I am applying for a job at Duke University, in the library. This job interests me greatly because it is exactly the sort of position I have been training myself for. It is a position that I know I am qualified for and that I know I could make a worthwhile impact in. My chief concern is lack of networking opportunities.
I do not and have not attended Duke and have no networking contacts in Duke (my closest contact is a graduate of Chapel Hill). Since I also do not live in North Carolina at the moment, I know these two things (distance, lack of name association) will be working against me during the application process. For that, I can only let my accomplishments speak for themselves. If they don’t convince the administrators that I will fill the role properly, nothing else will.
However, one other thing the lack of networking makes difficult for me, going in, is a personal knowledge of the university and it’s library system. Knowing who the important people are and what the important points of the university’s culture are. I have the information from my own research of the institution, but that is not the same as personal knowledge.
Does anyone here work for Duke University, or is anyone here familiar with its library system? I would like to speak to someone who knows the current situation of the Duke University libraries, who knows the active people, the potential trouble spots. As I said, I’m not looking for someone to boost me up in the application process. My own accomplishment must do that. I would just like an idea of how the Duke University libraries are from the inside, who the main people are, and if there are any current points of interest or trouble effecting the library system as a whole.
I know someone who works in the library (and am checking to see if she’d be willing to chat with you!) Having some familiarity with Duke, though, my general impression is that the library system is huge and who/what is relevant would be dependent on what you’re applying for.
I also know a librarian who’s recently moved from NCSU to UNC, if you find any jobs to apply for there and want intel :)
Thanks for the info. I’m actually looking into the other schools in the region as well (both UNC and NCSU have jobs I’m researching) and preparing a few more applications. I definitely would not mind some info before going in!
I’m applying for the Head, Humanities Section and Librarian for Literature & Theater Studies. It’s a supervisory job and, from what I understand of the job posting, I’d be moving around between libraries a bit as supervisor and liaison. However, I suspect I’ll be stationed mostly in the main library, William R. Perkins, or possibly with Literature & Theater (which I think is Friedl).
Duke University question:
I am applying for a job at Duke University, in the library. This job interests me greatly because it is exactly the sort of position I have been training myself for. It is a position that I know I am qualified for and that I know I could make a worthwhile impact in. My chief concern is lack of networking opportunities.
I do not and have not attended Duke and have no networking contacts in Duke (my closest contact is a graduate of Chapel Hill). Since I also do not live in North Carolina at the moment, I know these two things (distance, lack of name association) will be working against me during the application process. For that, I can only let my accomplishments speak for themselves. If they don’t convince the administrators that I will fill the role properly, nothing else will.
However, one other thing the lack of networking makes difficult for me, going in, is a personal knowledge of the university and it’s library system. Knowing who the important people are and what the important points of the university’s culture are. I have the information from my own research of the institution, but that is not the same as personal knowledge.
Does anyone here work for Duke University, or is anyone here familiar with its library system? I would like to speak to someone who knows the current situation of the Duke University libraries, who knows the active people, the potential trouble spots. As I said, I’m not looking for someone to boost me up in the application process. My own accomplishment must do that. I would just like an idea of how the Duke University libraries are from the inside, who the main people are, and if there are any current points of interest or trouble effecting the library system as a whole.
I know someone who works in the library (and am checking to see if she’d be willing to chat with you!) Having some familiarity with Duke, though, my general impression is that the library system is huge and who/what is relevant would be dependent on what you’re applying for.
I also know a librarian who’s recently moved from NCSU to UNC, if you find any jobs to apply for there and want intel :)
Thanks for the info. I’m actually looking into the other schools in the region as well (both UNC and NCSU have jobs I’m researching) and preparing a few more applications. I definitely would not mind some info before going in!
I’m applying for the Head, Humanities Section and Librarian for Literature & Theater Studies. It’s a supervisory job and, from what I understand of the job posting, I’d be moving around between libraries a bit as supervisor and liaison. However, I suspect I’ll be stationed mostly in the main library, William R. Perkins, or possibly with Literature & Theater (which I think is Friedl).