Guest Post: The Life and Times of a New Librarian

Today my former roommate from library school, Lydia of the not-so-often updated blog, Metadata Maven, joins me in the last guest post of my series, The Life and Times of a New Librarian.  Lydia and I graduated SLIS in December and Lydia was able to find a job much faster than I, although her job path took her to the public library sphere, rather than to an academic library like she would have preferred.  Lydia is here today to share her experiences (the good and the bad), as a new public reference librarian at a small library. 

I recently began my job as a reference librarian at a small, southern public library. While I didn’t always know that I wanted to be a reference librarian, I did know that the academic world was for me.   Having only ever worked in the academic library setting, adjusting to this new world was difficult and enlightening.   While in school, I never really pictured myself working at a public library because I did not think that the work would be able to hold my attention.  I also believed that I would spend most of my time answering basic questions rather than helping with in-depth research.  

And I was totally right.   Instead of spending my day helping students to complete their education, I find myself answering the phone and signing people up to use public access computers.  Sometimes I wonder why I even bothered going to grad school.  While I do sometimes have reference questions that require more work than a basic Google search, more often than not, my day is spent finding phone numbers and telling people how to create email addresses.  While I know these are necessary, I sometimes feel as if my job could be done by a competent high school student.  

Even when I do have someone in need of real reference help, I find myself becoming frustrated because they do not put in the effort needed to do any type of real research.  At least once a week I have a patron come in asking for journal articles they need for a paper.  After showing the patron how to access the databases and how to use them effectively, I leave them to their research.  Almost every time they leave within 30 minutes having given up on their search because I did not do it for them.   The general public does not seem to realize how difficult research can be.  I find my patience growing shorter and shorter as more and more people expect me to do their work for them.  While I am sure this same frustration is felt in the academic world, I believe that it would not be as bad because academic librarians are working with people who clearly care about their education, or they would not be in college. 

Collection development is my favorite part of my job, but even that has had to undergo a change as I became more aware of the, dare I say, simple needs of my patrons.  Rather than being able to let my history and literature loving heart run wild through the book catalogs, ordering all kinds of specialized, specific, non-fiction materials, I have to spend my time looking for sappy romance novels about cowboys and vampires finding love.  While I accept that these kinds of books have their place and that they do have value for some people, it’s totally lost on me.  Even when reviewing reference materials I have had to totally change my expectation of what the materials should provide for my patrons.  The first reference catalog I looked at I thought there was nothing of value because every item was listed as either middle school and up or 9th grade and up.  I thought to myself that these books would never work for me because I’m an adult services librarian.  Well, as I spent more time at the reference desk and interacting with the patrons, I learned that maybe middle school materials were at the correct level for majority of people that come into the library, which is actually a very depressing thought. 

The public library world isn’t all doom and gloom.  There are some bright moments when I believe that I really am making a difference.  Anytime I have a patron that actually stays and does research after I have helped them to get started makes my day wonderful.  Hopefully, as I continue to work in the public library, I will become accustom to the needs of the general public and will stop comparing this totally different world to the academic library world.  

Do you have any advice or suggestions for Lydia?  What can she do to better adjust to life in a public library?

Recipe: Beer Can Chicken

This is a fun summertime recipe because you cook it on the grill and it involves beer.  All the makings of a very happy occasion.  I've seen this made lots of different ways and there are tons of different recipes on the web.  You can make this by just sticking the beer can up the chicken's butt or you can use the nifty device my mom bought my dad for Father's Day.  She got it at Bed, Bath, and Beyond in case you're interested. 

This is helpful because you are less likely to have problems keeping the chicken on the can and it was much easier to move around and to slice while still on the can.  And it makes a better presentation to open the grill and have a chicken just sitting there.  Like this: 

I think he looks a little confused.  

Anyway, we used Greek Seasoning because we had some and put in a potato at the other end to seal in the juices and keep the chicken from drying out.  Do not eat this potato after you've cooked the chicken; it's been inside a raw chicken and therefore not safe to eat.  

