You are invited to participate in a survey that is part of a research project on library and archives professionals re-entering the field following a career break. This survey is open to professional librarians and archivists who meet the following criteria:
- Hold a formal credential in library, archival, and/or information science (e.g. Master's degree or equivalent from an ALA-accredited program, specialized certificate, secondary Master's, etc.)
- Worked in any type of archive or library (e.g. public, academic, special, medical, government, school) before their break
- Experienced a career break of six (6) months or longer for any reason
- Re-entered or attempted re-entry into the field following their break
The purpose of the study is to expand the understanding of librarians' and archivists' professional motivations and experiences of re-entering the field after a break in order to provide suggestions about how to improve the re-entry experience. The survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete, with an option to participate in a 45-60 minute follow-up interview at a later date. Those interested in participating in the interview will be asked for their emails, but this information will not be connected to survey results or shared out. All information will remain confidential.
Click on the following link to access the survey: https://tinyurl.com/uurentrystudy. Please complete the survey by May 6, 2024.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the principal investigators: Dorothy Terry (dorothy.terry@utah.edu), Teresa Hebron (teresa.hebron@mwdl.org), and Lorelei Rutledge (lorelei.rutledge@utah.edu). We very much appreciate your consideration of this study.
Best,
Dorothy Terry, Lorelei Rutledge, and Teresa Hebron, University of Utah J. Willard Marriott Library