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Special Librarian

See also specific types of special librarianship: business information specialist, health sciences librarian, law librarian

Practice Settings
Special librarians are employed in a variety of settings including both for profit and non-for-profit, including the following: corporations, professional and trade associations, universities, museums, hospitals, and government agencies.

Primary Responsibilities
Use information to advance the mission of the parent company. This is accomplished through a variety of services and activities: Reference & Research; Collection Development; User Instruction; Organization of and Access to External and Internal Information; Records Management; Competitive Intelligence; Marketing. See Competencies for Information Professionals for a more detailed discussion.

Recommended CLIS Electives
Students should consult with their advisors to select electives that best support individual intellectual interests and career goals. The electives listed here are not meant to represent the complete listing of all relevant courses that a student may take within CLIS, at other units on campus, or as part of the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area. In addition, the Web-based Information Science Education (WISE) Consortium may offer CLIS-approved courses that are relevant. The URL is http://www.wiseeducation.org/home_p-home.aspx, user name: md-student, password: test.

Professional Associations
SLA

Specialized Scholarships/Interest Free Loans
https://www.sla.org/content/learn/scholarship/index.cfm

Key Geographic Areas for Employment
Special librarians are employed in organizations throughout the United States and in other countries. See subject index for specific type of special librarianship and geographic designation in the Directory of Special Libraries and Information Centers, Detroit: Gale, annual.

Specialized Placement Services
InfoCurrent
Special Libraries Association – Career Connections