Recruitment to the Profession

Join forces with ALA Divisions and associations across America in support of Job Shadow Day!
Volunteer to serve as a library coordinator or mentor.

On January 31, 2003, PLA, AASL and ACRL will join forces with other associations across America in support of National Job Shadow Day. Job Shadow Day, is now in its sixth year and the kick-off begins a year-long initiative that gives students across America the chance to "shadow" a workplace mentor as he or she goes through a day on the job. Young people nationwide will get an up-close look at how skills learned in school are put to use in the workplace. School, academic and public librarians will receive information and support from the three divisions to participate in the program as part of recruitment efforts association-wide.

The divisions will develop materials and promotions available on their web pages and at library conferences, beginning with the 2003 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia, to assist librarians in their efforts and hope to feature job shadow success stories in division print and web publications. It is anticipated that more than one million students and 100,000 businesses will participate in Job Shadowing 2003.

Some reasons to participate

By participating in the job shadow day program, PLA hopes public librarians will:

introduce junior and high school students to the profession of librarianship
help young people make the connection between academics and careers n encourage partnerships between libraries and young people
build an on-going relationship with the community you serve

Benefits

To help prepare the future workforce
To highlight career possibilities in the library profession
To provide an opportunity to deepen understanding and appreciation for the work librarians do.

Job Shadow Day Notebook - PDF File

Use the notebook to help you plan your JSD event. Print copies of the notebook are available free from PLA. Email: nwheatley@ala.org and provide quantity and mailing address information.

Job Shadow Day FAQ

Q. What is Job Shadow Day?
National Job Shadow Day is a nationwide effort to introduce young people to the world of work by giving them an up-close look at the workplace. Groundhog Job Shadow Day, now in its sixth year, will be held on January 31, 2003. This will be the national kickoff to a year-long initiative that gives students across America the chance to "shadow" a workplace mentor as he or she goes through a day on the job. This provides young people nationwide with an up-close look at how skills learned in school are put to use in the workplace. More than one million students and 100,000 businesses will participate in Job Shadowing 2003.

Q. Why was Groundhog Job Shadow Day started?
Many middle school and high school kids previously didn't have the opportunity to explore various career options first hand by visiting a workplace. In 1996, the first local Job Shadow Day was conducted in Boston. In 1997, the National Job Shadow Coalition was formed to encourage participation in a shadowing initiative across the United States. The goal was to help young people explore firsthand the skills and education needed to succeed in today's and future job markets, and to encourage the development of relationships between students and caring adults. Given the current economy, students need these valuable experiences more than ever.

Q. When is Groundhog Job Shadow Day?
Friday, January 31, 2003 is the kickoff to Job Shadowing 2003, a year-long initiative. Punxsutawney Phil may see his shadow on February 2 this year, but hundreds of thousands of employees will see theirs on January 31, as part of Groundhog Job Shadow Day.

Q. Why January 31st?
Why, Friday January 31 some might ask. Groundhog Day, February 2, falls on Sunday, and the consensus was to have the kick-off on Friday January 31 rather than Monday, February 3. Of course, what matters most is to choose a day that is convenient for students, teachers, and workplace mentors. Feel free to choose the date that works best. Remember, January 31 is just the kick-off to a yearlong Job Shadowing initiative.

Q. How is it different from other career education initiatives?
Groundhog Job Shadow Day gives kids a chance to explore various careers beyond what their parents may do for a living. Job shadowing also provides an opportunity for students in at-risk situations to be exposed to various career options they otherwise might not have the chance to explore.

Q. Does Job Shadowing make a difference?
A recent survey released by Junior Achievement (JA) indicates that American middle and high school students have unrealistic views of their future careers. Job shadowing is increasingly important for students because it acquaints them with the world of work through on-the-job experiences and a carefully crafted school curriculum that ties academics to the workplace throughout the year. In fact, according to the poll, one-third of students learned about career choices from job shadowing. (Check out the Job Shadow Coalition news release on the JA "Kids and Career" survey.)

How to Become Involved

Becoming involved in Job Shadow Day will only take a few hours of your time. If you are a library director, encourage your staff to become mentors, provide support to the effort, and publicize the initiative at your institution and beyond. If you are a library coordinator (the individual who oversees the logistics of your institution's shadow day), work with schools to identify interested young people, provide your library's staff with descriptions of participating students, develop an agenda for the day, and prepare a brief report and submit it to PLA upon completion of your shadow day. If you are a library mentor, review materials and make plans in preparation for the day, set aside part of your day to interact with your shadow, demonstrate and explain effective work methods, and help your shadow understand the skills and academics needed for the profession of librarianship.

Interested?

Let us hear from you! E-mail bmacikas@ala.org and let us know your institution is going to be involved. We encourage all librarians to start planning now for the 2003 Job Shadow Day!

A Job Shadow Planning Kit will be available from this web page soon. Questions about Job Shadow Day? E-mail bmacikas@ala.org