Nov 30 2009
How I became a librarian
The Library Routes Project asked people to post about their path to librarianship and I’ve decided to participate. The way people end up in their jobs has always been interesting to me, so this is a fun little pseudo-meme—consider participating if you’re a librarian. If you’re not, post how you became what you are and link back to it in my comments.
When I was in junior high (yes, I’m old enough that we had junior high, not middle school), I was an aide to the school librarian during my study hall along with my good friend Susan. We had lots of fun, were both bookworms, and at the time, I thought I might like to be a school librarian. I think I even got a letter (like a varsity letter) for my work for the librarian.
When I was in high school, I changed school districts and found myself in a school library that had nothing I wanted to read, a librarian who was afraid of the students, and overall, a pretty lousy environment. Pretty much, only troublemakers went to the library and almost no one read books from the library unless they HAD to for an assignment. I was entering into the stage of my life where I had a job and money of my own and I seemed to buy or borrow most of the books I read. I really only remember going to the library to start literary criticism/analysis projects for my English teachers and maybe for a project in psychology.
Mostly, becoming a librarian had dropped off of my list of future jobs. I must have thought about it some, because I remember my parents encouraging me to interview a college librarian about her job as I was making my college decisions. That meeting did not go well; she spoke in a monotone about her job and between the example in my school library and her seeming lack of interest and excitement about her job, I did not want to become like either of those women.
I ended up going to college to be an elementary school teacher, but I don’t know that I could really see myself doing that either. I spent a lot of my first 18 months of college not doing what I should have done. Just before Thanksgiving my sophomore year, I realized that there was no way I was going to pass my classes and I was going to have very angry parents.
I called my boss from my summer job—at a shoe store in New Jersey—and asked if I could have a job if I came back at the end of the semester. Knowing I had a job, I called my dad and asked if I could come live with him. Finally, I called my mom and stepdad and told them that I had a job and a place to live and I was going to leave school until I could figure out what it was I wanted to do with my life.
After four months of working retail, being given resposibility as the store’s assistant manager, and working 12 hour days so the manager could have his days off, I knew that wasn’t it. I had a particularly miserable and exhausting day and decided on my day off I was buying a newspaper and finding another job. I searched the help-wanted ads and saw that one of the public libraries in a neighboring town was looking for help. I interviewed for the job; I remember telling the branch manager that I loved to read and her telling me that wasn’t a requirement for the job. I was offered the position and accepted.
My dad encouraged me to take classes at the local community college to get myself “back in the saddle” and ready to learn again. I was terrified of failure, but he made me (literally, I remember crying and being afraid to screw up again). I was able to take classes and work full time. I really liked the variety of work at the public library and realized that not all librarians were stuffy or disengaged. I re-examined my career options and decided to look at school library programs. Katherine, one of the reference librarians, suggested I consider public librarianship too. I talked with her about what I saw in my high school library and my conversation with the college librarian. She told me any job is what you make of it.
I enrolled in a school library program in my home state of Pennsylvania, completed my Bachelor’s degree and went looking for a job. In the 16 years since I graduated, I’ve worked in four high schools, a middle school, and a primary school. I was not cut out for working with the youngest kids, for sure!
Last school year, I replaced that high school librarian who was disengaged. I’ve spent a lot of time going through the collection and finding materials that students will find interesting and engaging. I’ve worked to improve the image of the library. I still have a long way to go, but change is coming and it’s being noticed. This year, my circulation has tripled what it was last year, primarily because there are books the kids want to read. I’m busy and glad to be there. Every day is different and you can’t predict what a day or week will be like, but that’s part of the joy. I love my job!
