Summary
“The
more things change, the more they stay the same”
When I began the SLIS program in August 2006, I thought I would never work in a public school again. I had miserable experiences as a middle school teacher. At the beginning, I aspired towards becoming an academic librarian. I figured these students would strive for achievement since they paid hard earned money for their college tuition. Since I struggled to find employment as a secondary English and Social Studies instructor at the beginning my teaching career, I intended to keep as many options in librarianship open. Therefore, I enrolled in generic courses that spanned across library fields such as reference, cataloging, and collection development.
As my first year of graduate study came to a close, I had a better sense of which direction I would pursue. After cataloging, where I labored to put correct headings and follow through on grammatical conventions for accurate MARC records, I realized the technical aspects of library work were not my cup of tea. I liked answering reference queries in person and online. Yet, I realized the traditional reference librarian position was becoming passé in the information age. After attending a SLIS job fair, I came to terms with the unlikelihood of initial being employed as an academic librarian. Not only did I lack experience, but the average hiring process spanned for approximately a year. I couldn’t afford to wait that long. At the same time, I slowly gravitated towards youth services. I first developed a change of heart once I read children’s literature for Library 261. During the summer, I applied and got a FILL internship at the Irwindale Public Library. I enjoyed every task from answering reference questions, setting up a library table at the Senior center, examining the collection for the worthy books for adults & children, assisting with the oral history project, completing paraprofessional duties such as shelving and working at the circulation desk, and assisting with the summer reading program. I could even handle cataloging if the circulation system included simple templates to complete the records. I even liked story time and reading to kids. The crafts, well I could do without those, but I recognized it’s an important facet of children’s librarianship. At that point, I figured I would start as a public librarian and work my way either towards library management or academic librarianship. I also began to come to terms with the reasons I quit teaching. The pressures of dealing with government mandates such as No Child Left Behind and discipling rebellious students drove me way from education.
I also confronted my technology demons through the course of this program. At the beginning, I only felt comfortable with Microsoft Word and online browsing. I succeeded in this distance learning program by upgrading my skills. I communicated with my classmates on the discussion board and Elluminate. I also submitted work through Blackboard. However, I found Library 240 challenging to say the least. Like cataloging, I struggled with details of XHTML and CSS coding for creating web pages.
It took 20-30 hours a week to finish most of the assignments. I got through the course due to the brilliant guidance of Mrs. Diana Bradley. I was even inspired to investigate other Web 2.0 applications after the course.
Towards
the conclusion of my studies, circumstances led me back to the public school
arena. At the CLA convention last November, my advisor strongly suggested I
obtained a school media librarian credential to become more marketable. I had no plans to return to a K-12 setting,
but the idea of covering my basis appealed to me. The bad economy had already begun to rear its
ugly head. I decided to enroll an additional semester to finish the necessary
coursework for the Teacher Librarian credential.. At
first, I wished I would have just earned an MLIS last May. Most public libraries required applicants to
have the degree on hand. In the end, I made
the better choice. I learned more about
technology than I could have possibly imagined in Library 233 with Dr.
Loertscher. I barely scraped on social
networks and wikis in Library 240, but they were the rage in this course. I
actually constructed a webpage without extraneous HTML coding through Google
Page Creator. I also created an I Google Page. Through my blog and class wiki,
I communicated with my classmates. Finally, I got a job as a school librarian at
With the end in sight, I look forward to opportunities in the field. However, like many new librarians, I will likely confront the realities of the current economy. Through the CLA Mentor/Protégé program, I will be better prepared to undertake leadership responsibilities at the school, public, or academic library. When I return from winter break in January, I will form an after school book club. I will attend a workshop on grant writing if one’s available. With this training, I will discover ways of obtaining more funds for library resources. Eventually, I will develop staff development training sessions and join school site council. If I end up at either a public or academic library due circumstances or by choice, I will aim for managerial positions. In the future, I hope to take on an active role in the library organizations. For example, I want to share my success stories as the leader of a session at a library conference. I would also like to write articles for publication in a well known library journal. I want to embrace all librarianship has to offer.
