NMRT (New Members Round Table)

Hello NMRT Members!

The NMRT Online Programs Committee encourages your input on this month's topic!

Some of our members may be job seeking in the library profession for the first time or in a library science university program pondering which track of librarianship to pursue.  For our topic this month, please share your thoughts and experiences on the following topic:

What made you pursue the field of librarianship (academic vs. public vs. school librarianship) in which you currently work?  Do you have advice for students and new graduates struggling with the decision?

Please share your responses, so we can help each other navigate the early stages of the profession!

With kindest regards,

Sylvie

Greetings!

I chose academic libraries for multiple reasons, the foremost being my love of research.  I simply love to perform research and teach research! Now, I have a position that is highly focused on research. I teach students how to perform research, and I assist our instructors and staff with their research needs. I also perform research to support our institution's policies, plans, and grant programs. Additionally, I just love to learn, and working in academia means I have instant access to a huge collection of research information because colleges and universities maintain such collection for their students and faculty. Another bonus of academia is my schedule. In general, I work 8-5, Monday-Friday. (Though that schedule can vary for other academic librarians.) For me, this is the perfect type of library. However. it might not prove ideal for everyone. If it doesn't appeal to you, there are other types of positions at academic libraries, and there are also other types of libraries from which you can choose.

If you're not sure which type of librarianship is right for you and don't even know how to start to figure it out, try giving this prompt to ChatGPT (filling in the missing information):

"I'm interested in becoming a librarian, and I'd like your help figuring out which type of librarianship might be the best fit for me.

Here are the things I like:
Here are things I dislike:
Here is the kind of schedule I prefer:
Here is the kind of working environment I prefer:
Here are any special considerations:

Based on this information, could you recommend a type of librarianship that would suit my interests and lifestyle?"

By the way, if you're interested in working in any sort of library, I highly recommend getting a job in one while you are attending school. If you cannot procure a position at a library, consider volunteering. The duties you will perform as a librarian will prove vastly different, but you will already have library experience, and libraries are so different from other types of workplaces that this experience will serve you well. 

Hi NMRT!

From the moment of my return to college, I have loved academia and the energy of being in education, so it has been pretty easy to pursue a position as an academic librarian. I enjoy research, writing documentation, helping students & faculty, and teaching information as a librarian just as much as I enjoyed it as a student. 

During my MSLIS studies, I wasn't certain which field I wanted to pursue; however, since the degree did not require dedication to a specialization, I delved into studying every field I could. With courses in academic libraries and archival studies, I didn't see an opportunity to learn more about public, special, and school librarianship. I went with the classic work-around: I got a part-time job working for my local public libraries and a historical society library. Honestly, I think that is the best way to make the decision, to study what you can and work part-time to gain the experience so you can learn what you like--or more importantly, what you don't like--until you feel comfortable making a choice. Plus, it works better for getting the next job when you have a longer work history in libraries!

Note: the exception for this would be school librarianship since working as an adult in K-12 has generally required some certification or license based on each state. I did not have the opportunity to study it and there weren't exactly a surplus of part-time jobs. 

Hello All! I have a mixed bag of experience- I did internships in public, academic and state libraries, worked for 10 years in public libraries and now am at an academic library! 

My experience in public libraries was intitally as a paraprofessional and then I moved up to a professional librarian role. I primarily worked the reference desk(s) and also did adult/teen programming. At my next public library I was on the children's programming team and specialized in STEAM programming for older children. I also did storytime(s), some building supervision and displays, etc.

At the academic library I started as a K-12 Librarian (field trips, STEAM camps, etc.), and was a part-time liaison. I then had the opportunity to be an interim director of our Community Engagment (user services) department. I applied for the promotion and was promoted to my current position as a director with a department of 12 full time staff. I currently have 4 direct reports, two have direct reports and (most) all have student employees as well.

In the public library setting I definitely had more interation with the public but I also had more ability to iterate and develop programming. I had more latitute when it came to my work focus- i.e. what groups I specialized in working with, displays at the branches, etc. I was able to develop and nurture more relationships with families, users and the like. 

