#CPD23 Thing 10: Routes To Librarianship

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Ah...another reflective post. The 10th 'thing,' as part of the 23 Things for Professional Development program, covers a UK program by the name of CILIP - Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals. From what I can understand, CILIP enables those interested in librarianship to get their feet wet with a training program of sorts, enabling them to gain real-world experience before making the decision to pursue the coveted MLS degree. To my knowledge, the United States doesn't have such a program, so I am going to take this opportunity to talk a little bit about my experiences with librarianship, and how I've gotten to where I am now. I'm still on a journey, but it's good to look back and reflect on where I've come from. 

When my husband and I first moved to Indiana, it was during a time that I was really searching for what I wanted to do with my life. We had just gotten married, and I had just made the decision to not finish my degree in Piano Performance. Long-story-short ... I was tired of waking up every morning with uncontrollable nerves due to having to perform. So, the move to Indiana was a fresh start for both of us. My husband was beginning a doctoral degree with the IU School of Music, and I was starting fresh as well. During the year that we stayed in Bloomington, I worked as a substitute teacher and afterschool care worker for a number of schools within the system. One week, I had the opportunity to substitute "teach" for a library! I absolutely loved seeing the kids so excited about reading and information, and this planted seed had me thinking I wanted to start on a school library media track. I kept this hush hush for 2 years (even from the hubs)...

After a year, my husband won a position with an orchestra in the northern part of Indiana - so we moved. We spent a year where I did nothing but teach piano. It was rewarding...but I continued to keep the library idea in the back of my mind. 

After a year (do you see a trend?!), my husband started talking about wanting to finish his Doctoral degree that was started when we first moved to Indiana, so we made the decision to move an hour and a half south for him to finish with Ball State. Because of the move, I couldn't take my piano students with me, so I was unemployed for quite a while, until I finally got up the nerve to say something about this whole library idea. Keep in mind, I didn't have a bachelor's degree due to the decision to not continue in piano performance (I was a senior recital and a conducting class shy of finishing)...so the hesitancy really was due to not knowing what I would do to finish that initial degree. My husband was (and continues to be) extremely supportive and has always been my biggest fan... so he was all for me wanting to finish and start fresh. He never once questioned my decision (he's truly the best). 

So now, I had to decide what to do about the bachelor's degree, and I landed on finishing with Anderson University in their Adult Education Organizational Leadership program. It was the degree that would allow me to finish quickly, enabling me to move right into the MLS. I hated every second of that degree...but it has actually come in handy for much of what I'm currently doing ... but we'll get to that. 

So are you wondering yet where the whole library experience comes into play? It's coming I promise!

While going through the Org Leadership program, I was able to land a job as a Page. While this type of entry-level position may not seem impressive on the surface, I gained valuable experience in this job. I learned a great deal about the library collection and was also occasionally allowed to assist patrons in accessing materials and utilizing the library’s resources.

At the first opportunity, I applied for a Reference Assistant position. This allowed me to work more closely with the community, providing customer service through general library OPAC searches and online database searching. As a Reference Assistant, every patron question became an opportunity to improve my research skills, and also to develop my own reference style. This early experience of assisting patrons in their search for information motivated me to continue pursuing my bachelor's degree,  working towards a Master of Library Science degree, and ultimately a career as a librarian.  

In search of a full-time position, I accepted employment with a different library system about 45 minutes away. This eventually led to an Adult Services Manager position where one of my many responsibilities was establishing and enforcing circulation policies and patron service procedures. I was also responsible for collection development and acquisitions. Once I assessed the collection that included fiction, non-fiction, reference, and audio/video sources, weeding and modernizing the reference collection became my top priority. I gathered and analyzed monthly circulation statistics in order to determine the needs of the library community. Additionally, I maintained records of inter-library loan requests in order to further monitor the demands of the patrons. Balancing community needs with budgetary constraints was a constant struggle, but provided me with great experience. During this time is when I also began my MLS degree, working full time and going to school full time. I was a busy busy gal!

Along with my vision for customer service and reference, I also have a keen interest in technology, particularly technology that advances libraries into the digital age. Libraries are creating an online presence with Web 2.0 applications and interactive library websites. They are establishing digital resource collections that move beyond the physical library walls. Because of my interest and abilities in technology, I was asked to assume the Information Technology Manager position with the same library system. This new position gave me experience dealing with a wide variety of computer technology issues, developing and maintaining the library website, and performing monthly circulation statistical analysis. I also enjoyed the opportunity to teach computer classes, as well as one-on-one instructional sessions. Included among the topics for instruction were Facebook privacy and other social media platforms, digital photography, and Microsoft Office applications.  

So now, enter yet another move when I landed my current position. I am currently working as the campus librarian for a career college in northern Indiana. My job changes daily due to the nature of being a solo librarian with 1 assistant. If you're interested, you can read the exhaustive list of my job duties below:

* Faculty liaison to the Business, Criminal Justice and Nursing & Allied Health program departments
* Curriculum liaison and subject specialist for the Project Management and Gaming & Interactive Media programs, as well as the Computer/Keyboarding subject area
* Collection Development and Acquisitions for new Learning Resource Center materials
* Cataloging of new library materials
* Providing reference assistance to students and faculty, both online (via online chat reference service and email) and on ground
* Overseeing Interlibrary Loan processes and procedures
* Promoting information literacy through classroom library instruction sessions
* Developing workshops that contribute to success in the students’ coursework
* Member of the ILS Search Committee, Library Website Committee, and co-leader of the APA Guide Committee
* Managing and training a team of 1 assistant librarian and 4 work study students
* Maintaining monthly, quarterly, and annual circulation, reference and classroom instruction statistics
* Social Media coordinator for the Fort Wayne campus
* Staff and Faculty trainer for web 2.0 technologies 

In addition to what's above, I teach 3 sections of an Information Literacy course to students on ground, and online. It's a bit baffling to think that I haven't gone crazy yet with everything on my plate - but it has been a rewarding experience! It has truly enabled me to work within every realm of librarianship, and despite the frustrations, I'm grateful for the opportunity.

I'm not sure where I'm headed at the moment, but the journey has been fun and educational. Here's to a great many more years in the library world!