U.S. News and World Report says that librarianship, albeit underrated, is one of the best careers 2009. Thank you for validating my career choice, U.S. News and World Report.
http://www.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2008/12/11/best-careers-2009-librarian.html
After reading that, head over to the Annoyed Librarian's take on this article:
http://www.libraryjournal.com/blog/580000658/post/1940037994.html
Saturday, September 19, 2009
I may not be an explorer, or an adventurer, or a treasure-seeker, or a gunfighter but I am proud of what I am...I am a librarian.
When I first heard Rachel Weisz drunkly proclaim her pride over being a librarian in the 1999 movie, The Mummy, I laughed...and didn't think anymore about it. As a seventh grader, my plans were to become a lawyer, get elected to the Senate and be one of the most powerful women in Washington D.C. The idea of choosing to be a librarian seemed hysterical. It wasn't like I hadn't been exposed to the libraries or reading. On the contrary, I had been going to libraries since I was a newborn. My grandmother owned a bookstore and was her church's librarian. My mom, a public school teacher turned homeschool instructor, dutifully and joyfully took my brother and I to the library at least once a week. For a family that lived at least twenty minutes from the nearest library, that was an enourmous feat but she did it. During the summers, I participated in summer reading programs. Since I started reading at a relatively young age, I never knew a life without books and as a natural extension of this, I never knew a life without libraries. I even volunteered at the public library during the fall and summers but I would be distracted by all the fun books that would come across my path while I shelved. Also, my eyes would get tired of staring at the tiny numbers and letters while I sorted the books in the appropriate spots. Being a young preteen, I assumed this was all librarians did and anytime my mother would suggest this career path I would stubbornly shake my head and refuse to even consider the idea.
Because to me, though librarians were fun, nice, and helped cultivate my love of books, I just thought they sorted through books all day and that seemed very boring to me. Once my mother returned to work force as a librarian assistant at our local library, my determination to NOT become a librarian was reinforced. I didn't want to be librarian because everyone would just say I was one because my mom was. I kept this line of thought until I was well into college and majoring in history.
Now, I love history. Always have. When I was in 4th grade, I remember reading my history textbook as nighttime reading. As a teenager, I would read historical fictions by the truckload. My particular favorite period during my teenage years was the Russian Revolution and English history. When I reached college, I discovered a new branch of history that I had never valued before...Southern history.
Just for clarification and for those of you living outside of the U.S., the "South" are these states: Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia, South and North Carolina, Arkansas and (sometimes) Texas (it depends upon which Texan you ask.) If you live in, grew up in or know anything about the South, you know how important history is to the average Southerner. Even if the history they have learned is flawed and prejudicial, they still hold onto it like a kid holds onto a popsicle. How did I, a Southerner born and raised, miss out on the intricate history that was surrounding me on a daily basis?
I claim that I was raised in a "New South" city where more emphasis was placed on progress, technology and forward-thinking. Consequently, I was unaware that some of the most historically-rich places in our country laid all around me. As a college student, I took my first research-intensive history class and my teacher urged us to utilize the local library's Southern History collection and archives. As a result, I picked a topic that concerned Southern history. I like to say that was the day my life changed but actually it was merely an ongoing process. You see, that decision to pick that topic resulted in me becoming close to my advisor who was a huge Southern history buff and helped me with my research. I also visited and became familiar with the public library's HUGE Southern History collection and archives. Ultimately, I learned how to do research and how to use all types of resources. It hit me one day while I was doing research, that I loved it. I loved digging through documents, flipping through books to find the most useful item, and uncovering information that was previously unknown. I guess that was when the stage was set for my entrance into the career of libraries. Because, as I said, it was a chain reaction. You see, a few days after that semester (and the research class) ended, my mother called and told me that a job had opened up in the same Southern History collection that I had been visiting all semester. I immediately applied, not even realizing that I was doing what I always swore I would never do: work in a library. My advisor personally recommended me and I was quickly hired.
As soon as I sat down at the desk for my first day at the job, I knew I was where I was supposed to be. However, I continued to fight all the signs that I should become an "official" librarian. My dreams of becoming a lawyer, actress and musician had fallen by the way-side but I was determined that I would NEVER become a librarian. Even though I certainly loved my job, I was convinced that there was something else I should do.
After a year of working at the library, I was getting close to graduation and still had no idea what I would do afterwards. I assumed that my next step would be to get my Masters in history and become a professor but something just did not seem right about that opition. As I sat and pondered my future at work, a little girl came in with her dad who was doing some research. Being a seven year old in a research only library is no fun, but I let her get on the computer and showed her how she could get to Disney.com and all the other kid websites. As she learned how to use a mouse and I taught her where to type the website address, something leaped up inside of me and it said "You love doing this. You love teaching people how to use the library. You love working here. This is what you are supposed to do." I quickly looked down at the brown-haired, little girl and another thought popped into my mind, "She looks just like you when you visited the library as a little girl." That voice was write, she did look like me. Within seconds, my memoires returned the numerous librarians, who had impacted me throughout my life and encouraged my love of reading and learning.