At the academic library I was assigned a liaison area (not necessarily one that I had a wealth of expertise in) and really had to start to very intentionally align what I was doing with library/university strategic goals. Not that my public library programming was arbitrary, but there is more opportunity when you're dealing with the whole of the community as opposed to the smaller university sphere. In the words of Anne Shirley I have found more 'scope for the imagination' at the public library. I don't think my experience in universal, but I did find the academic library had more room for growth professionally than public. My professional development is crucial for the promotions process and for futhering the academic reputation of the institution. I have known public librarians very interested in PD, but also some that are very happy and very successful to not partake in that aspect of their careers.

I have a strong customer service history throughout my time in libraries and that is a major part of my job now. I'm not a deep researcher, so there are places for different types of librarians in academia, but I do know that if I want to advance or shift to a different role, I will need to bolster that aspect of my professional portfolio. I love my current job and have a level of work-life balance, fulfillment and drive that haven't been present before in other roles. 

I love Cynthia's advice to try to gain part-time or internship employment at libraries (if you have no library work history) while/before you are in library school. Those opportunities helped me tremendously. 

Good morning,

I've always been focused on Academic Librarianship, specifically Tech Services. For me it started when I was in undergrad and floundering for a career path after I realized my initial major was not something I wanted any more. I stumbled into a Librarian who spoke candidly and gave me a shot. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to purchase items people needed for their studies and research. I especially loved searching out the hard find items! 

I did attempt to explore other areas to confirm that I wanted to continue shooting for academic libraries. (I also tried out other departments too, but Tech Services still came out on top). I had long conversations with my mentor who was a head of a department at a university library. That is where I 1st figured out that I I need the MLIS as staff were hitting a ceiling and librarians were the ones getting to try new things and make the decisions that guided the library, which is what I wanted to do.  From early on, I was interested in service; being on committees with in and outside the library. Academic librarianship seemed to promise that I could maintain that aspect. I was lucky that as a graduate student I was able to be on a committee with ALCTS and got to attend and local conference. Again both these were things I enjoyed. I loved getting to work with colleagues from around the US and discuss mutual topics of interest as well as attending sessions to hear about the cool work others were doing.

While in grad school I volunteered at a public library. I actual tried to volunteer at a main branch, but ran into some unfriendly folks that soured that experience. The smaller branch was very interesting and the staff was very kind to me, but it didn't sing to me like my acquisitions work. I also worried that with public libraries I might encounter a lot of bureaucracy, which was not appealing. Plus at the time, the best public librarians I knew were public facing and actively helping the patrons. I didn't think was for me and I was concerned the Tech Services positions were few and far between so securing a job post-grad would be a challenge.

I briefly entertained the idea of being a school librarian, as my high school was in need, but I again realized that role was less about acquiring content for students to interact with. It seemed like you might be a teacher most of the day and with my whole family being teachers I was very sure that was not for me.  

Now I've been an ERM Librarian and Acquisitions Librarian at 2 institutions (about 10 years as a librarian, about 6 as library staff). One with Tenure and one without. For me the tenure track one fits better at the moment. In part because of my love of service, but as others have said, I get to do research! I am at the last few months of waiting to see if I get tenure or not and I'm not sure I want to go through that whole process again. I also found I like going to conferences and while I still work on not being afraid of public speaking, I love the conversations I've had on topics like mentoring, library budgets, and new projects. I also find I like being at medium to large university libraries as that allows me to specialize in Acquisitions and Electronic Resources.  Smaller libraries tend to need people to wear more hats, which can be really exciting too, but with my heart being in Acquisitions and ER, the bigger libraries are working best for me right now. Something to note with academic libraries is that many times if you want to move up or get a promotion you will have to move to a new university. So if you are location bound academic libraries can be hard to break into. Growth in a singular position is doable. Tenure gives status and a salary increase. Some places have robust professional development budgets and strive for innovation internally. Other places might have increases that coincide with how long you are employed. That is something to feel out when interviewing or applying.

