tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11668983.post112598109435254731..comments2023-09-19T09:28:19.313-05:00Comments on Librarians at the Gate: Three weeks later...Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10689314012050314027noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11668983.post-1126009480461861242005-09-06T07:24:00.000-05:002005-09-06T07:24:00.000-05:00Wow, you have been busy, Alec. I love the idea of ...Wow, you have been busy, Alec. I love the idea of the profile sheets. Apart from the information you'll get, it tells the faculty in your departments that you really care about their needs. I also think you're quite right to join in the community - apart from there being intrinsic value in that, you will raise the profile of the library by being active on campus. <BR/><BR/>One of the choices a new graduate faces is deciding what sort of institution one wants to work at. If your interest is public librarianship, are you hoping to join a system that does a lot of outreach to varied populations (Queensborough in New York City comes to mind) or one that has a more staid and traditional role? If your interest is academic librarianship, do you want to steer your career toward more specialization in a large research library or work at a liberal arts or community college with undergraduates and a teaching mission? To some extent, what's available and the geographic limitations you might face may make some of those decisions for you (planning for two careers at the same time if you have a significant other can be very tricky, too) but there are real differences in the paths you might choose.<BR/><BR/>I went to research universities and didn't know much about liberal arts colleges. But I did know from being a work study student in both a main library and in branches I really liked getting to know the library users. (I worked in a main library, a music library and a physics-math-astronomy library. The last two had different subjects, but the same sense of connection.) So that probably influenced my decisions as I looked at job ads. <BR/><BR/>Of course, you can't always be terribly choosy, and sometimes a choice doesn't have everything you want - but offers surprises you never thought about. I recently read a memoir, Life on the Tenure Track by James M. Lang. It's probably more relevant to classroom teachers (he teaches English) but I loved the way he raised those "life decisions" issues. How much time can I spend on work without neglecting my family or my health? If I'm on every committe, when do I go to community events that nourish me? At the end of the day, is this small town a place where I want to stay? It doesn't have everything we want, but does it have enough and will we make adjustments? (A two-career issue there, too.) <BR/><BR/>Anyway, enough rambling for one morning. Good to hear from you, Alec. And I'm glad (though hardly surprised, knowing them) that you've found colleagues you will enjoy working with.<BR/><BR/>BarbaraBarbarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10689314012050314027noreply@blogger.com