Position: Reference/Government Documents Librarian (Laredo, TX)

Reference/Government Documents Librarian - Texas A&M International University

Hey, lookie lookie at this. This is my old job back on the market. Yes, it was in this very position that I was first exposed and learned the basic fundamentals of GIS. After I left Texas A&M International to work exclusively with GIS here at UT Arlington, this guy picked up where I left off, and he's now headed for Purdue.

Let me tell you a little bit about the university and city. Small, new campus, snuggly fit right up on the U.S.-Mexico border. The city and the university are predominantly Hispanic. Find a streetmap...Put your finger on route I-35...Run your finger down to exit 1. This is Laredo, TX. If you miss the exit...well, then make sure you have some pesos on hand.

Because this is a smaller liberal arts campus, the level of GIS assistance required is lower than campuses with strong graduate science programs or extensive GIS or geography programs. That means this position is a fantastic place for a librarian with minimal GIS experience to get that needed experience. It's also a great place to pick up Spanish. For you Labatt-loving Canadians out there, there is even an exciting hockey team in Laredo, the Laredo Bucks. Running across the border is always interesting, but just prepare yourself for the horrific poverty in Nuevo Laredo. It's a few hour trip to Monterrey, however, and that's a fun trip.

OK, enough reminiscing. Here are some snippets:

• Responsibilities: "Manages federal (32%) and Texas state documents depositories and geographic information systems (GIS) services"
• Qualifications: "Experience with government documents and/or government information sources. Familiarity with GIS systems."

This is a good entry-level position. The salary is also entry-level, but the extremely low cost of living helps to compensate for that.