Tag: library

Librarian Up For Grabs

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I’m currently in an interesting position with my career. I finished my graduate degree in August and was hired as a Reference Librarian the week I graduated. It was amazing, really, and I was fully aware of how lucky I was. The job, while supreme, was temporary, but that was okay. I felt like it was meant to be.

And it has been. I truly have loved every moment of working as an academic reference librarian. I now know that I was right to get into this field, as I finally feel at home. However, my time with the position is about to end. If I could stay here, I would in a heartbeat, but I can’t. So now comes the big question – what do I do next?

When you hear “librarian,” I’m sure most people just assume they’re the people who check books out. Right? Wrong. There’s so much more to the profession. For instance, as a reference librarian for a college, I teach classes on how to find scholarly information, I create reference guides for majors and minors, I answer research questions, and I work with students to assist them in completing their papers. There’s more, but that’s the basics.

As it turns out, being hired as a librarian (and not simply a library aide or clerk) was a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it gave me more experience than I could have dreamed of. A curse because now I want to stay one, with only so much experience. Many libraries hire librarians with years of experience – I have but a handful of months.

So now I’m at a cross roads. I’m about to end this job, and search rapidly for another. I’m not sure what will happen, and that part scares me. But I also know something will come up. Something perfect. Something that screams Lauren! and will help me on my professional adventure.

It Starts

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Every time I get a new job, I create a blog post titled “it starts.” I have quite a few. I guess that says something about my career choices.

Today was my first day as a librarian. I’d like to say that it was mind blowing and awe-inspiring, but I can’t. It was just a first day afterall. I can say, though, that I felt at home. And that’s far more than I’ve ever felt at a new job.

The building is beautiful, with cathedral ceilings and exposed beams. There’s an elevator to navigate the four floors, but it’s more fun taking the old, wooden staircase that creeks when too much pressure is applied. The top two floors smell like pages waiting to be turned and leather bindings. I can’t help but smile when walking by.

The bottom floor has remnants of a card catalogue and expanding shelves that move when buttons are pressed. The combination of magic and weathered documents creates a Harry Potter-esque experience, that leaves you wondering which decade it is, exactly.

It was my first day, so aside from the mountains of paperwork and technical setups, I learned the computer system and met my co-workers. I started preparations for a presentation i’m performing, and set up my adorable office*. I’ll start real work tomorrow. And to be honest? I can’t wait.

I can’t wait to start teaching classes to students on how to find viable articles. I can’t wait to sit at a reference desk and answer questions. I can’t wait to help students find books. I did some of this before while working at the bookstore, but I feel like that was just practice. An introductory level, guiding me to this new challenge.

And in the end, I hope it’s the last time i’ll type “it starts,” because for once, I don’t want it to end.

*After getting my degree, I wanted to buy the above poster for my first office. Sadly, it’s only made as a bookmark now. Sigh. I’ll patiently wait for it to be available again.