For Assistant Professor and Librarian Linda Miles, Ph.D., co-authoring “How to Thrive as a Library Professional: Achieving Success and Satisfaction” with Susanne Markgren was all the passion to help others discover and cultivate pathways to successful, satisfying, and thriving professional careers.
Combined, the authors bring over thirty years of experience to the page. Though Miles and Markgren have worked in different libraries serving in various roles, their different backgrounds, experiences, and skills have brought them together. Over the years, they have collaborated on developing a variety of professional development opportunities for students, job seekers, and librarians (both new and seasoned).
The concepts, exercises, and questions included in “How to Thrive as a Library Professional: Achieving Success and Satisfaction” grew out of their shared programming.
According to Professor Miles, part of the impetus for the book was to respond to what she and Markgren have observed in librarianship in recent years. “We have witnessed a growing demand for programming that assists people in seeking direction and meaning in their professions, adapting to new roles, going up for promotion or tenure, or simply working to find a job. But what if we took a more deliberative approach to cultivate a practice? What if we hit the pause button and really examined our own individual careers and aspirations, the paths we’ve taken to get to where we are, and the direction in which we are headed?”
Whether someone is planning to enter the field of librarianship or is a veteran, success requires conscious planning. With its big picture approach, this guide shows you how to manage your career to optimize professional fulfillment.
“How to Thrive as a Library Professional: Achieving Success and Satisfaction” was published by
ABC-CLIO, which describes the book as “a practical and straightforward approach to finessing your practice, with easy-to-implement takeaways. Covering topics that range from determining a career vision and cultivating relationships to using narrative to make connections and employing mindfulness, compassion, and self-forgiveness; this book will help librarians at all stages of their careers to take charge and forge their own way in the vast and shifting landscape of information science.”
About the authors:
Susanne Markgren is assistant director of the Library for Technical Services at Manhattan College, in Riverdale, NY. She has written articles, reviews, and chapters for a variety of publications, and is coauthor of the book “Career Q&A: A Librarian's Real-Life, Practical Guide to Managing a Successful Career.” She serves on the boards of local and national committees, associations, and consortia, and coordinates a mentoring program for a local ACRL chapter. She holds an MLIS from the University of Texas at Austin and an MFA in creative writing from Manhattanville College.
Linda Miles is an assistant professor and librarian at Eugenio María de Hostos Community College – City University of New York. She previously served as Public Services and User Experience Librarian at Yeshiva University, and began her career in the library of Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts in Education. She has published widely, most recently in
Urban Library Journal. She received an Early-Career Librarian Scholarship from ACRL (2017) and an IMLS Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Scholarship (2009–11). She holds an MLS from St. John's University and a PhD in theatre history and criticism from the University of Texas at Austin.