Ms. Patty, Ms. Rochelle, Ms. Susan, Ms. Amanda, Ms. Elizabeth...the names went on and on. These librarians did not simply sit behind a desk, sort books and videos, and check out your material...no, they had played an intricate role in my educational career and my development as a person. Within minutes of helping that little girl, I was back at my desk and printing off the application for library school. I had never felt more sure about anything in my life then this decision to become a librarian.
And that's my story. I am now a student at the University of Alabama, getting my Masters in Librarian and Information Studies, and, yes, I still work at that same library. With only a few months until my graduation and entrance into the "real world," I am keeping this blog to record my thoughts, opinions, and feelings about life as a librarian.
Because to me, though librarians were fun, nice, and helped cultivate my love of books, I just thought they sorted through books all day and that seemed very boring to me. Once my mother returned to work force as a librarian assistant at our local library, my determination to NOT become a librarian was reinforced. I didn't want to be librarian because everyone would just say I was one because my mom was. I kept this line of thought until I was well into college and majoring in history.
Now, I love history. Always have. When I was in 4th grade, I remember reading my history textbook as nighttime reading. As a teenager, I would read historical fictions by the truckload. My particular favorite period during my teenage years was the Russian Revolution and English history. When I reached college, I discovered a new branch of history that I had never valued before...Southern history.
Just for clarification and for those of you living outside of the U.S., the "South" are these states: Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia, South and North Carolina, Arkansas and (sometimes) Texas (it depends upon which Texan you ask.) If you live in, grew up in or know anything about the South, you know how important history is to the average Southerner. Even if the history they have learned is flawed and prejudicial, they still hold onto it like a kid holds onto a popsicle. How did I, a Southerner born and raised, miss out on the intricate history that was surrounding me on a daily basis?
I claim that I was raised in a "New South" city where more emphasis was placed on progress, technology and forward-thinking. Consequently, I was unaware that some of the most historically-rich places in our country laid all around me. As a college student, I took my first research-intensive history class and my teacher urged us to utilize the local library's Southern History collection and archives. As a result, I picked a topic that concerned Southern history. I like to say that was the day my life changed but actually it was merely an ongoing process. You see, that decision to pick that topic resulted in me becoming close to my advisor who was a huge Southern history buff and helped me with my research. I also visited and became familiar with the public library's HUGE Southern History collection and archives. Ultimately, I learned how to do research and how to use all types of resources. It hit me one day while I was doing research, that I loved it. I loved digging through documents, flipping through books to find the most useful item, and uncovering information that was previously unknown. I guess that was when the stage was set for my entrance into the career of libraries. Because, as I said, it was a chain reaction. You see, a few days after that semester (and the research class) ended, my mother called and told me that a job had opened up in the same Southern History collection that I had been visiting all semester. I immediately applied, not even realizing that I was doing what I always swore I would never do: work in a library. My advisor personally recommended me and I was quickly hired.
As soon as I sat down at the desk for my first day at the job, I knew I was where I was supposed to be. However, I continued to fight all the signs that I should become an "official" librarian. My dreams of becoming a lawyer, actress and musician had fallen by the way-side but I was determined that I would NEVER become a librarian. Even though I certainly loved my job, I was convinced that there was something else I should do.
After a year of working at the library, I was getting close to graduation and still had no idea what I would do afterwards. I assumed that my next step would be to get my Masters in history and become a professor but something just did not seem right about that opition. As I sat and pondered my future at work, a little girl came in with her dad who was doing some research. Being a seven year old in a research only library is no fun, but I let her get on the computer and showed her how she could get to Disney.com and all the other kid websites. As she learned how to use a mouse and I taught her where to type the website address, something leaped up inside of me and it said "You love doing this. You love teaching people how to use the library. You love working here. This is what you are supposed to do." I quickly looked down at the brown-haired, little girl and another thought popped into my mind, "She looks just like you when you visited the library as a little girl." That voice was write, she did look like me. Within seconds, my memoires returned the numerous librarians, who had impacted me throughout my life and encouraged my love of reading and learning.
Ms. Patty, Ms. Rochelle, Ms. Susan, Ms. Amanda, Ms. Elizabeth...the names went on and on. These librarians did not simply sit behind a desk, sort books and videos, and check out your material...no, they had played an intricate role in my educational career and my development as a person. Within minutes of helping that little girl, I was back at my desk and printing off the application for library school. I had never felt more sure about anything in my life then this decision to become a librarian.
And that's my story. I am now a student at the University of Alabama, getting my Masters in Librarian and Information Studies, and, yes, I still work at that same library. With only a few months until my graduation and entrance into the "real world," I am keeping this blog to record my thoughts, opinions, and feelings about life as a librarian.
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