{"id":1642,"date":"2025-12-01T21:45:37","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T02:45:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nmrt.ala.org\/notes\/?p=1642"},"modified":"2025-12-01T21:45:37","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T02:45:37","slug":"the-12-days-of-librarianship-first-year-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nmrt.ala.org\/notes\/the-12-days-of-librarianship-first-year-edition\/","title":{"rendered":"The 12 Days of Librarianship (First-Year Edition)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By: Jenni Diaz Garcia, NMRT Communications Committee Member<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n


I Took Notes for Twelve Days. Here\u2019s What My Library Job Actually Gave Me<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the first day at my library job, my library gave to me\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One tour <\/strong>with nine scholars trailing me.
Me, power-walking through the stacks, hoping to remember when to share some interesting facts about the building, all while pretending I didn\u2019t almost lead us into a staff-only hallway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the second day at my library job, my library gave to me\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two meals forgotten <\/strong>and one working lunch at Bookends.
Breakfast? Never heard of her. It\u2019s just me, my laptop, and a cranberry turkey sandwich inhaled over my keyboard while I answer emails and pretend this is \u201cwork-life balance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the third day at my library job, my library gave to me\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three failed exports <\/strong>and one video half in Clipchamp, half in Premiere, and back again.I can talk about information literacy for an hour, but ask me to animate an arrow and suddenly I\u2019m Googling like it\u2019s my first day on the internet. Why was \u201cBasic Content Creation Skills for Librarians\u201d not a required MLIS course?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the fourth day at my library job, my library gave to me\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four email pings <\/strong>and one classroom reservation crisis.
Every \u201cping!\u201d is either a calendar update, a tiny emergency, or someone asking, \u201cCan we use this space tomorrow for 80 people?\u201d (Spoiler: No. But\u2026 I\u2019ll try.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the fifth day at my library job, my library gave to me\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five big ideas <\/strong>(and approximately zero guarantees they\u2019ll work).
When my supervisor says, \u201cYou have the space to come up with something new, be creative with this!\u201d first my brain goes, \u201cYay!\u201d and then it goes, \u201cHelp.\u201d I head to my cubicle, pull up outreach trends, and immediately start asking, \u201cCould this even work here? Is this even cool? What is even \u2018in\u2019 with the youngsters these days? Did I really say that, and was that my back cracking and my body aging another 5 years from that sentence alone?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the sixth day at my library job, my library gave to me\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Six minutes of hallway small talk <\/strong>and one library swag request.A coworker swings by to ask about swag for a conference, and we end up talking longer than planned. Maybe they came for sticky notes and pens, but I stay for the reminder that I\u2019m part of a bigger team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the seventh day at my library job, my library gave to me\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seven sniffles<\/strong>, one mask, and zero sick days taken.
Not sick enough to stay home, sick enough to seriously regret all my life choices every time I walk up the stairs. Still, I finish the content I need to finish. Still, I upload it to Jira. Still, I hit \u201cpublish\u201d with a cough drop in my mouth. It tastes like cherry and regret.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the eighth day at my library job, my library gave to me\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eight sips of coffee <\/strong>and one really good idea.
I sit near Bookends with a medium coffee and suddenly that outreach idea I\u2019ve been stewing on\u2026 clicks. I float it to a couple folks and their eyes light up. That spark? That\u2019s why I keep doing this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the ninth day at my library job, my library gave to me\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nine ounces of boba sugar <\/strong>and one meeting I don\u2019t expect to lead.
My co-lead for a committee cancels last minute. It\u2019s me, five attendees, and way too much tapioca in my bloodstream. I stumble through, overshare about not being able to drive, and somehow we still have a good discussion and get. Stuff. Done. Being \u201cpersonable\u201d isn\u2019t usually my superpower, but today it\u2019s how I cosplay confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the tenth day at my library job, my library gave to me\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ten voices buzzing<\/strong> in one really good discussion about Open Access.We bounce ideas around the table just for the sake of scholarship, and I leave more energized than when I walked in, reminded that talking through projects together is one of my favorite parts of this job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the eleventh day at my library job, my library gave to me\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eleven calendar blocks <\/strong>and a double-booked afternoon.
I\u2019ve somehow said yes to a webinar and a live talk\u2026 at the same time. I do the polite version of teleporting: camera-off here, quick dash there, catching a coworker at an event to whisper, \u201cI\u2019ll email you later!\u201d (Will I? Won\u2019t I? Stay tuned.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the twelfth day at my library job, my library gave to me\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twelve minutes in a lunch line <\/strong>and one very honest thought:
\u201cSometimes I get an idea, and it\u2019s exciting and cool to me\u2026 but I am not the coolest person I know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The secret, I\u2019m learning, is that librarianship isn\u2019t about being the coolest person in the room. It\u2019s about backing your ideas anyway, even when you feel like a slightly panicked baby duck running from one meeting to another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bonus Activity: Your 12-Day Librarianship Scorecard<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If these were my 12 Days of Librarianship\u2026 what are yours? Track your next twelve workdays and add a point every time one of these moments happens. Compare with your colleagues! <\/p>\n\n\n\n