Beer Can Chicken - Makes one whole chicken

1 whole chicken, between 3.5-4 pounds, giblets removed 

4 tablespoons melted butter, divided

Greek Seasoning

1 small potato (it needs to fit in the top of the chicken)

1 12 oz can of beer, half full

Rinse the chicken inside and out and pat dry.  Sprinkle the inner cavity with desired amount of seasoning.  Brush the outside with 2 tablespoons melted butter making sure to coat the legs, the underside, and all crevices.  Sprinkle with Greek seasoning, as much or as little as you like, covering all the sides.  Sit the chicken on the beer can, legs down, as shown in the picture above.  Really, stick the can up the chicken's butt.  There is no way to word that nicely.  If you are using stand, put the (half-empty!) beer in the holder and place the chicken on it.  Put the potato in the neck to seal the opening.  Put the chicken on a grill preheated to medium-high.  Grill, covered with grill lid, over indirect heat for approximately 45-75 minutes or until the temperature reaches 180 degrees in the thigh.  About halfway through the cooking time, baste with remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter mixed with a teaspoon or so of the seasoning.  This isn't necessary, but if you like really crunch awesome skin (and I think you do), then you should do this.

Remove from grill carefully and allow to rest 5-10 minutes.  I've found it easier to slice while still on the can until the can until the can is cool enough to handle. 

What I Wish I Learned in Library School

I have always been one for looking back and wishing I had done something different.  I wish I had bought those shoes, I wish I hadn’t said something so odd in public (even if it made sense to me at the time), wished I had done this better, or that differently.  I think we all do this somewhat, but sometimes I think I take it to the extreme. 

I’m really bad about thinking these sorts of thoughts when it comes to school.  I’m always wondering if things would have turned out differently if I had changed my major or took a different class.  What would I have learned?  Would that have made me a different person or taken me down a different path in life?  What if, what if, what it. 

I tried to prevent this in college by taking a wide variety of courses on things I found interesting, not just related to my major in history.  I took an introductory class in anthropology one semester and ended up enjoying the class so much that I made it my second minor.  I took courses in human development, art history, and dance.  While I wish that I taken other classes such as psychology and more literature classes, overall I’m pretty happy with the courses I took in undergrad.

I wish I could say the same thing about library school.  I approached library school the same way I approached undergrad; I took classes that I thought would be interesting.  I also was more interested in finishing in 3 semesters (plus one summer course) and saving money than I was getting a good education.  This was both a good and bad thing.  I’m glad I finished in December because I was able to go on my fantastic trip to the UK and I graduated with many of my friends.  I also saved money by graduating early and moving home; however, I think that in my haste I missed out on some good involvement activities and definitely missed out on some good classes. 

SLIS has five required courses, introduction to LIS, organization of information, reference, research methods, and information technologies, plus you must also take a management course (there are 5 to choose from).  That leaves 6 other courses, one of which should be an internship as it is strongly recommended.  In addition to the five required classes, my management course (I picked Academic Libraries), and my internship I took collection development, history of the book, advanced reference, public libraries, and history of libraries.  I took exactly 12 classes, which is the minimum required to graduate.  Looking back over my course list, it is obvious that I am interested in history and was preparing to be a reference librarian.  However, other than reference and collection development, nothing I took prepared me for the kind of work I do now. 

So what classes do I wish I had taken?  What do I wish I learned in library school?  Stay tuned and I’ll tell you! 

Something Exciting!

You may be wondering why I rarely talk about my new job as a medical librarian.  At first it was unintentional; I feel like there are other things going on in libraryland that I would rather discuss (library closings, anyone?).  But recently, I've been avoiding the topic on purpose.  One of my favorite blogs, Closed Stacks, put out a call in early June for new contributing writers.  I love their blog, so I thought, "I could write about special librarianship for them".  At the moment, no one over there is writing about special libraries, and I thought that I might have something to contribute.  Luckily, they agreed with me. 

Fear not! I am not abandoning this blog in the least.  I will still be menu planning, sharing recipes, and writing about libraries.  But I will also be blogging somewhat regularly (hopefully!) at Closed Stacks on various topics including life as a medical librarian, special libraries, and solo librarianship.  I hope that you will join me and the rest of the amazing Closed Stacks team.  My first post on how I became a  medical librarian by accident is up today.  Stop by and check it out! 

Menu Plan Monday

I hope everyone had a great weekend!  Ours was very relaxing despite watching the U.S. and England lose their World Cup matches, but it was still full of yummy food! This weekend we enjoyed:

Friday: Fish and Veggies in Foil, Couscous

Saturday: Out to dinner!

