By: Jenni Diaz Garcia, Library Outreach Specialist, Iowa State University<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earlier this year, I wrote an article called \u201cCasting a Line, Screaming Into the Void: Lessons from One Librarian\u2019s MLIS Job Search Experience\u201d about \u201cRachel,\u201d a pseudonym for a fellow MLIS graduate navigating the exhausting road to her first library job. When writing her story, I wondered: But what happens next?<\/em> What does it look like a year after finally landing the job, casting the line, catching the fish?<\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t know about Rachel, but here\u2019s my answer- one year into my first job after library school, still, like Rachel, yelling into the void occasionally, but mostly yelling, \u201cGo to the library!\u201d at students (lovingly, I promise).<\/p>\n\n\n\n From TikTok to Tabling: Finding My Footing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When I first considered librarianship, I was a clueless English major who realized that working in publishing or editing would make me scream forever (and not in the fun, finals-week-primal-scream sort of way). My real thrill came from clicking buttons in library databases and watching JSTOR PDFs roll in. So when a random TikTok asked me, \u201cWhy not librarianship?\u201d I sat back and thought to myself, \u201cWell\u2026 why not?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I found my first full-time job before graduation (sorry!) that perfectly suited my needs. Library Outreach Specialist<\/em>. Not quite a librarian title, but hey, we all need to start somewhere, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, even with all that experience under my belt, I didn\u2019t feel settled right away in my new job. For weeks, I smiled through the fear of feeling constantly a few paces behind. Around the two-month mark, something shifted. I finally had enough context to stop feeling lost and enough confidence to start asking the important questions: Where is this position going? Can it evolve into something else? What does growth look like here, for me? Feeling steady didn\u2019t mean I had all the answers, but it meant I had space to start shaping them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Top Things I Learned One Year Into My Specialist Job<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In a brand-new role without a roadmap, the real challenge wasn\u2019t following rules and regulations. The real challenge came when my supervisor asked me, point blank, \u201cWell\u2026 what do you want to do?\u201d and I blinked, trying not to cry. Or when experienced librarians would say, \u201cI want to use your expertise,\u201d and all I could think was\u2026 what expertise? I did have it. I just had to believe it. I had <\/em>outreach experience, teaching experience, social media, programming, and student engagement. I knew how to make people feel welcome in a space. I had the student perspective, the first-gen perspective, and the \u201cI found this career through TikTok\u201d perspective. I just had to learn to say it out loud, even if my voice shook a little at first. Initially terrifying, this sort of agency became empowering once I learned to articulate my expertise clearly, even when my voice shook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And if you don\u2019t have weekly check-ins, I highly recommend checking out NMRT\u2019s mentorship opportunities<\/a>. They\u2019re designed to help early-career librarians find those same moments of reflection, support, and direction. Feeling stuck or unsure of how to grow? You can also check out ALA Connect\u2019s NMRT Community<\/a> to find posts about new ways to get involved and stay connected. To Those Still Casting Lines<\/strong> If you’re still job hunting, second-guessing at your first job, or feeling lost, I see you. I was you. My job didn\u2019t look exactly how I imagined, yet it became everything I didn\u2019t know I needed. I\u2019ve grown, made mistakes, and asked, \u201cWhat am I doing?\u201d at least once a week (usually when wrestling Adobe InDesign). However, I\u2019ve also built a foundation, created something from scratch, and found joy in the strange, specific work of academic outreach. I\u2019ve learned that expertise doesn\u2019t always look like a degree or a title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So no, I don\u2019t have everything figured out. But who does? A year in, I\u2019ve learned to ask better questions, take bolder chances, and sit with the discomfort of not knowing everything yet. That\u2019s part of the fun. It\u2019s 2025, and we\u2019ve got work to do.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By: Jenni Diaz Garcia, Library Outreach Specialist, Iowa State University Earlier this year, I wrote an article called \u201cCasting a Line, Screaming Into the Void: Lessons from One Librarian\u2019s MLIS Job Search Experience\u201d about \u201cRachel,\u201d a pseudonym for a fellow … Continue reading \n
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<\/strong>One of the best things that helped me grow? Weekly check-ins with my supervisor. It gave me structure and reflection time, but more importantly, it gave me someone in my corner. Someone who could help me advocate for myself and reinforce that yes, I did bring something valuable to the table (even if it wasn\u2019t a traditional librarian title yet!). Make space for conversations that aren\u2019t just about deliverables. Ask about direction, development, capacity, and well-being. Remember, you\u2019re not a machine. You\u2019re a person trying to build something long-lasting.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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Something I didn\u2019t fully understand until I started this role: you can\u2019t do library outreach well without understanding the campus culture around you. So I joined committees. I talked to people in other campus departments. I got involved with student programming. I started showing up where the students are, not just where the library is. And what does this mean? Well, sometimes that meant making Mickey Mouse-shaped pancakes at 11 PM for sleep-deprived students as part of a Student Affairs finals program. Other times, it was volunteering for the campus-run food pantry. Either way, there is so much to learn about what students need, how they talk, what they\u2019re worried about, and how the library can be part of their everyday lives.
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<\/strong>Something that\u2019s helped me more than any workshop or webinar? Being deeply, unapologetically curious. Why isn\u2019t popcorn allowed in the library? What\u2019s up with the secret room above the rotunda? Why do we use this form for that process? Asking these questions (some practical, some straight-up ridiculous) opened doors, sparked conversations, and helped me understand the culture and quirks of my institution. Curiosity is a strength. Use it. And don\u2019t be afraid to laugh at the answers along the way.
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Your workspace matters. I didn\u2019t realize how much until I started making mine feel like me. I put up art. I made space for a rotating \u201cBook of the Week\u201d display. I added statues and sculptures and a fake moss wall and called my office space The Labyrinth<\/em>. It turned my office from a generic workspace into a welcoming, conversation-starting hub. Small things like that can make a huge difference in how you feel walking in each day (just ask my tea cart sitting in the corner).
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<\/strong>Just because I finished my degree doesn\u2019t mean I\u2019m done learning. I try to attend my coworkers\u2019 talks, ask questions about their departments, and look for ways to better speak about their work during outreach. If I don\u2019t understand something, I ask. If I want to be part of something, I say so, especially if it\u2019s in an area I care about but don\u2019t know a lot about. One of the best lessons I\u2019ve learned this year? Show people you care about growing. Titles matter way less than just showing up.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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This job lets me do what I love: welcome students, table at events, shout about the library from rooftops (or at least from behind a resource table with a bowl of candy and a crate of swag). I talk to students who are just as bewildered as I once was. I help faculty and staff build bridges between their goals and library resources. There is a chronic ache in my knees from kneeling to tape signage, and I have begged for departments to invite me to their open houses. In other words, while I love this job, this year hasn\u2019t been without its growing pains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n