Confession #4...the reason I am a librarian!

Tonight has been an eventful night. I am working at a library that I have worked at many, many times. I just love this library. It's the library I went to when we moved back to Utah from Idaho. The patrons here are just great.

Case in point...tonight a family came in and let's just say...they are the reason I became a librarian.

The father came up with his library card and said he wasn't sure it was still good. I looked it up and verified all the information and told him it was still active. He said he was excited because his family has not been coming to the library for a long time but they have decided that they need to. He wanted to sign up this three children and get a library card for his wife.

I helped them fill out the form and then showed them where to get their library cards. After they had all received their cards, they came back to the reference desk and asked me for help finding books. After asking a few questions, I figured out that the oldest boy, who was in junior high had to read classics as part of his English class this year. He asked me my opinion on a book and I told him it was okay, but that there were others on the list that were easier to read and more interesting. I showed him a few other books, then his dad asked me if I would highlight some books on his list for future assignments.

It was immensly gratifying to recommend books that I love (as I have read most of the books on his list) and talking to him about some of my favorites.

About 10 minutes later, the middle boy came up and asked me for a good book for him. I asked him what type of things he wanted to read about and we found him three books that he was really excited about.

5 minutes later, the youngest came up and asked me for a good book. I showed him Bark George by Jules Feiffer and he loved it.

After everything was done, this family had been at the library for over an hour and were excited to come back. I hope to see them the next time I work at this library. Helping people find what they need brings me so much joy. To see the "light" come into their eyes when they find something they like is even better.

I love my job and I am so grateful I took the leap of faith that I did to make a change in my life. It's one of the best decisions I have ever made and I don't think I will ever regret it.

Confession #3...it's quiet here...

In general, the library is quieter than most places I have worked. The exception to this would be during storytime, right after school and pretty much anytime there are kids who are respectful.

Having said that, the library is quiet. The first week I started working at the library, I could hear the sound of clicking (people typing at the computers), soft whispers and the air conditioning/heater running. Since it has been four months since I  began, I can say, it hasn't changed much.

Some libraries are louder than others. But long gone are the images I had of what a librarian looked like and behaved...

FYI, this is NOT the type of librarian I am...

Gone are the days of card catalogs, stamping books and shushing patrons. Now they are librarians who in my opinion are real people. When I was young, I wondered if librarians were aliens because they never smiled. Now I do my best to smile at every patron I see.

I think it is important to note that a library doesn't always have to be quiet. At the library I worked at last night, it is quite the opposite. My first day there, I was taken back by the underlying "buzz" of the library. There always seemed to be something going on. Even at 10 am when the library opened, there were a plethora of people. There is a real community vibe to this library and I think it is all the better for it. At other libraries, I can work a 4 hour shift and if I see 10 people, it's busy.

Even though I have discovered that a library isn't necessarily the romanticized version of what I thought it was when I was a kid, I have grown to love the library and love the job I have. While I may miss music playing occasionally, I don't miss hearing the same CD's over and over and over again in the same day (all I have to say about that is GOTYE! AH!!!!!)

Simply put, I love working at the library. Even if it is quieter.

Confession #2...it was fun being the BIG CHEESE

Last night at a small library, I was the only librarian in the building. This essential meant, I was in charge. I was the BIG CHEESE. I could tell people to leave. I could kick people out. I was in charge!

One of the staff members thought I was bored, which was not the case. It was just really quiet. I did have to tell a few hooligans to hold it down and did the whole "I am watching you" thing, but for the most part, it was a great night.

Today I did receive some not so great news...it looks like I am going to have to wait a lot longer than I anticipated for a job with SL County as a childrens/young adult librarian. Apparently there are so many people on the list that have 5-10 years experience, it looks like I may be subbing for a while.

Don't get me wrong. I like subbing. I would just really like to have a children's librarian job. This is not to take away from my friends who have just recently gotten jobs or those who have already been hired. I am happy for them, but a little sad for me.

The right job. The right library. The right time. It's coming...I just have to be patient.

Confession #1

It's been quite a while since I blogged here. So, I have a confession.

