Professional Resources

Associations:Students in GSLIS participate in professional associations. To encourage professional growth and engagement, the Lucille Chernack Professional Development Fund will refund up to $35 of any student's first-year student membership in an LIS professional association. Appropriate memberships include:

• National associations such as the American Library Association (ALA), the American Society for Information Science & Technology (ASIST), and the Society of American Archivists (SAA) set ethical and professional standards, and disseminate up-to-the-date information about developments in the field through journals, conferences, and online media.

• State and regional associations such as the New England Library Association (NELA), the Rhode Island Educational Media Association (RIEMA), and the New England Chapter of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL/NEC) offer excellent opportunities for networking and involvement.

• Student chapters of American Library Association (ALA) and Special Library Association (SLA) work with allied groups and with GSLIS faculty to organize and promote events and services for GSLIS students.

For a wider sample of associations, see http://www.uri.edu/artsci/lsc/Career/libassoc.html GSLIS students advance their careers by serving as officers, working on committees, and presenting at conferences, from the local to the international level.

Internet: Blogs, listservs, wikis, and other social media will link you to the here and now in the professional community. To stay current in a rapidly evolving field, every information professional needs to become a lifelong learner. Find your favorites, and get into the habit.

Mentoring: Our new database of mentors, currently under construction, is a joint venture with RILA, RIEMA, SLA/RI, and OLIS. It will link aspiring students and job seekers to experienced professionals. For a student view, visit our Mentors Database use “student?as your userid and “gslis?as your password. Would you like to serve as a mentor? Please visit http://www.uri.edu/artsci/lsc/Academics/forms.html for the “Mentor Information form?(bottom of the page) ?we appreciate the professional generosity of our colleagues.

Continuing Professional Development: GSLIS professional development events are planned for students, graduates, and the general public, and are announced on the GSLIS blog and listservs. The Annual Gathering each spring, a series of mentoring events, and a variety of workshops have been co-sponsored by RILA, RIEMA, and SLA/RI. Other opportunities for professional development include:

• NELINET/Lyrasis: http://www3.nelinet.net/. GSLIS is an unlimited member of NELINET/Lyrasis, which offers a wide array of workshops and other services. If you are a GSLIS faculty member or student and wish to participate in a NELINET event at the reduced rate, please contact Maria Brady (brady@nelinet.net/ 508-597-1945) and mention your affiliation to obtain a username/password for registering.

• Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC): http://www.nedcc.org/home.php

• Rhode Island Office for Library and Information Service (OLIS): http://www.olis.state.ri.us/ A frequent GSLIS collaborator, OLIS maintains WebJunction Rhode Island, an online professional commons.

Job Lists: The GSLIS maintains a list of New England job opportunties for library and information professionals. To meet the needs of our students, alumni and fellow professionals, this joblist is now available for ATOM syndication. For more information on posting a job to our list, please view our guidelines. Scroll to the bottom of our joblist page for links to other listings nationwide.