five question Friday #2: Jane the Circ Assistant

Jane taking a break from the library.

1.) Can you tell us about your current position?
 Right now I’m a Circulation Assistant at a public library and am going to grad school to become a school librarian.
2.) How did you get into librarianship? 
I’ve always worked and volunteered at libraries. I’ve had a bunch of other jobs too, but the only thing I really liked was working in libraries. I also want to be a writer, and I can do this while making a decent living.

3) What work training and education did you have to prepare for your career?
 I have a BA in English, but what was really important was library experience. Also I read a lot, so it’s easy to give recommendations. Computer experience is very important too. If you’re applying for a library job you should be familiar with the search databases.
4)  What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of the field?
 I love recommending books for people and doing displays. I like having an influence on what people read (and what they don’t read). I also find weeding and organizing really fun. My least favorite part is crazy/angry people. A lot of people come in and get very angry because I’m helping someone that was in line in front of them. It also drives me crazy when people shove books in backwards or leave their garbage in the aisles.
5) What is your advice for readers interested in librarianship?
 Volunteer! If you get to know the people that work there, they may help you find a job. The larger libraries that have more money may not need volunteers. The libraries with less money or the small branch libraries will be more likely to need you. Also, many people will tell you that there are not any jobs in library science. It’s true that it’s harder to get jobs now, but if you have experience you can find a job.
Jane blogs about her library gig, adventures in grown-up life, and her hatred of birds over at Ooger’s Writing.

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  1. thecardiganlibrarian posted this