Part-Time Work: Variations on a Theme

I came across an interesting initiative out of UC Hastings called the Project for Attorney Retention [http://www.pardc.org/ ]. This page includes observations from attorneys who have been working part-time inside DC law firms: http://www.pardc.org/LawFirm/real_life.shtml. Their comments echoed my conversations with yesterday morning's walking group that included two doctors and a career federal employee. We compared our four very different approaches to part-time work and those of others we know and were amazed by the great variety of schemes.

So many of us are trying to define this work-life balance thing and we're coming up with unique arrangements that allow us to care for our families as well as our professional responsibilities. These options aren't perfect and aren't available to everyone, but we decided that just the act of trying now will make it easier for the next generation to achieve a better balance. At least that's what we tell ourselves! What's your story?

Career Re-Entry Program At American University

Washington's American University has launched a Lawyer Re-Entry Program for attorneys looking to return to their careers after taking time off. See this link for the press release. What a great idea! We need something like this for librarians.

The announcement prompted me to do a quick search for information on career re-entry for librarians. I did find a Yahoo group for stay-at-home librarians (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/librariansahm/) and an article by Priscilla Shontz on staying professional active while staying at home (http://www.liscareer.com/shontz_activeunemployment.htm). Any other links and information to add here are welcome!

Thanks to Billie Jo Kaufmann, Associate Dean for Library and Information and Resources at AU's law school, for sending the link to LLSDC listserv.