I am no longer a would-be librarian. I am actually a librarian!

I work for Salt Lake County Library services and work as a sub, which means I get to go to all the libraries in SL County and work.


Worst things about being a sub:

• You sometimes have to take what you can get. There are not an overabundance of hours some weeks, so if you are fast, you get the jobs. If not, well, be grateful you worked a lot the week before.
• Travelling to the different libraries can be a pain. 
• Each library is different. While they are all the same on a basic level, each one does things just different enough that it gets confusing after a while. Believe me, remembering which libraries do punch cards for Reader's Choice can be difficult.

Best things about being a sub:

• You get to choose your own schedule and choose which libraries you work at.
• You get to serve a variety or patrons.
• No responsibility. You show up, you work, you go home.
• Paychecks...I love being paid 150% of my previous life salary.
• The patrons--I love them! I have made friends at several libraries that I wouldn't normally frequent and I love it!
• Being able to use my degree! I finally feel like the past two years of hard work are paying off. Yes, I am considered a "temporary" employee, but I like it.
• The opportunity to work at so many places and network. This is the best! However, it can be like being constantly job interviewing.

Well, that's it for today's confession. I plan on blogging about my experiences subbing around the county and the things I encounter.

P.S. What's the world coming to? Teen Paranormal Romance? I thought this was a passing fancy by evidently not...

Electronic Book Talk

One of my favorite series for young adults is the Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan. I discovered this series a few years ago and I cannot stop talking about how much I love it!

I was raised reading Tolkien. My father, a HUGE science fiction/fantasy geek read the LOTR series to us over and over again as children. These images are burned into my mind and play a huge part in how I remember my childhood. Fast forward to 2 years ago. I was working in the children's department of the store and I had a customer come in and say that her son loved LOTR and could not find anything that was comparable. We started looking over the shelves and we came upon The Ruins of Gorlan. I told her I had not read it, but it was popular. We read the back of the book and he young man (who was about 12 years old) sat down and read the first chapter. After a few minutes, he came up and said "This is it! This is exactly like Lord of the Rings!".

Nevertheless, I was intrigued. I bought the book that night and read the second book the next day. Then, I started waiting. The books were published in Australia, but the American publisher was taking it's own sweet time getting them here. I waited for books 3-10 over the last 2 years and I have devoured and loved every minute of these books.

My favorite: The Kings of Clonmel but until that time it had been the Battle for Skandia. I am engrossed by these characters and love them almost as much as I love my own family.

So, here's my electronic book talk on the wonderful series by John Flanagan. I have tried not to reveal too much of the plot lines, rather give you a taste of them in hopes you too will pick them up and read them.

All the book cover images are courtesy of www.rangersapprentice.com (They are actually wallpaper's that can be downloaded). The photograph of John Flanagan is courtesy of Creative Commons and the image of the bronze and silver oak leaves are courtesy of google images, labeled for commercial reuse.

Enjoy!

Confession #1: I have never worked in a library

Today was my first day working in a library. I am doing and internership with Bingham Creek Library this summer and part of Fall semester. Since my area of interest is Childrens/Teen Serices, it makes sense that I am working with both the children's and teen librarians at Bingham Creek.

So, what did I do today? I arrived and after a little miscommunicaton as to what I was supposed to be working on, the teen librarian suggested that I work the children's desk. Talk about trial by fire. It's not like I have never done a reference interview, but the library shelves everything differently than the bookstore does. I don't know the Dewey Decimal System very well, so after a little trial and error, it worked. I was able to help parents and children find books, make suggestions, and offer to place item so hold for others.

I was able to run the Monday Night Movie in the meeting room and also get some research done for the upcoming Summer Reading Program.

It was fun and I did have a few deer in the headlights moments, but I worked through them and think it will be good.

Stay tuned for tomrorrow's confession...

Thanks for Reading!

A

Welcome, Welcome!

Since I am almost done with my MLS degree and will soon be looking for a job in a library, I decided it was high time I start a blog about the successes and misfortunes of my would be library career.

Stay tuned! More to come!

A