I guess that’s it!

Well, it was a fun adventure to try out my first blog, but I suspect it’s over now.  For one thing, I haven’t updated in over six months.  For another, well, I’m not really a neophyte librarian anymore.  I graduated a year and a half ago, and I’ve been working as a librarian for more than a year.  I’m hardly a veteran, but I would like to think I’ve moved beyond “newbie” status.

So it looks like this will be my last post.  Wish me luck in the future, as I continue on the path of decreasingly-less-neophyte-librarianship!

Seeing it from the other side

It wasn’t so long ago that I was striving to find a job at a library, but already I’m on the other end of the process.  I am part of a screening committee at work to hire a new library assistant, and yesterday we began interviewing candidates.  I can’t help but feel bad for all of the applicants we rejected, and it’s even harder to interview people in person when you know only one of them will get the job.  I still remember what it was like to hope so much to be hired, only to find out someone else was chosen instead.

Certainly I know that I have nothing to feel guilty about.  My job is to help determine the best person for the job.  There’s no reason the rest of the applicants won’t find something that will fit them even better somewhere else.  And finally, we’re being a lot more courteous in handling the process than many of my past would-be employers have been.  And I could tell some stories, there!

Still, it’s impossible not to empathize with every one of them–even the ones I only “meet” on paper.  Especially because I know exactly how hard it is to get an entry level job in the library field right now.

It’s like going to the animal shelter.  I can’t pick them all, but I sure want to!

Clearing some cobwebs and shooing away the crickets

So it’s been a few months since I last updated this, but that’s only because things have been going well.  I’ve settled into my job, I’ve put my “study the non-fiction section” plan into action (up to the 300s now!), and life is pretty much on track.

I had a happy moment the other night at the library, though.  A man came in looking for articles on a topic he needed to write a paper on for a class, and I showed him how to use the library’s databases to find what he needed.  I pointed out some particularly useful databases to his topic and explained how to narrow and alter the search to find more relevant articles.

As he left, he stopped to tell me that he could never have found any of the information he did without my help, and was glad he’d asked.  He explained that at one time, he’d assumed there was no reason anyone would need a Master’s degree to become a librarian.  More recently, he’d begun to understand just how much librarians need to know.

The relief and gratitude in his voice just made my evening.  It’s nice to feel appreciated, but it’s even nicer to feel you’ve made a difference to another person.  And that’s why I became a librarian!

Checking one off the list…now what?

It’s still a strange feeling for me to finally be working at a library.  For so long, getting a library job was constantly at the top of my “To Do” list.  Now that I’ve achieved that goal, I’m starting to realize that I need to come up with something new to work on.

One of my secondary goals has always been to write for the various communities that I’m part of, and my output there has definitely increased.  However, I’m also getting excited because I think this is the right time to put into action a plan I’ve had brewing for quite some time.  The objective?  Learn everything!

Okay, maybe not everything.  But some time ago I got the idea of going through the non-fiction section at the library near my house, starting at the 000’s, and picking books that interest me.  That would be my starting point to start learning more about a broad range of subjects, and delving deeper wherever I feel like.  It seems a little ambitious, but after all, I do need a new goal.

What can I say?  I’m addicted to learning!

Hooray! A job at last!

After doing various temp jobs in various states for…well, let’s just say for way too long, I finally have a library job.  Earlier today, I accepted a library assistant position at a community college library in the area.  I start there on June 3, which also happens to be Bryan’s and my anniversary, so I should get extra presents.  At least, that’s going to be my argument.

Here’s hoping I’ve retired the “Job search” category once and for all!

Interviews and kittens.

Well, I’m still working as a file clerk, but just this week I’ve had two different job interviews for libraries.  One was this afternoon.  It’s too soon to get optimistic, but I think today’s interview went pretty well.  I should hear back from either of them sometime next week.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed for good news!

Also, yesterday my husband and I adopted a kitten.  He’s seven weeks old and we’ve named him Bamf.  Yes, my husband is a comic book fan.  He’s incredibly furry and cute.  And so is the kitten.

Working, but not at a library–or is it?

I’ve started a long-term (12 weeks) temp position at a bank here in Omaha, and while it’s not at a library I think I’m getting a little practice in, anyway. I work in file retention, ordering files, checking them out to people, sending them back to the warehouse, and pulling and reshelving the in-house files.

At the very least, I’m keeping sharp on filing things according to alphabetical and numerical order. I’m also getting better at tracking down hard-to-find items and checking on overdue ones.

If only I could call myself a bank librarian, I’d be set. Oh, well–at least I’ve got a paycheck coming in while I wait for a library interview.

Moving is complete; now on to vacation…

We’ve successfully moved to Omaha, Nebraska, although we’ve yet to finish unpacking our (many, many) books.  Everything else is nicely on track, but right now I have more interesting things going on: a long weekend vacation in Orlando, Florida!

Okay, I’ll admit that it’s somewhat nerdy to be sitting in an Orlando hotel room (where the weather is sooo much nicer than in the Midwest) at a computer, but I am a librarian, after all.  Nerdy is what I do.

Even so, before too long I promise to get outside and enjoy the snow-free weather.  Even us stuffy librarians like fresh air and sunshine!

Now THAT’S a dream job.

Spanish Town to Pay Kids to Read.

I’ve got to say, if I’d had a deal like that when I was a kid, I’d be a very wealthy person today. And to think I settled for pizza through the Book It! program. Ahh, lost opportunities!

Library dance party!

Someone pointed this Youtube video out to me yesterday. I’ve never heard of the singer, and the song seems like your typical dance music fare, but it caught my interest because the entire video is set inside a library! It also features a (now virtually obsolete) card catalog, but I would think it’s there primarily to emphasize the stuffy and old-fashioned feel the video is going for.

Too bad more libraries don’t feature dance breaks, eh?

I was also amused to see that the video showed a guy being given the “remove your glasses and ruffle your hair in order to suddenly become super-attractive” trope. Usually (in movies, television, etc.) it’s a girl who’s at the receiving end of this “makeover.”