Value of Relationships?

I recently took a leave of absence from my job due to injury. I’m finally back, and now I have some library type things on my mind. One of my strengths as a librarian is outreach, and I’ve been trying out a new way of tracking the value of relationships and interactions with people, but specifically faculty.

I started keeping track of what I do and who I meet with daily in an end of day journal. Sometimes I fill it out as I accomplish things during the day, sometimes I fill it out at the end of the day, and sometimes I don’t fill it out until the next day.

My entries include things like what kind of preparation I did for teaching, any appointments I have with students, as well as walk-in appointments, any projects or tasks I’ve completed, and any kind of interaction I have had with faculty.

I don’t necessarily live in a small town, but I do live in the same area where I work. So sometimes, I have interactions with people off-campus on weekends. This may not seem that significant, but I do find that I have conversations about things like acquiring journals, or teaching an upcoming class. Just seeing me around campus or town reminds people of the services I can provide for them.

I’m still trying to work out a way to sort of track these interactions and let them demonstrate the value of relationships and outreach in general, these kinds of connections are important to the work that I do. I’m ready to prove it!

Collection Development

I had an interesting question today from a colleague, who just got a job as a director of a small academic library. Their budget for acquiring new books is very minimal, and they do not have the resources to buy into a library approval plan.

The director asked whether I knew of any good selection tools for choosing new books. I just know the tools I learned in library school — Worldcat.org, Books in Print, and Choice Reviews. This particular library is moving to a subject liaison model. My suggestions to them included asking the faculty what they study, what research topics they are assigning to their students, and what search terms they use to research their topics.

Then, I suggested that they also take a look at the LC call numbers to match topics to subject areas, and get other ideas for potential subject headings. Then start searching Worldcat.org to find books that match those subject areas and have current publication dates. This still might not be the best way to develop a collection, but since worldcat is free, it was the easiest thing I could think of to use for this situation, where the library is on a tight budget.

I then also mentioned that people can create lists and tag books in worldcat, and share the book lists with others. If my colleague’s librarians set up accounts and start creating lists, they could share these lists with their faculty members and use it as one method of developing their collection.

Of course, there are also probably a lot of ideas about how to develop a collection on a budget in the library literature. Anyways, just thought this would be a good blog topic, so there ya go. I’d be interested in hearing other ideas…

Interviewing: Things to think about

I have been looking for a job as an academic librarian. As I’ve stated before, I am very excited that all my phone interviews converted to onsite interviews. If I am given an offer, I will need to relocate.

I still think the reality of moving still hasn’t quite hit me. At my last interview, as I was being shown around campus and the town, the person who was in charge of the tour asked me whether I would rent or buy. Being a native Californian, I was completely floored by this question, mostly because I could never afford to buy anything in CA and had never considered buying something an option. So I think I said something about how buying a house had not really crossed my mind and determined that I would probably want to rent something at first.

I suppose I need to work on my poker face. The truth is that the reality of a possible move hit me in that moment in time. As I got shown around town, I gradually sensed a shift in my mind. The possibility became more of a reality and realized that I could make a life there.

After this interview, I was really excited. I could really see myself working at this particular institution.

The best advice I’ve been given so far has been to just keep the options open…since I’m willing to relocate, it has really broadened my scope and possibilities. Also, to consider what it is that I want to learn. One of the best questions from my interview this week was:

You mentioned you would like to work in a collaborative environment where you learn from others. What is it that you think you could teach us?

What a great question and one that I have been thinking about ever since!

Interviewing, Step 2

As a recent library school grad, I have been applying for many different librarian positions, mostly at colleges and universities. Though this economy is really tough right now, my resume/CV are competitive due to my experience, participation as a presenter in professional organizations, and a second Master’s degree, which I earned prior to my Master’s in Library and Information Sciences.

