Education, especially when you’re a librarian, does not stop at graduation. This is one of the things about the profession that drives me toward it. I expect that the lessons I’ve learned during grad school will carry through my career. I may end up in a very unlikely place, doing work that requires me to build experience in many different areas, collaborating with a variety of inspiring individuals who guide me in my endeavors. This is why I have taken coursework in a wide spectrum of disciplines, from history to web programming. Such a broad variety of work potentialities results in an amazing career to cultivate, full of possibility and requiring a zest for ongoing learning and adaptation!
I’ll be graduating my MLIS program this Spring. As the end (a.k.a., the beginning) draws near, I’ll share some of the things I have learned about the process of graduate work.
Where You Start May Not Be Where You End Up.
When I began, I thought I was fully committed to children’s librarianship, and that alone. After grounding in the program, I’m more interested in the ways we use technology in providing access to materials, and in information literacy for all age groups (including –just not limited to– children). My horizons have also expanded to include an interest in archives, skills in programming and web usability, and experience in research as a discipline.
Get Experience.
Doing is part of learning. I would even suggest that, if possible, prospective MLIS students plan to take fewer classes per semester so they can work or volunteer in a library, get involved with professional associations, and/or complete an internship or two along the way.
The library I’ve worked at (since before I began grad school) is a wonderful institution to be involved with, partly because we have such interesting patrons and staff, partly because of the prestige of being one of the oldest continuously operating libraries in the West, but mostly because there is an openness to trying new things in service to our members. Library management has consistently allowed me to test out what I’m learning in class in the Real World of our library. Sometimes it has failed, as in the Saturday morning storytime I tried to jump-start, which was attended by zero participants. But more often, it’s been a mutually beneficial arrangement, e.g.,
- I completed a research class on writing grant proposals, and the proposal I wrote on behalf of my library was fully funded by a like-minded granting institution; the project is currently well underway.
- I was inspired by course readings to suggest a staff picks display, and it has been a hit with our patrons.
- Most recently, as a complement to my reference services course, I began leading a book group.
Developing a career begins well before graduation, and while one is collaborating with libraries and librarians, she may meet a mentor or two…
Cultivate Mentor-Mentee Relationships.
Mentors are beneficial in any profession, comparable to a guild or trade union apprenticeship. The apprentice works under the guidance of a master until she reaches journeyman status, and eventually, becomes a master herself. (Someday, MLIS student, you too may be someone’s mentor!)
Mentors can help the MLIS student identify her strengths and interests, guide her to acquire a deeper understanding of the work a librarian does, and act as an ally in all aspects of career development, from job hunting to providing references. These relationships can be casual or formal, and many mini-mentors might occupy the role of a single mentor for some. Mentorships don’t always need to be formalized, and in some cases (for me, in all cases thus far), they develop very naturally when I build relationships with people whose work interests me.
Adaptability is paramount in this vocation. If the student keeps this in mind as s/he works through the program and cultivates varied skill sets while gaining experience, the profession will begin to look like a wide-open place in which to apply what one has learned.
Heather Bailey Terrell 