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!

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!

Diploma happy dance!

My diploma came in the mail yesterday.  Hooray!  Now I can truly call myself a librarian.  All that’s left now is to find a job in a notoriously bad market, but I did it once; maybe lightning will strike twice.

The harridan or the harlot?

Lately I’ve been thinking about the general image of librarians in society. I suppose, however, I should say the images of librarians. There’s the stuffy, uptight, bun-wearing, finger-shushing hag on one hand, and then there’s the sexy, uninhibited, provocative Playboy-centerfold disciplinarian on the other.

Quite an interesting two-sided coin, isn’t it?

Much as I hate to confirm any generalizations, in a lot of ways I realize that I fit in nicely with at least some form of the traditional librarian image. I’m a mousy brunette, I wear glasses, I tend to correct other people’s grammar, and I read constantly. If you throw in the part about being the wife of a (soon-to-be) pastor, then that pretty much seals my fate as far as first impressions go.

Even so, I like to play with (and play off) that stereotype. Self-parody can be fun, and I can think of far worse professions for stereotypes. Lawyers, for example. Or DMV employees. Sexy librarian beats boring accountant any day!

In the clear!

I got an e-mail from my advisor tonight: I’ve officially been cleared for graduation!  I still have to wait for my diploma to arrive in the mail, but for all intents and purposes I have graduated.  If I wasn’t so tired from being at work all night, I’d probably celebrate.

Still, I don’t think it will truly become real to me until I hold the document itself in my hands.  At the very least, that will be the final step, and I’m eager to have every loose end tied up.  Then, I will most certainly party until I can’t remember why I’m partying anymore!

A prime, Grade-A (almost) librarian.

Well, my final grades are in. I have officially gotten straight A’s throughout my Master’s program and will in theory finish with a 4.0 GPA! The bad news is, I still have to wait until next month to be cleared for graduation, and then wait even longer until I receive my degree in the mail. Still, at least the suspenseful part is over. Now I can stop checking my transcript every hour and go back to catching up on all the reading I missed while I was studying…

I have to admit, though, I can’t wait to change the Education section of my resume from “Enrolled” to “Graduated”!

My first, shaky steps into a new medium…

As a (soon-to-be) neophyte librarian, I’ve started this blog to keep track of my thoughts and experiences. I will graduate from Drexel University’s online Master of Library and Information Science program in mid-December January, and I currently live in northwestern Illinois with my husband, Bryan.