I have been able to convert every phone interview I’ve had into an onsite visit, and I believe this is due to my ability to connect with people. My outlook on phone interviews is that the people on the panel want to get to know me and learn more about my experiences as well as figure out how well they think I would fit in with their team. I view the phone interview as an opportunity to get to know some new people and as a result, some of my conversations have been learning experiences both on my part and on the part of the panels.

I was thinking today that the transition for me is coming very quickly. I am excited about my future.  What came across in the invitations for onsite visits was that the committees are really excited to have me come.

The process of sending a cover letter and application seems so disconnected. I rarely talk to anyone before I send in an application. So the process is very cognitive and abstract. Most of the time, the institutions are courteous enough to send me an email or letter stating that my application has been received. This lets me know that my application just wasn’t sent out into a void.

Then I get a call to set up a phone interview, and now there is an actual connection with a live person and people, who I may end up working with. I meet them just through a phone conversation and now I get to meet them all in person. So my initial application, seemingly sent into the void, is now connecting me with people who will eventually become coworkers and perhaps friends. I will be building relationships with these people.

This whole process is so weird to me (but good!) because I am more aware of the impending changes that will take place in my life. Taking an offer on a new job will truly change my life.

Interviewing: Step 1

I am heartened by the fact that I got to schedule three phone interviews last week with three different universities looking for academic librarians. I have had two of them, and one is scheduled in January. I am thankful that the first interview went better than I expected. I’m feeling hopeful that I will get invited for an in-person interview for this particular position after the new semester begins.

The reason why it went well I think is because I really connected with the person giving the interview. One of my strengths is connecting with people, and I’m trying to use that to my advantage in the interview process, by viewing these phone interviews as opportunities to connect with and meet new people.

The second interview did not go as well since I did not feel that I had adequate time to prepare. Thankfully, in both interviews, I was asked similar questions, and now I know how to better prepare for the next one in January.

Over the break I’m definitely going to do some research on the trends in reference and the challenges that reference librarians face. I’m also going to formulate a response to the question about the challenge of providing service to a diverse communities of patrons and brush up on my knowledge of trends in information literacy instruction.

I am excited about the changes to come and hopeful about my future. It is a good place to be in the midst of all the bad news about the economy.

Done. Now I Wait.

I took a break from writing here to finish my final project for my Master’s in Library and Information Science. I turned in my portfolio last Monday and heard back yesterday from my adviser who let me know that I will receive full credit for my efforts. I am glad to be done and will now be concentrating on finding an entry level librarian position.

What I am realizing is that this seems like a bad time to be looking for jobs. I have put out quite a few applications and I have heard back from a few of them… no interviews yet. I find this process to be somewhat frustrating. I have almost five years of experience working in an academic library as well as a Master’s in Education and yet there many more people out there more qualified than I am for these positions. It feels like entry level positions are not really entry level.

I was talking with one of the admin assistants on campus yesterday about what’s going on in her department… they have two open faculty positions and had over 100 applicants. I have a feeling this is the kind of competition that I am facing. This is why it is so important to build a network. It is so much easier to get an interview when you know someone who works where you’re applying.

One of the frustrations of my job search is that I know that there is a local university here who would love to hire me but cannot because my mother works at their library. It is a great university and I would really enjoy working there. The director knows me and would hire me if he could.

My biggest fear is that I will end up settling for something just to get my foot in the door and I wonder if I am going to have to resort to taking something part-time or temporary just to get more experience.

New Student Orientation

The students are back on campus and I am loving the energy! Our campus uses the Clifton StrengthsFinder as a tool to get the students talking about being successful in college. I always volunteer to facilitate this session at new student orientation. One of the benefits of doing this is that it allows me to meet some of the new students in a more informal way. I’m hoping that through this interaction, some of them will be more comfortable asking questions at the library as they start writing their research papers.

I also worked at the library’s booth at the resource fair. I’m always amazed at how many conversations happen as I’m moving about the campus walk. I ran into the guy who runs the activities at the commons, and he started asking me whether it would be possible for the library to extend its hours. He mentioned that several students had asked him about this. I was able to tell him that he should initiate a conversation with our director about it.

