Library Roots: I had always liked to read and write stories and figured I would become a teacher, not knowing what else to do with these two preferences. It wasn't until I reached high school where we actually had a library and a librarian that I realized this could be an actual profession. Although I had been frequenting our public library for years, for some reason I didn't make the connection there. And that was most likely due to the welcoming nature of the high school librarian who had an easy way of relating to teens. Eventually, I did work at our local public library too, but decided I preferred to work with kids. Again, I have no idea why I never figured out that kids went to the public library as well. Which is kind of funny since I am now a Children's Librarian at a public library.
Library Routes: Still focused, I enrolled in graduate school while financing myself through teaching. Over the years I have worked in both Department of Defense elementary school and high school libraries and even taught some college-level library and writing courses. I beleive I have the best of both worlds now: working with both children and parents in the public library system.
While many folks on the wiki seem to have discovered librarianship quite by accident, for me it had always been a plan. What has come about by happenstance are the variety of jobs I have held in this profession. I have worked in Germany, Kwajalein, Marshall Islands and in the US with kids, college students and parents in school, college and public libraries. Where else could you get that variety?
My advice I guess would be to stay focused on your ultimate goal but to remain open to where that goal might take you.
laura clark
No comments:
Post a Comment