David Shumaker, professor at Catholic University of America’s School of Library and Information Science, has announced a new survey of federal government librarians on alternative and traditional career paths. Here are highlights of the announcement:

The Alternative and Traditional Careers for Librarians and Information Professionals Survey is now available!

…

We are seeking input from anyone working for a Federal government agency in any role, either as a contractor or a Federal employee, who has a background in library and information science. It is designed both for those in traditional library organizations and job classifications, and those in nontraditional career paths.

The survey has 20 questions and should take about 10 minutes to complete. By participating, and encouraging others to participate, you’ll be helping to show the variety of ways that librarians are contributing to our Federal Government, in both alternative career paths and traditional library services.

…

If you have questions about this research, please contact David Shumaker, Clinical Associate Professor, Catholic University of America, at shumaker@cua.edu or 202-319-5551.

Marie Kaddell of LexisNexis has just released Best Practices for Government Libraries 2012: Pushing Boundaries:  Mobility, Community, Accessibility [PDF]. Marie, 2012 Past Chair of SLA/DGI, edits the annual compilation of content submitted by government librarians and community leaders with an interest in government libraries. On her Government Info Pro blog, Marie reports “the 2012 edition includes over 70 articles and other submissions provided by more than 75 contributors including librarians in government agencies, courts, and the military, as well as from professional association leaders, LexisNexis Consultants, and more.”

Contributions cover benchmarking, career planning, international work, open government, public libraries, public records, records management, and social media.

Articles and guides contributed by DGI members include:

• Pushing Boundaries: From Collections to Service, by James King, Information Architect, National Institutes of Health Library
• An Online Community Is Born: NIC’s National Jail Exchange, by Connie Clem, Managing Editor, National Jail Exchange, Principal, Clem Information Strategies
• Gaining Management Skills through Professional Association Leadership, by Kim Schultz, Marketing Research Analyst, Affinion Loyalty Group
• Reaching Out to Tribal College and University Libraries: A Project to
  Provide Interior Library Resources and Services, by George Franchois, Director, U.S. Department of the Interior Library
• Planning for the Worst: Disaster Preparedness and Response in Federal Libraries, by Aileen M. J. Marshall, MA, MLIS, Reference Librarian at the U.S. Department of Transportation

An e-book edition of Best Practices is in the works.

The Library Journal recently featured an article on the NewFeds, a group of librarians and information science professionals beginning federal government careers. LJ’s 8 August 2012 article New Feds Working Group Supports Librarians in Government describes the group:

New Feds has more than 100 members across the United States and some international members as well, including some at military bases, [co-founder Jessica] Hernandez said. The organization is a working group of FEDLINK, the Federal Library and Information Network, which is a part of the U.S. Library of Congress. …

Blane Dessy, the New Feds mentor and executive director of FEDLINK, has been providing strategic support to New Feds, and called it an “amazing group.” He said he has been impressed by the ways they use new technology, the creative approaches they bring to their work, and the new perspective they bring to federal libraries. “It’s so exciting to see that much talent and enthusiasm in this group of young librarians,” he said. “That is very infectious, so they are a good role model for others in our organization.”

Congrats to NewFeds and co-founders Aimee Babcock-Ellis and Jessica Hernandez on the coverage! DGI was fortunate to have NewFeds Leia Dickerson and Tanya Whippie speak at the division’s annual meeting at SLA Chicago this year.

Follow NewFeds at http://newfedsinfo.wordpress.com/ .

NewFeds: You’re all invited to expand your networking world with the SLA Government Information Division. Join us!

The Federal Library and Information Center Committee (FLICC) has announced a new working group to foster the professional development of new U.S. federal librarians. According to the April press release, the New Librarians Working Group (NewFeds) “will support the development and advancement of early career professionals with less than five years of federal service.”

NewFeds is also concerned with promoting careers in federal libraries. To that end, the group is hosting a free webinar called Careers in Federal Libraries: Meet Some NewFeds that is open to all. The webinar will be held on Thursday, 12 May 2011, from noon to 2:00pm EDT. If you would like to attend the webinar, you must register at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MS2LW2K.

A Presidential Memorandum issued 11 May 2010 directs federal agencies to overhaul their processes for recruiting and hiring civilian employees no later than 1 November 2010. A press release from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), OPM and OMB Announce Unprecedented Hiring Changes, explains the plan. OPM has also set up a web page at http://www.opm.gov/hiringreform/ for news and guidance. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Peter Orzsag blogged about the memorandum and need for change, pointing out that it can sometimes take 200 days for an agency to hire an employee under the current process.

A message from the “Coaching & Mentoring” panel at the upcoming annual conference:

As part of the presentation on Coaching and Mentoring Federal Librarians at the annual SLA conference in New Orleans, the members of the panel are interested in finding out a bit about mentoring and coaching experiences within SLA.

Even if you are not attending the conference or attending but not planning to attend this session (although we hope you will), we would like to hear from you. Even if you are not a federal librarian, we would like for you to participate in this survey. We are interested in seeing what experiences people have had with organizationally sponsored mentoring/coaching programs.

We’ve set up an informal, non-scientific 10 question survey at this link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/P5JM9D5. Please take a few minutes to fill out this survey. We will discuss the results on our presentation on 14 June in New Orleans. Thanks again for taking the time to fill this out.

Coming to the SLA 2010 annual conference in New Orleans in June? Check out the DGI schedule and remember to update your conference planner so you don’t miss any of our exciting sessions!

Here is just one of the Government Information Division programs that will give you a good return on time invested:

Coaching and Mentoring Federal
Librarians
10:00 A.M. – 11:30 A.M.
Convention Center, Room 222

With the increase in technology within libraries, such as numerous
online indexes, databases, and the Internet, librarians are expected to
have knowledge of them, and become specialists in all types of resources
available from their library.  Coaching and mentoring programs have
resulted in increased work performance and enhancement of job skills in
the corporate and non-profit world.  Speakers from the Government
Printing Office and Justice Department will look at how these programs
have been successfully implemented in some federal libraries, helping
staff become better at their jobs, and therefore, provide higher quality
service.

Speakers: Nancy Faget (Moderator), U.S. Government Printing Office;
Carole Ramkey, Library of the Marine Corps; Jane Sanchez, U.S.
Department of Justice; Susan Westenbarger, ASRC Management – EPA
Headquarters Library

Lead Division: DGI; Co-hosting Division: DMIL
DGI Gold Sponsor: LexisNexis

USAJOBS.gov unveiled a new look and new features yesterday. The site’s new home page has one search box, like Google. Improvements in search include the ability to filter search results by numerous criteria and to change those filters without having to re-do the search. When displayed, a job posting can be shared via Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social networking sites. The bottom of the home page features links to information for specific audiences: senior executives, students, veterans, and individuals with disabilities.

The ‘veterans’ link on USAJOBS leads to a new site launched by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on January 21st called Feds Hires Vets. From the press release:

This website will help ensure Veterans, transitioning military service
members, their families, HR professionals, and hiring managers receive
accurate and consistent information regarding Veterans employment in
the Executive Branch.

The Labor Department’s Veterans Employment and Training Service website has information and resources for veterans seeking employment outside of the government. Labor also manages a site for employers called HireVetsFirst.

OPM’s main site has a Job Seekers page with information for all potential employees and employees looking for other jobs in the federal sector.