Being a new professional isn't always easy. With the range of roles available to information professionals becoming ever more diverse, the variety of required skills and knowledge is also growing. New professionals often find themselves in a role where they are expected to acquire and use new skills rapidly. In a time when budgets are being reduced, it is unlikely that all of these learning and development needs will be satisfied by formal, workplaceprovided training, and staff are increasingly expected to be responsible for their own training and development.

This toolkit is designed to help you through this transition – from settling in to your first professional role to managing your career development. Packed with case studies from new and experienced professionals, the toolkit will give you new perspectives on library and information science (LIS) work, and guide you towards the resources and information you need to help you grow professionally.

This book is aimed primarily at newly qualified librarians and archivists who are in their first professional roles. Students, trainees and those interested in a career in the information professions will also find it useful, especially if they wish to prepare themselves for what might be expected of them in their first professional role and tailor their professional development accordingly. Established professionals may also find useful information or exercises, especially if they are moving into a new role, or coming back to the profession after a career break.

Building on the experiences of both new and established professionals, this book contains contributions not only from the UK and the USA, but also Canada, the Netherlands, Greece and Australia, and from a wide variety of sectors, including academic, public and law libraries; archives and special collections; and specialist information providers in a number of environments.

There is practical advice about how to get your library or archive service online, tips on digital preservation and project planning, and information about external funding sources and how to apply to them. Learn how to carry out a skills audit to find out what you need to learn and what training you need, then discover how to make the most of your formal and informal learning, and apply it in the workplace.