I encourage testing the waters by volunteering (if you can get a paid position, internship, or practicum that is great!) and talking with folks who have worked in different types of libraries (along with different roles). I found that many library workers are willing to share their experiences if asked. Informal and formal mentoring can be a great way to gain insight too. NMRT has a mentoring program focused on early and new professionals while other ALA units have mentoring programs that may focus on a specific topic or area. Like LRRT does mentoring for research and Core has been able to pair Tech Services folks together. Local and regional organizations also have programs. In Ohio, ALAO has a robust program. I've been a mentee and mentor there. Plus I was able to mentee when I was a new librarian and then later in my career when I came back to Ohio in a different role. For those in school, your program may have opportunities as well. I believe the University of Washington's MLIS program has a well established mentoring program.

I also started my career as a resident librarian. Being a resident let me get experience in the field, while being paid, but also afforded me the chance to ask questions and test out different areas. Many resident positions also you to rotate through many areas of the library to gain real world experience! They are usually short term appointments spanning from 1-3 years, so if you find out the work or place isn't right for you, it gets you the experience to go elsewhere. I have only seen resident positions in academic or special libraries though. (The Library of Congress does have some summer programs.) Check out ACRL's Residency Interest Group is you want to learn more. Their programs are free and you can connect with current and former residents from all over. 

Hello everyone!

I chose academic libraries for several reason, one of them being it was where I had the most experience to begin with as I worked as a work study in my college library in undergrad, and in another academic library while I was getting my MLIS. Another is that it gels really well with sensory issues I have from high functioning Autism, its just an overall less stressful and hectic environment that keeps my stress levels pretty low. I also just thoroughly enjoy research at the college level and helping college students in an area I originally struggled HARD in when I was getting my undergrad degree. Currently, my duties revolve primary around reference and research assistance, and some secondary duties I have are the pretty standard fare of programming, libguides, library instruction, and assisting with managing our work studies. I work 10 to 6 Monday through Thursday and 9 to 4 friday, with a very flexible schedule if I need it which is great, but your mileage will definitely vary. I am very very new into my career and haven't particularly explored other areas of librarianship beyond reference and instruction, but there are many other different positions in academic libraries if what I do doesn't necessarily appeal to you. My library is very small so I get to dip my toes into things like marketing, cataloging, website design, and really whatever else falls through the cracks, so my biggest piece of advice would be to be open to any job you can find, because you never know which part of this big field might appeal to you. 

Of course as others have said, I highly recommend getting a job or even just volunteering in a library while you are getting your degree because that experience is invaluable. If you haven't worked in a library before now, keep in mind that even the academic field is primarily customer service focused. 90 percent of my time is spent answering questions from students, faculty, and staff, and while it is not required for advancement at my current position many academic library jobs require you to publish original research and papers for advancement, so if you aren't super interested in that (like me currently, sick of writing papers after graduating) its something to keep in mind. 

I am also a liason to subject department in the college i work at, in my case the College of Health and Wellness, so that may end up being part of your duties. In my case it is mostly checking in with that department, seeing if they need anything from me and setting up programming or instruction for them if they want it, helping those specific students with subject specific questions and research, and finding new subject materials like books and databases to acquire for them. 

I hope my rambling answer helped anyone! 

I am coming at this from a bit of a different angle. I earned my MLIS back in 2000 but I was not able to get a job back then. It was a common problem after 9/11. Many years later my degree is very outdated - Google was new back then! It's very hard to figure out how to renew a degree you already have.

That being said? Because this profession changes as rapidly as technology does, my advice is to keep applying for whichever library job you want. If you ramble away it gets increasingly difficult to revisit your dreams. 

Dear NMRT Members,

Thank you so much for your replies so far!  I have sincerely enjoyed learning about the path that each of you took to arrive at your current positions.  It looks like we have many academic librarians among us (myself included!), and it has been great learning about the different roles within academic libraries.  

Marjorie, I appreciate your honesty regarding your job search experience and advice!

Gratefully,

Sylvie 

NMRT Online Programs Committee

Double send.

Sorry, Sara Kelly Johns