS records and podcasts educational events, guest speakers and other kinds of live presentations in order to share them with students, faculty, alumni and staff who are unable to attend. These recordings, which may include audio or audio and video combined, enrich the educational experience for SIRLS virtual students who cannot attend programs in person

 

 

Work permit info for International students:

 

There is a new Federal program allowing non-Canadian residents to obtain off-campus work permits. Students need to get a special work permit that must be mailed in to Vegreville, AB. The processing time varies from 2 to 5 weeks and you will not be able to begin work until you have obtained a permit. This off campus work program for international students is a pilot project this summer and it may be that Immigration Canada is still dealing with the learning curve with respect to their staff so expect delays.

 

One SLAIS student has pointed out that you must have been a full-time student for at least six of the twelve months preceding an

application for a work permit in order to be eligible. At UBC, you are considered a full-time graduate student if you are paying your

tuition fee by Schedule A.

 

Bottom line: apply for the Off Campus Work Permit before applying to a job if you are an international student at SLAIS.

 

Here is the Immigration Canada site regarding the program: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/study/work-opps.html#offcampus

 

Graduating?

 

Congratulations! Now it's time to start looking for your first "iCareer."

 

Library resources:

 

The Canadian provincial/territorial library associations run a job board at http://www.libraryjobs.ca

The American Library Association also runs a job site: http://joblist.ala.org

SLAIS runs a job list serve- details at http://www.slais.ubc.ca/RESOURCES/itlab/itlab-discussion.htm

You can post your resume and view job postings from the Association of Research Libraries at http://www.arl. org/resources/ careers/resumes/. This is primarily used by American employers.

 

Archives resources:

 

Sometimes job postings come out over list serves, like Arcan-L (details at http://www.mailman.srv.ualberta.ca/mailman/listinfo/arcan-l) and AMIA-L (Association of Moving Image Archivists- details at http://www.amianet.org/amial/amial.html. )

 

Everyone resources:

 

The Faculty of Information Studies at UofT runs an amazing job site- http://www.fis.utoronto.ca/content/view/1053/615// A lot of postings come out there for records managers, as well as librarians and occassionaly archivists.

 

Interested in work in the UK? Jolly good! Check out http://www.jobsforinfopros.com.

 

The SAA Student Chapter at Indiana University has compiled a good page for archivists and librarians alike: http://www.indiana.edu/~saarchiv/jobs.html.