Using the Life Course Perspective to Study Library and Information Science Careers

This article provides an overview of the life course perspective as an approach to studying work and careers, and outlines the ways in which it was used by the Workforce Issues in Library and Information Science 1 (WILIS1) survey to capture the context of LIS graduates' career choices, transitions, outcomes, and perceptions over time. We describe the types of analyses that can be conducted when a survey instrument is grounded in the life course perspective. We will argue that the approach taken to understanding individual lives in a broader social context implicit in the life course perspective is particularly appropriate for studying library and information science careers using either or both quantitative or qualitative measures. As such, we can add the life course perspective to the wide range of theories from the social sciences that can be used as frameworks for examining issues of importance to the field.