Career Plan

Christine de Pizan, detail from BnF Français 603, Christine de Pizan, Livre de Faits d’armes et de chevalerie, Mutations de Fortune, f. 81v

My dream job would be to work as a special collections librarian for a library with a large late-medieval or early renaissance collection. As demonstrated by my academic background in medieval and renaissance literature, I have a longstanding interest and substantial knowledge base in the area. In this program, my current course work in the Digital Cultural Heritage course is giving me valuable experience in working with non-text historical archive collections and archival metadata in a historical preservation context.

Based on the job posting for a special collections librarian at Magdalen College, Oxford, to be more competitive for a position in a medieval and collection, I would likely need to gain further experience with a wider variety of digitization tools and procedures, as that is an increasing part of the work of special collections; become more familiar with physical conservation protocols for different materials; and gain more specific knowledge about historical archival metadata and content standards, such as Rules for Archival Description (RAD) and Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials (DCRM). Some of these skills can be acquired through personal research, like learning metadata standards, while others, like working with different digitization tools, could be acquired through volunteering for digitization work in various contexts.

Another career goal of mine is to work as a general reference librarian, preferably in an academic or government library. I have strong research skills and am good at finding and assessing reliable sources in a wide range of topics, both abilities which have served me well during my co-op terms, working with one of the Library of Parliament’s reference teams. Additionally, I enjoy being able to explore a wide variety of topics and being able to point people in the direction of accurate, high quality information.

Along with my research skills, I have also taken a course in this program on information literacy and, through the course I took on Open Access, I also have an understanding of the scholarly publishing landscape. Particularly in an academic setting, these would be important parts of a librarian’s knowledge base, as part of many librarians’ roles includes teaching information literacy skills to students and supporting researchers in navigating the publishing landscape for their field.

Based on the job poster for a research librarian at the Library of Parliament and the poster for a Teaching and Learning Librarian position at McMaster University, areas where I should work on gaining further experience are designing and delivering instructional content and familiarizing myself with subject-specific resources. To improve my teaching skills, I can get involved in volunteer activities that involve leading groups, like Girl Guides, and pursue learning opportunities beyond this degree like training opportunities offered in my current position, which have, in the past, included training on delivering specific programs for our clients. To familiarize myself with subject-specific sources, like the Canadian Patent Database or CanLII’s database of provincial and federal court decisions, I can practice independently, by assigning myself information to find using them.

For further details on my professional skills, you may consult my CV.