Partners' Week 2010-11

School of Library and Information Studies, University of Alberta

Signing Up

Students who volunteer for the Partners’ Week Committee will get the first chance to sign up, about a day before everyone else!

Each student can sign up to meet with one or more professionals each term. Each professional will take one student for one day (usually 2-3 hours) during Partners’ Week.

The sign-up sheets are divided into 3 binders, for Special, Academic, and Public libraries. These binders will have a page of information on every professional who has volunteered to host a student this year.

You can sign up for a visit in either November or January when the sign-up sheets are made available. After two days, you can sign up for additional meetings with other professionals.

To sign up, find the page of information about the professional you want to visit. If no one else has signed up for them, write your name and the week you want (November or January) at the top of the page.

Note the dates and times that your professional is available!

Once you sign up, contact the professional (by phone or email) to arrange a specific time to meet.

What To Expect

The Partners' Week experience varies widely depending on which professional you visit, and what setting they work in. Your visit may be similar to job shadowing, or the librarian may have set aside some time just to chat with you. Here are some tips to prepare for your visit:

  • Treat this like an interview: dress and behave professionally. (But have fun, too!)

  • Look into the company or library you are visiting before you get there. Get familiar with the basics of what they do.

  • Think about some questions you might have for this professional: What is an average day like for them? What is the best part of their job? How did they choose their field? Do they have any advice for students?

  • Send a thank you email or note to the LIS professional that you visited!

Past Student Experiences

Here are some comments that students have made about their past experiences with Partners’ Week:

Not only did the librarians share their jobs with me, they also shared their career stories with me. I was deeply appreciative of their time; I learned a lot and came away feeling inspired."

Partners Week is a wonderful opportunity to explore library settings that you would not necessarily be exposed to."

I learned about alternative careers in librarianship and how much is out there."

I enjoyed Partners’ Week because it gave me a chance to talk to "real" librarians and hear from the horse’s mouth what it actually is like. My partner was so chatty and friendly and she arranged for me to meet many of her colleagues so that I could hear about their experiences and ask many questions. Their enthusiasm made me really excited about librarianship! All in all I thought it was a great opportunity and look forward to this year’s Partners’ Week!”

It was good to hear about how the librarian defined her role as a researcher and and became indispensable in the context of a private organization whose focus was not on providing library services.”

As a part-time student, I've been able to participate in Partners' Week several times. Each experience has been unique, informative and valuable. Of course, I'll be signing up this year too!"

The Partners' Week experience was beneficial to me because I was able to get an inside look at what managing a public library was really like. I had a general idea of the type of tasks that would be involved before my visit with my partner, but afterwards I had a real sense of the type of responsibilities that one would have on a more day to day basis, some of which was a lot different than what I had expected!”

I really enjoyed it when my Partner bought me lunch... on the company credit card."

I liked the Partner's Week because it gave me a chance to learn about aspects of library work that I hadn't had any experience with yet (research, etc.). It was also interesting to here about the path that led my partner to librarianship (and to her specific job). But, the most valuable aspect of the afternoon was her advice and encouragement - she showed a genuine interest in my perspective and ideas, and then gave me lots of great ideas and support.”

I really enjoyed Partner's Week because I got to hang out with an important lady at the U of A Libraries for an hour or so. We had a good chat, and talked about different job prospects.”

I really enjoyed Partners' Week. It gives a sense of what a librarian is actually doing in a particular job and provides a great opportunity to ask lots of questions. It was fun."

I had two really great Partners' Week job shadowing opportunities. At the time, I hadn't had any previous experience working in a library, so the program provided me with some useful and necessary insight. For example, I shadowed a librarian who conducted an instruction session at Grant McEwan college. I realized how important it is to gain concrete skills in instruction (eg: to be able to hold the attention of a room full of students!). Because of that experience, I decided to register for Dr. Julien's instruction class this fall. Also, both librarians treated me like a colleague, which was really nice!”

I learned a lot about how my partnered librarian needs to supervise other workers and manage her own time and projects."

I found Partners' Week a great opportunity to experience library settings that I was curious about."

Past Professional Participants

The professional LIS community has always been very supportive of Partners' Week. The wide range of positions represented by these professionals includes:

  • Public Librarian
  • Public Library Manager
  • Academic Librarian
  • Head of an Academic Library
  • Cataloguer
  • Archivist
  • Audio-Visual Archivist
  • Chief Librarian for the Edmonton Sun
  • Law Librarian
  • Health Librarian
  • Business Librarian
  • Sales Representative for CanEBSCO Subscription Services
  • Children’s Services Librarian
  • Youth Services Librarian
  • Special Collections Librarian
  • Crown Librarian, Alberta Justice
  • Medical Research Librarian
  • Technical Services Librarian
  • Reference Librarian
  • Media Librarian
  • Librarian for Museums Alberta
  • Metadata Librarian
  • Records Management Supervisor for ATCO Gas
  • FOIP Specialist
  • School Librarian
  • Access Services Librarian
  • Project Coordinator at TAL
  • Librarian at Alberta Education
  • Librarian at Alberta Agriculture, Public Works, Supply & Services
  • Librarian at the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission
  • Caritas Health Group Librarian
  • Library Consultant for a Regional Library
  • Librarian at the Alberta School for the Deaf
  • Education and Content Specialist at the Centre for Health Evidence

We are grateful to all of the LIS professionals who have volunteered!

Getting Involved with the Partners' Week Committee

The Partners' Week Committee's first meeting is in early September. This a great time to put your name forward as a volunteer.

If you volunteer for the Partners’ Week Committee, you get a great perk: you get to choose which professional you want to visit before any other students get a crack at the sign-up binders!

Work on the Partners’ Week Committee usually does not involve a big time commitment. You can sign up for tasks such as making a speech in 501 or 504, hanging posters, or sending out email reminders.

We also need a first-year student to co-chair the committee each school year. Again, the time commitment is not huge, and it looks great on your resume.