Why I chose librarianship as a career...

I'm too tired to answer this question right now, but this is my blog subject for the week. I'm going to hunt you down and e-mail all of you so that I can hopefully get at least a few answers. I am interested in hearing why you have chosen librarianship as a profession, what other fields you considered working in, and how you think libraries (whether it be public, academic or special) impact our society.

Thanks for your participation!

Did that really just happen?

Did an undergrad really just say to me "So none of these staplers work honey buns?" in the most grotesque, condescending tone of voice ever?

Two months ago I might have let that slide, but not today.

The meat of the semester

This is what I've been waiting for all semester. Today, patron after patron approached me looking for assistance with research papers and assignments. I polished up on some reference interview techniques. One thing I've learned this semester is to take my time when answering reference questions. At first, I felt like the patron wanted the answer as quick as possible and I wasn't very skilled at making sure I knew exactly what they were looking for. As we all know, the patron doesn't always know exactly what they're looking for and it's our job to help guide them through a series of interactions to formulate the best search strategies possible. Another important skill I'm working on is how to draw the line between doing the search for the patron and giving them the skills to do the search on their own.

I'm nearly giddy with all the gratitude that was expressed to me today. One patron told me that she's had a lifelong admiration for the help and knowledge that librarians can provide and that I reinforced that admiration in her mind. Yeah!!!

During my miserable week in bed with the "bubonic plague", I missed reference interactions so much that I found myself hanging around Yahoo! Answers looking to spread the information wealth around (pun intended for the political junkies). It's oddly addictive, sort of like watching Jeopardy and screaming out the answers when there's no one around to hear.

But I'm back now, and it's a good time to be back.

Not so FAQs

If you happen to find yourself on the receiving end of a not-so-frequently asked question that you are able to find the answer to, please be so kind as to post the question and answer for the benefit of your friendly colleagues.

Thx.