As saídas profissionais no Canada.

Tal como o Prof. Armando Malheiro e a Profª. Fernanda Ribeiro nos tinham dito....

( Lee esta é para ti :-) )

What do Information Professionals do?
A collection of vignettes from librarians, archivists and records managers describing their non-traditional work was compiled in 1996. To find out how the profession has changed in the last five years, we asked for feedback from the market again. We are not surprised to find that the role of information technology has taken the center stage. The digital age has opened doors to new and exciting opportunities.

The following are representative job descriptions from our recent graduates. We have also included career profiles of experienced professionals who have found cross-functional roles through their innovative and entrepreneurial approaches.

Information Systems Analyst
Research Analyst
Director of Continuing Sales
East Asian Studies Librarian
Government Archivist
Information Broker
Executive Director
Project Manager
National Sales Manager
Research Consultant
Account Manager/Sales
View other information professional profiles...

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In the capacity of Information Systems Analyst, I am involved in both functional and technical roles including systems analysis, design, development, testing and implementation. I participate in analysis of customization to applications and their infrastructure, determining business requirements for changes to current applications and suggesting appropriate technical solutions consistent with software and database standards.

The core competencies of the job require programming concepts and languages, knowledge of current IT standards and guidelines, knowledge of database technologies and specific application packages.

My job so far has been quite involving and I feel that FIS has prepared me well to take up the challenges of the position and have my presence felt...


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As a research analyst, it is my job to formulate research questions, gather data to support answers to these questions and then prepare reports with recommendations as to the implications of these findings. Formulating research questions is similar to the art of conducting a reference interview as often users are not consciously aware of the information need they possess. Gathering data could involve conducting secondary research using the Web or formulating an actual questionnaire that is then administered by telephone by market research interviewers.
Finally, it is crucial to remember this research ought always to be done with the aim of assisting decision making performed at a senior level of an organization.

In essence, a mentor of mine described research as the art of storytelling.


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As Director of Continuing Sales, I lead a team of regional account managers working with Endeavor Information System's customers. Primary focus is Endeavor's ENCompass system, a digital library technology.

As the Electronic Content Librarian, my formal job description states that I am to "maximize the value of Web access to library services and to the catalogue for users and staff" of Vaughan Public Libraries. Basically, this means I input, edit, maintain, and contribute to core library content on VPL's Web site (www.vaughanpl.com). I also serve as a member of our Information Services Team, with a regular stint behind the Information Desk.


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As the East Asian Studies Librarian, my principal responsibilities include: Assessing and developing scholarly print and electronic resources from and about East Asia; assessing user needs; designing and implementing service programs, including instructing students and faculty in the use of local and remote print and electronic resources, and providing reference service; collaborating with technical services staff to provide access to collections; consulting regularly with East Asian faculty


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As Government Archivist, I perform a variety of duties connected with the establishment of permanent national archives in the country.

Visits Ministries, Government Departments, Agencies and advises on government's policy and ensures that these policies are observed at all times.
Appraises value of official records and documents and recommends preservation or destruction.
Supplies information to government agencies, research scholars and students and assists them generally by making available specific historical documents and other related information.
Collects materials for inclusion in the National Archives.

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I have run my own information brokerage for the last 11 years. I would consider myself quite successful and I definitely enjoy all the different things I do. I only work 5 hours a week in a corporate law library where I log and catalogue materials.

Over the past decade I have done such varied things as competitive intelligence for an architectural mouldings manufacturer looking to expand his product line; document control for an international consortium creating a rapid transit system; attended academic conferences as the representative of a Dutch publishing company; written reports on post-socialist transition economies in Europe and future Canadian university trends; documented Y2K readiness of City of Toronto's infrastructure; genealogical, historical, legal and scientific research; and created annotated and standard bibliographies for both UN reports and academic publishers.

Some years I get to work from home and other years I spend most of my time in clients' offices. I am rarely in the same place two days in a row. I have clients in Britain, the U.S. and across Canada and have even had clients I have never met.


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My position is Executive Director of the Canadian National Site Licensing Project (CNSLP), a collaborative program of Canadian universities to provide expanded, equitable and cost-effective access to digital forms of research content for the Canadian university research community. I received my MLS in 1985, and worked until 1994 in an academic library in reference, collection development and information systems positions. In 1995 I began working as manager of a consortium of BC post-secondary libraries, and in January 2000 assumed the position with CNSLP.

The position differs significantly from traditional library positions, in that typically the consortium does not own or control the resources that are required to accomplish the collective goals. These fiscal and human resources exist under the control of member organizations, and my position involves providing the leadership and organizational underpinning for autonomous organizations to collaborate on vision, goals, and objectives, and then putting in place the mechanisms by which members will allocate their resources toward the collective enterprise.

My responsibilities include fostering the work of our Steering Committee and member committees; planning, implementing and administering joint programs involving over 60 universities and external funders; negotiating precedent-setting legal contracts with publishers; and developing grant applications. The work is about consensus building, relationship management, and accountable decision making processes that will hold up to scrutiny by government, funders, vendors and members.


