robin1234

Just detail your degree in your cv, and explain in the cover letter, offering to do the transcript evaluation thing if you are shortlisted. Believe me, in the library field, foreign degrees and work-experience are usually highly valued.

My son is going in the opposite direction to you.. High school and college in the US, masters degree and now library qualification in the UK (Aberystwyth.). He works in a university library in England now.

Dewey

Hiya Mel, I got my MSc in Information Management from Sheffield Uni, married a USC, and am working as a reference librarian in a medical library in DC. I did not use a degree accrediting agency, and I can vouch from my experience that the ALA statement is factually accurate, both of the academic medical libraries I interviewed with accepted my UK qualifications without question. My first temp job after arriving in the US I got through TRAK library recruitment agency, in case I ever wanted to do some part time work I successfully applied for public library certification with the Commonwealth of Virginia library board on the basis of my Sheffield degree. I am also currently studying part time in the evenings for a Masters in Education, I did not need my Sheffield degree re-certified at the application stage then either. Where are you thinking of working? The MLA jobs website is a good place to look, and the state library association jobs pages are good. We've got a couple of openings that have just been advertized, feel free to send me a message and ask any questions.

scrubbedexpat099

SWMBO got her MLS at DU, she also has a Computer Degree.

A lot of Public Libraries are cutting back, as are schools.

Sarah

If you don't know about it already, this is the place to go for degree transcript evaluation. www.wes.org

MellD

Thanks for the TRAK tip - I'll be moving to Ventura County (north of Los Angeles) and I had previously looked into agencies there, but have since forgot about the possibility. I've already bookmarked the MLA site along with a dozen others. We won't be getting there until the summer at the earliest so I've got time to do (more) research.

(Deep inside I feel a bit annoyed that I have to leave my current job behind, I love my job! But I want to go home (can you ever go home) and so the job is sacrificed - hopefully I'll land on my feet).

MellD

Hi,
New article related this thread so I thought I'd post it here:
Assessing the Transferability of Library and Information Science (LIS) Degrees Accredited by the American Library Association (ALA) and the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP)
Dana Goblaskas
Library Student Journal,
February 2012
http://www.librarystudentjournal.org...e/view/279/352

Dewey

Thanks for that Mel. Some interesting stats from that survey, 38% of the librarianship grads who responded to the survey applied for library jobs overseas. The author argues that reciprocity of recognition of foreign qualifications in the US is limited by lack of communication with HR Departments, but this is only part of the story. Public library systems follow state law and this can sometimes be ambiguously worded, for example in Virginia the relevant statute of the Code of Virginia § 42.1-15.1. says that public libraries may only employ as a professional librarian someone with "a knowledge of books and of library techniques equivalent to that required for graduation from any accredited library school or one that requires graduation from a school of library science accredited by the American Library Association." The statue does not apply to publicly funded school, law, college, or university libraries in the Commonwealth. It would depend on whether a hiring manager interpreted the phrase "from any accredited library school" as meaning a degree from any library school subject to accreditation by any appropriate authority foreign or domestic (my italics) or whether they interpreted it to mean only degrees certified by US accreditors. The survey sample of 13 employers was too small to draw generalizations, but one should draw some consolation that only 3 respondents had explicitly ruled out foreign degrees.

MellD

I thought the first part of research was very interesting, comparing the content of the courses. It is reassuring to know that when I do find a job, and I will find a job, that once I get over the lingo barriers I won't be making a total fool of myself (though it wouldn't be the first time).
As for getting employers to recognise my degree...well, it's a mixed bag it seems, and perhaps I'm starting with a strike against me. But it's only one strike and you can't keep a good librarian down.
This has got me thinking though, that my customer service skills I learned growing up in USA have given me an edge in the uk in a field that has struggled to recognise the importance of good customer service. Have a nice day.

Dewey

I expect you'll be following the outcome of this lawsuit - if Simi Valley goes ahead and privatizes its public libraries there'll be a lot more competition for vacancies.

MellD

FOUND A JOB!!! woohoo.
Had the contract through on the same day I passed the written test for a driver’s license.
It is a posting doing lots of medical lit searching and they were even keen on my 'European experience'. I am both stoked and chuffed.
I didn't have to have the equivalency done, but I did have my application chucked out for at least one job because I did not have the eq done already and there were a number of postings that I didn't bother with because they made it clear they would consider an app w/o the eq done.
If another librarian comes along and reads this I’d recommend (along with previous recommendations in this thread) to check out local chapters of the MLA (register for a mentor), SLA (and national SLA), School Spring (if you’re a school librarian), and INALJ (which is where I saw the job advertised first). Also, check out the related groups on LinkedIn, I was skeptical at first but there is a lot of advice there (not that all of it should be followed).

So, thanks for all the tips and info regarding this – thought you all would like to know there has been a positive outcome.

Sally Redux

Fab

robin1234

Good Job
Just remember, buy shares in Reed Elsevier and that should be your retirement taken care of.

Dewey

Congratulations Mell, see you around at MLA sometime.

academiclibrarian

hello,
any uk-educated academic librarians here? i'm based in the uk and i guess the only way of getting a job at a US uni library is via employer sponsorship - has anyone managed to successfully find a job that way?

robin1234

Hard to see this succeeding. I'm retired now, but worked at a US college library for eighteen years. In that time I was involved in a few searches for librarians. In practice, we never considered anyone for the short list unless they were already living in the United States.