Recently a friend presented me with a membership to SLA (Special Libraries Association) and I have done nothing with the gracious gift despite the fact it would be in my best interest to. I decided it was high time to investigate the benefits of membership and found their lifetime learning project called 23 things. Most of these 23 things (wikis, blogs, social media type stuff) I am well versed in but a few I could get better at (ahem, blogging) so I decided to sign up.
One of the reasons I chose to participate in 23 things is because as a consultant, my position is tenuous and it never hurts to network, learn new skills and develop professionally. I have been thinking a lot about where I see myself going career-wise but haven’t decided firmly what my next steps will be. The further I get from public librarianship, the less interested I am in returning. Having spend five years at a large urban public library made me rethink my dream of doing that as a lifelong career. I consider it a truly valuable thing to do with your life, but it was not for me for a variety of reasons. Originally upon moving out to Los Angeles a few months ago, I hoped to return to my academic library roots, having spent some time at academic institutions when I was just starting out my professional career but I discovered I couldn’t even get interviews for entry level positions. A degree from a top library school and five and a half years in the field professionally and another five before that in paraprofessional positions – all of which at world renowned institutions - didn't seem to resonate with academic employers. That was a bit of a wake up call.
I’ve spent my career at all kinds of libraries, an art museum research library, two liberal arts college libraries, a short stint at a law library, public libraries and now, I’m working as a consultant at a private corporation. I’ve always sought to learn more about my profession as a whole, and working in different settings, with different kinds of information has given me a broad base of knowledge and a deep understanding of the fundamentals of librarianship. If academic institutions don’t see the value in a well rounded knowledge base and wide range of experience, then I guess I am glad to stick with special libraries and alternatives to traditional librarianship. I'd be interested in hearing from anyone else with a similar career path to see if they've experienced the same thing.
Next up, delicious, which is something I’ve been pretending I understand for years. I know it’s not complicated, but I’ve never taken the time to learn about it.
