There are a multitude of career options for those with an MLIS. John DiGilio, the Librarian Relations Manager with Thomson-West, stressed that with an MLIS/MLS, “the sky is the limit.” His presentation was one of six given at the spring seminar of the Special Library Association San Diego chapter (SLA-SD) on Friday, April 8, 2005. The seminar titled “MLIS: The Key to Unlocking Your Unlimited Potential,” was about alternative career choices for those holding an MLIS, MLS, GLIS, or MSLS degree. Working in vendor relations with library or information center librarians is one option, as library science degree holders have a common jargon and inside knowledge on the concerns of librarians.
Each presenter had about an hour and followed certain talk guidelines. The guidelines suggested that they tell us some of their background and how they got to where they are in their career. This was very useful, as knowing something about experiences and training that led to their current career choice helped to understand the personality fit and attraction to their particular alternative to working as a librarian in a library.
Aimee Fitzgerald, Director of Prospect Research at Pepperdine University, spoke to us about Advancement Research. This is fundraising. Universities and non-profit organizations need fundraisers. Public libraries need to do fundraising. There is a lot of online research involved. People in this career research people and organizations. The organization associated with this career is the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement (APRA), whose members follow a code of ethics ensuring privacy and confidentiality of entities they research. She provided us with fictitious examples of the kind of reports she provides to her employer.
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