So, hey, I graduated!

As of May 20, 2012 I became a "real" librarian, MLIS degree and everything.

It's been an interesting transition.

Being out of school is such a new experience for me. I have been in school for the past 20 years of my life, with never more than a 3 month break between 9 month hauls of school has trained me and given me a different outlook on life. It is strange to think that I will never have to write another paper or attend another lecture unless I really really want to (which, to be honest, I usually really wanted to attend lectures while I was in school anyway. It's the nerd in me. I couldn't help myself.)

I have been having a bit of trouble adjusting to life without school. I constantly feel like there are things that I am supposed to be doing, when in reality I no longer have homework to stress over. I can, in fact, watch a movie or a couple episodes of a TV show and not feel terribly guilty about it, but I still have that nagging thought in the back of my mind that there is homework to be done and I am procrastinating.

I guess I still have homework and assignments, but it's a new variety called job applications and resume updating. They never end, and currently the job prospects aren't all that good. No one wants a fresh faced, newly minted librarian, they want someone with professional experience. There also aren't many full time positions available for youth services librarians, but I'm not giving up hope yet!

I've had a few interviews and I'm anxiously awaitng responses.

Keep your fingers crossed!

One Semester Down... How Many More to Go?

2011 is here! It's coming has signaled the end of several things, and the beginning of many more things to come.

I successfully completed my first semester of graduate school. I was really nervous and overwhelmed a lot of the time, but I did it. I wrote my first graduate papers, including an imaginary research study proposal and methodology, gave my first presentations on the graduate level, and successfully participated in, and completed 3 graduate-level courses, with excellent grades to boot!

I'm hoping my next semester will be a little less stressful, as I will not be taking 3 core curriculum courses in tandem, and I'll be taking several courses that I find really interesting, including Library Materials for Children and Web Publishing. I feel as a librarian it is very important to be up to date on all of the current technology, and I am sorely lacking in my knowledge when it comes to technology. I think being able to create and update my own website, other than a basic blog, will be a very useful skill to have. I also need to take the time to learn about RSS feed (a dinosaur in the grand scheme of technology and its current history), podcasts, and other technology-related things that I know little to nothing about.

I keep receiving emails about available library positions, several of which are in Alaska, Montana, and California. It makes my mind and heart race to think about the job I will have one day. Who knows where librarianship might take me?

"The time has come," the Walrus said...

"...to talk of many things..." - Lewis Carroll

The time has come for many things in the last few months.

- The time to finish my undergraduate senior thesis
- The time to graduate
- The time to no longer at the library where I have been for the past six years
- The time to move into an apartment away from my family
- The time to start graduate school
- The time for friends to get married and start families

It all has come and gone so quickly. I don't feel ready to start graduate school. I feel like a little kid on her first day of 1st grade all over again. I don't feel like an adult. I certainly don't think I act like an adult. I try, but I feel as though I am just playing a role, and I'm not mature enough to be at the age I am & doing the things I am supposed to be doing.

This last summer at my library job was a lot of work, but was also very rewarding. I built closer relationships with the children and teen librarians and was made to have more confidence in myself and my library abilities. I will be forever grateful to the children's librarian that I have had the pleasure of working with for the past two summers, because she has pushed me to do things that were outside of my comfort zone. I didn't think I was ready to be hosting programs on my own, and she made sure I did it anyway, to show me that I was indeed able to do it. She has helped me to gain the knowledge that I do know what I am doing and I can do it well.

I was given more freedom in program planning. I hosted 2 craft nights and assisted with story time, where the children fell in love with a dance I taught them and insisted that we do it every week. We made modifications so that it fit better with some of our themes, including adaptations for our pirate story time. Our summer reading program has gained in popularity in the last two years, so much so that this summer we had to make several additions to our program schedule to accommodate them all. We added a third (!) story time, a second magic show, a second Zakland show, as well as multiple other additions. All in all, for how small our library community is, we had over 800 participants. This is amazing. I'm sad that I will be missing out on all of the excitement next year.

I'll miss seeing the children every day, miss their excitement for programs, the way their eyes light up when I know what their names are and ask them lots of questions. I'll even miss doing that goofy dance every week, because the kids had so much fun.

On my last day at work, I couldn't help myself. I cried. I am going to miss my work community because we were so much like a family. I am afraid that I won't be able to find another library with such a tight-knit group of people. Many of the ladies I worked with treated me as though I was one of their own children, which was wonderful, but also mildly frustrating at times. I'll miss them.

I've moved out of my family's house and I'm on my own. All the bills now have my name on them and I am responsible for paying them. What a frightening thought! My fear currently is "where is all the money going to come from?!?" I need to find a job! I have a semi "nanny" position set up for the fall. I'll be watching a little girl after school 3 days a week. The mom has good connections, so I'm hoping she'll be able to help me in finding a job.

School starts in 2 weeks. I'm a bit afraid. I'm not quite sure what to expect. I guess all I can do is wait and see what the future has in store for me. It's sure to be an adventure!

It's been so long ladies and gentlemen... if there are any ladies and gentlemen who actually read this.

So, what has been going on in the life of this librarian since the last time I wrote (oh, so long ago)?

Well, I successfully researched, wrote, and presented my senior thesis for the English department. 28 glorious pages about Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Phew. I'm exhausted just thinking about it. It was a long trip, but I'm glad I did it, and very glad that it's over.

After all of that was finished I frantically applied to graduate school and waited with bated breath for a response. I am overjoyed to tell you that I was accepted as a "Graduate student in the Library & Information Science MLIS program for the Fall 2010 term" and am pending an official transcript with degree posting. Woo-hoo! I'm in!

Now the apartment/job search must begin. Bring it on!