Sunday: Beer Can Chicken (recipe coming soon), Buttermilk-Parmesan Mashed Potatoes, Sliced Tomatoes and Cucumbers

This week we are having:

Monday: Mushroom-Spinach Pasta

Tuesday: Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Chicken Piccata

Menu Plan Monday is sponsored by I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Food Waste Friday

It was another no waste week around here! That's three weeks in a row! As usual, there is some leftovers in the fridge, but I'm sure my dad will make short work of them. How did you do this week?

Food Waste Friday is sponsored by The Frugal Girl.

Guest Post: The Life and Times of a New Librarian

Today, as part of my ongoing series about being a librarian in today's economy, my friend from library school, Lauren, stops by. Lauren is still in library school and is sharing her story about why she has chosen to postpone her graduation until December. Lauren has recently started blogging and her blog is awesome! If you missed the last two posts in the series, you can read them here and here.

I read a LOT of librarian blogs. My Google Reader fills up quickly every day with posts about the latest and greatest trends/news in a variety of libraries, about a variety of services (reference, cataloging, digitization, etc). I read everything from In the Library with the Lead Pipe, a blog with peer-reviewed type entries, to library_mofo, a LiveJournal community where librarians go to vent. When people ask me what my specialization or interest in library science is, I rattle off a laundry list.

Despite the fact that I do not have my heart set on one kind of library or type of position, I know without a doubt that I want to be a librarian. An information professional. The job title doesn't really matter. I am absolutely certain that this is the profession I want participate in, contribute to, and go above and beyond for. The Annoyed Librarian would probably hate me. But I have read about and experienced the difficult patrons, the criticism/questioning of the profession and library school, and the "do we have a future?" scares. I've questioned the choice a few times. And I'm in it for the long haul.

In spite of being focused on that goal, and gaining experience in several different settings since I began library school in January 2009, I spent a lot of this past semester feeling depressed. When the majority of my incredibly talented, hardworking colleagues graduated in December 2009 without full-time jobs (not for lack of trying since September), I realized that my plans to graduate a semester early, in August 2010, might need adjusting. Since I have student jobs, I would have a significant lapse in income, even if I could get a local part-time job. I have a substantial amount of student loan debt. My parents were badly affected by the recession; without going into the details, suffice it to say that moving in with them would create a huge burden.

Thus, about halfway through the semester, I decided to postpone graduation until December 2010. However, shortly thereafter, I also decided I wasn't going to let fear and depression take over. The job situation is bleak for everyone, but I knew I couldn't give up before I even started.

While I knew I would have to work twice as hard as before, I chose to channel my fears into getting more involved and stepping out of my comfort zones. I have always been shy, and often let others take the lead in groups. But I realized that I had nothing to lose—in fact, I had much more to gain by working on myself and facing my fears. So I started small, and co-presented two posters at the Alabama Library Association conference. Then, I decided to take on a new leadership role, (UA student group president of SLA), determined not to make it just a line on my CV, but to seek out opportunities and programs that would benefit my fellow students (SLISers note: stay tuned for this, and hold me to it!). I wanted to go to both of the 2010 SLA and ALA national conferences to network with professionals while I could still afford the student rates. I took on three part-time summer jobs. I began the process of lining up a not-for-credit internship for the fall. I am finally starting the blog I always claimed I didn't have the time or creativity for. While none of this guarantees me a job, I now have several librarians and professors willing to provide references for me, and that is at least one weight lifted off my shoulders.

I am not listing these things to brag on myself or deem myself superwoman. FAR from it! I am only one of many librarians-to-be out there trying to carve a path for myself. But this is how I am staying focused and preparing for that grueling job search. Every single one of these actions originated from tips my mentors gave me (the original tip: get a mentor… or several!), and I wanted to pass them along to those who are similarly discouraged. If it's feasible for you, take advantage of being a student as long as possible (here's a great article on this: http://liscareer.com/katopol_school.htm). Whether you work full-time or part-time, get involved however you can. Start small, and make changes in manageable increments. Go the extra mile when you have the opportunity.

The job situation is not going to get much better unless we advocate for libraries and find a way to demonstrate our worth to key decision-makers. That change has to come from the top, and is a subject for another post. But for now, there are many factors in finding a job that we have absolutely no control over. All we can really control is our level of involvement and commitment to our future profession, put ourselves out there, and hope for the best.

After months of tossing and turning, I'm finally able to go to sleep at night. I'm living in the present, not the future, knowing that I'm doing the best I can with what I have, and that has made all the difference.

If you have any advice or comments for Lauren, please feel free to share in the comments!