I got to work the booth with our director. He mentioned that he was glad I was there because he knows I’m good at talking to people. I seem to have a talent for finding myself in conversation with strangers and I am sort of hoping that I can find ways to utilize this talent either where I currently work or in my next position.

I really think it is important to find ways for librarians to gain more visibility on campus.

Just for fun, here’s cartoon I drew of a funny conversation I had at the library’s NSO booth.

I showed this cartoon to some of my friends. One of them commented that the latin text is indeed the state motto of Kansas. Who knew?

Staying motivated

I knew that looking for a new job was a lot of work. I have applied for four different jobs already and I have a few more that I’m considering. It is a lot of work. After I get home from my current job, the last thing I want to do is sit down and fill out another job application. But if I want to get a new job, that’s what I need to do.

Job searching takes some preparation. In addition to having a resume, I have also prepared a curriculum vitae (since some of the jobs I am applying for are in the academic realm), and a work history chart with the most common information employers want regarding my work history. For the most part, this works great. I can just refer to my chart when I get to that section of the application and fill it out quickly.

What discourages me about the job searching process is how much information some employers want. For example, I sat down to fill out an online application for a job that looked great. When I got to the work history section, they also wanted to know what all my job duties included for each job that I have had in the past. Since I did not have that information prepared, I just gave up. It felt too overwhelming. I would rather just send in a resume and cover letter and let those speak for themselves. Alas. Every employer is different.

For another application, the employer wanted some additional questions answered in 500 words or less. I suppose the essay questions prove to an employer how badly you want a job because you actually take the time to write those if you want the job. I suppose it also proves to them whether or not you can write.

As a result of having to fill out all these applications I have come to the conclusion that I need to set a goal. I need to set aside a certain amount of time each week to fill out applications or try to fill out one application per week. Thankfully, I can afford to do this because I’m already working at a great place and I’m in no hurry to leave.

Ideas for Service Learning

In higher education, there has been a trend for colleges and universities to find ways to provide opportunities for students to learn in the context of serving their community. An example of this would be having architectural students work with an architect in the community to plan a new community center and then help to construct it.

I was reading an article the other day about illiteracy and public policy. The government, in the past, has provided funding to organizations willing to provide literacy classes and training to those who do not know how to read or write.

The article stated that though grant funding had been available, many public libraries were not taking advantage of it. The authors also believe that public librarians should continue to consider offering technology and literacy classes to adults.

I believe that academic libraries have a great opportunity to develop literacy programs in the context of service learning. They could partner with other community organizations and departments on campus (such as education) to offer credit to students who are interested in learning to program and educate adults who want to improve their reading and writing skills. I know this would take a lot of work to pull off, but I think it would be a great service for the library to offer and a great learning experience to offer to our students.

When I was here before…

When I was searching for my first “real” job, I interviewed for two positions in the same week and then I got to make a choice between them. Looking back on that experience, I feel like I took the wrong job. I should have taken the other one. As I’m revisiting this experience, I realize that there were some subtle signs that the job I took was going to be more challenging than I realized. It was in this position that I had the communication conflict with my supervisor. It wasn’t that this interview went badly, its just that the other interview was a slightly more positive experience.

The interview for the job I didn’t take went REALLY well, and the woman who would have been my supervisor was so enthusiastic and excited for me to work there. She knew she wanted to hire me. BUT (sadly) I took the other job.

I am thankful that I got to experience a really bad work environment. If I get into that kind of situation again, I realize that it is still my prerogative to get out of that situation as quickly as possible. But looking back at the contrast between those two interviews at the beginning of my career, I feel that this experience will add to my ability to discern whether a position will be the right one for me.

I feel that it is ironic that my current position and duties are eerily similar to the ones I would have had at the job I didn’t take. It feels a little weird, or perhaps circumstancial that despite the choices I’ve made, I think I ended up in the place I was meant to be. It just took me awhile to get here.