So, I'm a library student, and somewhat late to choosing librarian as a career path. I only decided to pursue librarianship in 2019 at the age of 34 after having gotten a master's degree in something else and having a short career as a travel agent. It was a very late realization, and it finally dawned on me that librarian was the perfect profession for me and my talents and interests. I think a large part of why it took me so long to figure out this is what I wanted to do with the rest of my life is because it had never really been presented to me as an option. I knew librarians existed of course, my first baby-sitter was a librarian, my parents took me to libraries all the time as a kid, and even as an adult I spent time in libraries just because. But to me librarians were some mythical Other, chosen somehow that I had no vision of. I think we really need to demystify the profession, remove the vocational awe that separates us from "mere mortals" and let people know exactly what we're doing.
One way that I see this happening already is through the use of social media, particularly twitter, to have discussions about the profession and the various aspects of it in the public eye. Anyone can look at library twitter and see a whole lot about what we're doing, what our day to day lives looks like, and how the profession is being changed as we speak.
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Kestrel Ward
Library Associate I
University of Florida Smathers Library
she/her
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Original Message:
Sent: Oct 31, 2021 12:48 PM
From: Maria Lagasca
Subject: Online Discussion Form Committee November Topic: Promoting Librarianship as a Career Path
Good day everyone,
The NMRT Online Discussion Form Committee's November topic is Promoting Librarianship as a Career Path.
When I was younger, I remember during career day, we always had a librarian visit to tell us about her occupation and furthermore, we always took an annual visit to libraries around the community to learn how libraries function. I also remembered several librarians on tv such as Rupert Giles from Buffy and Barbara Gordon. However, I don't witness many librarians now making their rounds & informing students of their career choice and nor have I witnessed anyone requesting librarians to present librarianship as a career path. Take a look at your library website, is the role defined? Is there any information promoting librarianship as a career path? Or is there a how do I become a librarian link? When was the last time you heard a child aspire to become a librarian? Do you as a librarian, feel forgotten or overlooked by other occupations?
This brings about the discussion, how can we as librarians or informational professionals, better promote and advocate our chosen career path, especially in younger generations? Given the ever-evolving role of librarians and the need for more funding, it seems promoting librarianship as a career path is ever more important.
Please share your experiences. I look forward to having some thoughtful discussion and possibly find some innovate solutions.
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Maria Lagasca
Library Manager
East Shore Area Library
Harrisburg, PA
mlagasca@gmail.com
mlagasca@dcls.org
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