Costly Omissions:
Employment Barriers for Experienced Librarians,
in particular with foreign training

Case Study B
By Muhammad Afzal, Librarian

Here is my story:

I migrated to Canada with 10 years of professional experience in a university in Pakistan, where I served as Assistant Secretary of Pakistan Library Association (PLA).  I have been editor for PLA Bulletin and PLA Journal.

I landed in Toronto and started my struggle to find a position in a library. I visited OLA office in downtown Toronto, paid my membership.  I called Brent Roe, then President of OLA and librarian at York University, visited him to find out job opportunities.  I found him very professional and brilliant professional. I took his advice and started planning to go to school to get an ALA accredited MLIS degree. I struggled with odd jobs to make my living and got offer from Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS.  I joined Canadian Library Association as a student.

I completed my MLIS degree from Dalhousie and moved back to Toronto.  I applied for various positions in Canada but could not get a job.  The frustrating part of that struggle was not having any interview calls.  I joined Yorkdale Adult Learning School for volunteer placement opportunity in a library.  I got volunteer placement at the Environment Canada Library in North York that was extended to a contract appointment. I remember during that entire period I sent targeted applications for about 112 positions in Canada.  During my job finding struggle, I also volunteered at CLA, OLA and CLA/ALA annual conferences.

The most painful part of my struggle was not having any luck for even a temporary position in an academic setting.  One interview call from a school library, one from a college, and one from a public library out of more that one hundred applications.  In the mean time I got my Canadian Citizenship that opened another door for me to apply in the United States.
Out of less than ten applications I received 3 interview calls fro the US, appeared for 2 interviews and accepted first offer for Head of Collection Services from Cameron University Library, Lawton, Oklahoma in 2004.  I joined Oklahoma Library Association and served as Chair Technical Services Round Table of Oklahoma Library Association.  I  worked at the City of Lawton Public Library in Lawton Oklahoma. 

Here are some of my “PROFESSIONAL/ VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES” in Oklahoma Library Association:
•	Chair, Technical Services Roundtable (TSRT), Oklahoma Library Association (OLA) 2008
•	Presented on “Weed Whacking in the Academic Library: Deselection for Academic Librarians” at the annual conference 2008 organized by the Oklahoma Library Association, 2008
•	Participated as an expert in “Cataloging Road Show” at the annual conference 2008 organized by the Oklahoma Library Association, 2008
•	Organized annual workshop on “LC/ Dewey Smackdown” as Chair Elect Technical Services Roundtable (TSRT) of Oklahoma Library Association, 2007 
•	Presented on “Weedwhacking: demystifying deselection” at the Oklahoma Library Association (OLA) annual conference, 2007 (named as highly attended session of the Conference)
•	Presented on “Bring IT to Your Library: Electronic Resources Management Software (ERMS)” at annual workshop organized by Information Technical Roundtable (TSRT) of Oklahoma Library Association 2006
•	Presented on “Collection Management: Condition Evaluation and Deselection” at annual workshop organized by Technical Services Round Table (TSRT) of Oklahoma Library Association, 2006 
•	Presented on “Electronic Resources Management (ERM) Products and Services” at Fall meeting of the Serials Interest Group for All Librarians in Oklahoma (SIGALO), 2006
•	Attended Oklahoma Library Association (OLA) Conference – Oklahoma and presented a poster session on “Radio Frequency Identification System (RFID): implementation in an academic library, 2005.

I do not have any suggestions, just wanted to say there are very talented professionals migrated to Canada and are living without any professional opportunity.  They need an opportunity to contribute in the Canadian Nation building.