Things They Do Not Teach You In Library School
When you make the decision to take the plunge and go a** deep into debt to get your degree in library science you know a few things. Hopefully, you have worked in a library before and have an idea about what you are getting into. I did quickly discover that was not the case during my first class when half of my classmates believed they would spend the next umpteen years doing storytime with perfectly behaved little genius children. But, still, you think that you will be prepared for just about anything that may come your way once your degree is complete.
You of course...will be wrong. Not just a little bit wrong. No, you will be so wrong that years later you will still be surprised at the things that you will do in the capacity of your job. For example, I hold an adult Harry Potter day event in our academic library every year. This means I have amassed a large collection of memorabilia which can fill a giant display case. And because of this, I am considered to be an expert on all things Harry Potter and must, at the drop of a hat or request, give my full opinion on whether or not Ginny Weasely was a shadow of the character she should have been when presented with the movie version of the character. And yes, of course, she was...but, I really should not have to say so multiple times a year. I do believe at this point that is a given.
This semester we weeded a large number of materials from our print collection. For non-library people, this means that we got rid of the old, out of date, or damaged books. Well, that meant we could try something new. So, the boss lady sent me a video and said, "hey, can you do this?" To which I said, "of course I can." Because that is the correct response anytime your boss wants you to try something. Why would you not try it? She is the boss, and your job is to make her life easier if at all possible. And if you think it isn't...you are very wrong. A happy boss=a happy workplace.
The truth was, that no, I have never done book folding art before. But, I have now and I will be showing our students, faculty, and staff how to make their own artsy, fartsy do-dads. Becuase one thing I did learn in library school was that if you can do a program for free you smile and thank whatever deity you believe in because budgets are slim. So here we have a free program that is pretty cool and super easy.
You of course...will be wrong. Not just a little bit wrong. No, you will be so wrong that years later you will still be surprised at the things that you will do in the capacity of your job. For example, I hold an adult Harry Potter day event in our academic library every year. This means I have amassed a large collection of memorabilia which can fill a giant display case. And because of this, I am considered to be an expert on all things Harry Potter and must, at the drop of a hat or request, give my full opinion on whether or not Ginny Weasely was a shadow of the character she should have been when presented with the movie version of the character. And yes, of course, she was...but, I really should not have to say so multiple times a year. I do believe at this point that is a given.
This semester we weeded a large number of materials from our print collection. For non-library people, this means that we got rid of the old, out of date, or damaged books. Well, that meant we could try something new. So, the boss lady sent me a video and said, "hey, can you do this?" To which I said, "of course I can." Because that is the correct response anytime your boss wants you to try something. Why would you not try it? She is the boss, and your job is to make her life easier if at all possible. And if you think it isn't...you are very wrong. A happy boss=a happy workplace.
The truth was, that no, I have never done book folding art before. But, I have now and I will be showing our students, faculty, and staff how to make their own artsy, fartsy do-dads. Becuase one thing I did learn in library school was that if you can do a program for free you smile and thank whatever deity you believe in because budgets are slim. So here we have a free program that is pretty cool and super easy.
Did, I think I would fold paper and get paid for it? No. No, I did not. But, I also did not think I would create gift bags and kill spiders that live in the archives. So, there you go.
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