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As Project Manager at the University Health Network, the new name for the amalgamated Toronto General, Toronto Western, and Princess Margaret Hospitals, I am responsible for getting a Virtual Library Project off the ground. Once that's complete, I hope to focus on integrating access to published resources with the electronic Patient Record.

After graduating from Dal, I moved to Ottawa to work at CISTI as part of the NSERC scholarship I'd received for my MLIS. It evolved into contract work with NRC, but I wanted something more permanent and wanted to live in Toronto. So I moved on to Spar Aerospace in Brampton, Where I was responsible for traditional library services as well as customer and competitor intelligence, as well as intranet administration.

After spending seven years there, I needed a change and wanted to work downtown where I lived. A very vague posting about a "virtual library project manager" at one of the downtown hospitals came across the SLA Toronto listserv. I knew the person sending the posting, so called her to ask about it. Without even applying, she called me back to arrange an interview. This is just one example of how volunteer involvement in professional associations can garner you a good reputation. They were looking for someone who was a professional librarian, with web experience and project management skills. I hadn't realized up until that point just how much I had absorbed working at Spar. Certainly I'd taken advantage of an I.T. void to teach myself web skills, but I'd also picked up a lot of project management skills without really realizing it. It's useful to think very broadly about your experience when revising your resume - you may surprise yourself - I certainly did.

So, I got the job. And I am now working on a library related project, but with the I.T. dept. at the hospital. I was reporting to the Director of Clinical Decision Support. The Virtual Library was a key first step in His strategy of being able to link "clinical evidence" to the electronic health record at the point of care. The project finished within 6 months, and I was left thinking, "what now?" Another library related project came up in the area of patient education, and setting up kiosks with multimedia Patient information and a web site at one of our member hospitals who specialized in cancer treatment. Again, a successful project, but, "What now?". I was not really a part of the core CDS team, whose efforts involved developing alerts and protocols for implementation in the patient information system, so still felt like the oddball who didn't get to play any of the "reindeer games" with the group.

Then the director left, and there were some subsequent staff departures. A number of initiatives need to be brought through the approval process and be project managed. Someone had to pick up the ball, and I was the only one available. I guess I did okay, because now I'm running the department, helping to set strategy, and getting involved in all sorts of clinical and hospital management initiatives that I had never in a million years seen myself being involved in when I took the job.


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Currently, I am the National Sales Manager, Corporate Online Market at LexisNexis Canada. After graduating with my MLIS, I did work as a newspaper librarian for 16 months but then went to work for an information vendor and have been there for over 6 years in a variety of roles - all of which allowed me to use my degree in ways that I didn't think about in school. As a Trainer asked to teach the service, I utilized my knowledge of boolean logic, competitive databases and how to find different types of information such as government documents or trade journals. I recognized how to appraise the information I was using and look at it for reliability and authority. In a subsequent position as Marketing Manager, I used my research skills to size up industries and markets. I have used my survey and statistical modeling methods to understand the marketplace and look for opportunities. During my time in sales, I appreciated the experience derived from the group work and presentations completed during the course of my degree. In short, I have found that although I am not a traditional Information Professional, I rely on the skills from my degree every day in ways that I did not imagine.


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I work as a Research Consultant at Russell Reynolds Associates, a top-5 global executive search firm. I headhunt financial services executives from the VP level up to CEOs and board members. Here's how I would describe what I do.

Lead Canadian research for senior executive and board searches in investment management, retail and wholesale banking, insurance, and merchant banking.
Involved with all aspects of searches from pitch through completion. Includes in-person and telephone meetings with senior executives as clients, stakeholders, and prospective candidates.
Apply sophisticated interviewing, analytical, active listening, and influence skills when identifying, contacting, screening, and developing prospects and sources.
Contribute and code content in our global knowledge management system.
Create business development briefings, proposals and presentations by conducting and analyzing media scans on corporate clients, prospects, and their competitors.
Craft 2-page job "specs" highlighting opportunities, and the competencies required for each.
Write 3-page evaluations of each candidate's competencies relative to these specs.
Prepare weekly reports on search status for review with clients.
Rely on expert knowledge of industries, inter-corporate ownership, mergers & acquisitions, corporate rebranding, and likely career paths, as well as the internal and external database research skills to identify, confirm, and flag duplicate individual and corporate records entered in our database at different points in their careers or corporate life cycles.

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The job of Account Manager/Sales for a vendor, such as Thomson Dialog, capitalizes on interpersonal and technical skills to support old and new customers including information professionals, knowledge workers, and any in a company or setting who require information for strategic decision making. An Account M supports all of these roles by providing information and products that take advantage of the electronic age, and identifying and customizing solutions for that particular setting. From providing one-on-one training to proposing an integrated solution for a Public Affairs department, this job requires tenacity, self-drive, a thick skin, strong customer service ethic, and strategic relational skills.








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