Customer Reviews

Straight from the Stacks: A Firsthand Guide to Careers in Library and Information Science

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been wondering what it is like to be a librarian, and I wanted to know the diversity of the job. This book covers exactly that, as advertised. One of the things I really liked about the book was at the end of each chapter there was a brief synopsis of specific duties and requirements to specialize in that particular field. The personal stories were the most informative and interesting. This is a great book for beginners like me, and, I suspect, it would be interesting for experienced librarians as well.

This book profiles librarians in various work areas - public, academic, nontraditional, and management, among others. The librarians that were profiled talk about their jobs and various duties, and the education and experience that led them into their current position. I found it especially helpful that the author asked each librarian how they keep up with continuing education; regardless of the field they were in most librarians had similar responses (conferences and online discussion groups). This would be a good book not only for a library student but also library professionals who might be contemplating a career change. There are enough profiles here to read them through easily and see which types of librarianship you identify with.

Straight From The Stacks: A Firsthand Guide To Careers In Library And Information Science by Laura Townsend Kane (Head of Cataloging & Acquisitions, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Library, Columbia, South Carolina), is a very handy and "user friendly" introduction for library students, paraprofessionals, practicing librarians, and anyone else seeking to learn as much as they can about information service careers. Straight From The Stacks is a superb guide addressing a number of common questions ranging from "Where can I apply an advanced degree in library science" to "What experience and training do I need", along with sample job descriptions, firsthand career information from real librarians, required qualities for success in a variety of library-related jobs and more. No Library Science reference collection can be considered complete without the inclusion of Laura Townsend Kane's Strait From The Stacks!

Laura Townsend Kane, Straight from the Stacks: A Firsthand Guide to Careers in Library Science (American Library Association, 2003)

Straightforward, if somewhat dry, book about, as the subtitle tells you, careers in library science. Each chapter covers a different area of the field, giving an overview, interviews with prominent members of the field, and a short section of recommended qualifications. It's very informative, but there's no sense of flair, of style, to make the average reader want to read about this stuff, much less get excited about it. The enthusiasm of the interviewees is obvious from their words, but still somehow comes across as flat. Worthwhile as a reference book, but pick it up from the library to give it a once-over before buying it outright. ** ½