By: Celeste Leeds-Laliberte, Assistant Librarian
I went to get my MLIS on a whim at the recommendation of a professor I admired and respected. I had never worked in a library and had no idea what I was getting myself into. After two years and a graduate assistantship in a fine arts library, I fell in love with the job.
I soon found my first full-time librarian job as a First-Year Experience Librarian. However, it took a long time to fully understand both my position and how best to be a librarian. I was often scared I didn’t belong or that I wouldn’t live up to my co-worker’s expectations. With over a year in my current position, I still sometimes feel like I have no idea what I’m doing, but I’m now able to piece together what I’m doing, what my job demands, and how best to accomplish it.
As you settle into your jobs, I’d like to share some things that have been the most helpful on my journey as a librarian.
- Reflect Back on Your Accomplishments: Think about what you did or didn’t do. What did you like about how you did a certain event, meeting, or interaction? What didn’t you like? How would you do it differently knowing what you know now? Keep in mind what you’d like to do differently for next time and make notes so you don’t forget. However, don’t be afraid to celebrate a job well done either. It’s easy to focus only on what we did wrong or what we can do better, but it is just as important to acknowledge whether we did something well.
- Don’t Be Scared to Ask Questions: Where can I find the branding kit? Why do we use this form for study room checkouts? Can I include a video on a TV with my exhibit? I can’t count how many questions I asked in my first month alone at my new job. I often felt like I was driving my supervisor crazy; however, these questions often helped me (and often others) understand library culture, procedures, and expectations. Even if a question feels ridiculous, it can sometimes spark interesting conversations about why a certain procedure is in place, providing insight into the students or the university.
- Meet with your Supervisor: Whether you’re meeting monthly or weekly, it’s helpful to touch base with your supervisor. In these meetings, you can discuss current projects and expectations. If you’re expected to turn in performance reports, these are great opportunities to make sure you’re on track for your performance reports and self-correct if you need more research or service opportunities.
The New Member Round Table has membership opportunities that can provide extra support in these areas if needed!
- Connect with Campus Community: My first few weeks in my job, I was hesitant to reach out to people outside of my library, but since then, I’ve found that getting involved is one of the most important things I’ve accomplished. Whether this means making connections with your liaison department’s faculty or getting involved in committees, these connections are important in getting connected and understanding your campus and community. Try collaborating with different departments and get involved in campus initiatives and committees!
- Keep Learning; Be Curious: Sign up for webinars, learning communities, and other learning opportunities. Think about what questions you have and seek answers. Remember that you’re not supposed to have all the answers. Accepting that I didn’t always know the answer was a particularly hard concept to come to terms with; however, learning the answers to the questions I didn’t know was an aspect of my job I enjoy. Don’t be afraid to keep learning and keep asking questions!
- Be Creative; Start Projects You’re Interested In: Burnout in Libraries is prevalent, and one way I’ve found to combat it is by making sure I’m working on at least a couple of projects I’m excited about. Whether these are research projects, outreach events, or collaborations with faculty, having something you’re excited about when coming to work is always important. Be creative when you’re brainstorming things to do. What are you interested in? What do you want to get done? How can you do it differently from those before you?