As I begin my LIS studies,
I do so with a strong awareness that while, in some ways, I am returning to
familiar ground, in so many other ways the LIS profession is very new
territory to me! I may have several years of library work
experience under my belt, but there is a great deal that I must learn (and am
looking forward to learning!) about professional librarianship – in
general, and for today and tomorrow. With that said, one of my first
and most important objectives for my studies is to let myself be a
novice. I don't name this goal because I expect to feel challenged
in this regard, but rather as a reminder to myself that while I come with
particular aspirations in mind, I may well find myself surprised by where my
studies will take me!
And those particular
aspirations, as I take my first steps down this career path? As I think
about where and who and how I've been over the years - skills that I've
cultivated in my personal and professional life, passions/patterns that have developed
and/or become apparent to me through my years of work and lifelong learning,
etc., I've become aware of the pattern that I noted in my inaugural blog post:
I feel a tremendous amount of satisfaction when I am able to help people
find the resources that they want or need in order to do whatever it is they
seek to do, whether it’s for the most specific of research or vocational
interests, or for the simple joy of recreation. In high school,
college and grad school, I often found it fun to help my friends think through
and find resources for their own projects and papers, and many of my work
settings – from the small town public library to the college writing center to
the community-based adult literacy program – have been places where I was able
to put that kind of passion to work, in service to individual and community
needs. Even my years in professional ministry have demonstrated this same
pattern – as a hospital chaplain my work often consisted of helping people to
tap into their own resources (spiritual, relational, congregational, etc.), and
my current role as a field educator is largely about connecting students to
great community resources for their experiential learning requirements,
interests and needs.
All of which is to say, I
am especially drawn to the public services aspects of librarianship (as opposed
to technical services), and I find myself especially interested in reference
services. And I’m also excited that in reference services there is a
place for me to serve the information needs of a great variety of individuals
and groups, while also feeding my own natural sense of curiosity at the same
time! I envision serving in the broadest setting possible – perhaps the
main library of a college or university, or a public library. In fact, as
I also noted in my first entry, I'm especially inspired by the possibility of
serving in the latter, because of the particular ways public libraries
contribute to both individual lives and the public good, without
discrimination, prejudice or privilege.
Our teachers, alums and more
seasoned students at SLIS have, from the start, encouraged us to think early
and often about our destinations once we've completed our
studies. And, in fact, LIS novices such as myself are also
encouraged to consider "personal branding"
as we shape our studies and our future careers. I am aware that there are
some who aren't the biggest fans of the necessity for this kind of personal
marketing in today's career world. But I actually find it quite
helpful, as I take stock of who I have been and imagine who I might become, as
a professional librarian. I'm glad to have experience with community
outreach and professional networking, which might help me to shape a career as
a public reference librarian, with the ability to network and cultivate
“embedded” community reference services. I’m also glad to have
professional experience that may afford me the opportunity to serve in a
focused academic setting (e.g., in theology or the humanities) – might that be
where I end up focusing my professional energies? I do intend to focus my
studies at SLIS in a way that allows me to explore more deeply my current
interests and the possible career paths they may lead to. But, I also
intend to explore, both in my course of study and in many other ways - e.g.,
reconnecting with some of my library companions from years past, making new
connections via professional associations (more on that in my next post!),
attending conferences (e.g., ALA 2013, right here in Chicago!), and staying
abreast of trends, via the LIS profession’s own information networks - to see
where else this new career path may lead!
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