Personal Goals/Objectives for my Studies

When I first decided I wanted to be a librarian and get my MLIS, I really wanted to work in an academic setting, preferably high school, so I could then become a coach as well. Now that I’m into the semester a little, my thoughts have shifted from an academic setting to a public setting.

I would love to become a Library Director for a large library in Chicago or the surrounding suburbs. I love the notion of being challenged to assist with the needs of an expansive age range. I plan to make programs catered more toward working professionals and recent college grads. Since I am an improviser and a comedian, another one of my goals is to establish an interactive and fun story time for preschool kids. If we get them interested and excited about reading before they even can, we can hopefully create lifelong and enthusiastic readers.

At some point I would love to get my PhD in psychology and do research in regards to the life of introverts. As a textbook introvert, I’m interested to learn more about how our personality traits and behaviors affect library usage and how our needs are met. Because I love research and human behavior, I would love to do large surveys for communities to understand their comprehension of how their libraries serve them and what we can do to accommodate them further. A big part of what makes me, me is that I am a seeker of knowledge. I love nothing more than to dive into a pressing issue or question that I know nothing about and come out the other end somewhat of an expert.  

My personal philosophy about libraries is to create a sanctuary that I would enjoy using. I want to create this image and feeling toward libraries that they are indispensable and a place to call your second home. It’s a place to not only go to have a quiet work space, but it’s a center for learning and connecting.  

Most of all, my main career resolution after attaining my MLIS is to actually feel like I belong and flourish in a field that not only energizes me, but that I am passionate about and want to contribute to its many successes. I can’t wait to have people surrounding me that are equally as focused and willing to put in the work to make libraries a staple of each community and/or their host systems.

My main objective in this class, as well as the entire program, is to pick a specialty and setting that is conducive to my strengths and overall career goals. I am remaining open minded to many of the expansive and available avenues this degree can take me. All I know is that my passion and love for the library is my driving force from here on out. It is my biggest asset at the moment and I cannot wait to see how my perception and goals continue to rearrange and take shape as my learning continues.

Introduction and Assumptions/Assertions

Welcome to Not Enough Shelves, my personal and professional blog as I navigate the waters to obtain my MLIS. The entries in this blog will be home to my reflections on what I've learned and the knowledge I've gained of the library science world.

My background is in the industry of marketing and advertising but my heart has always belonged to the written word. I spent most of my summers biking three miles each way to the nearest library. The first place I drove alone after I got my license was to check out a book at the library. There’s something about being surrounded by books that resonates deep within me. As an introvert, I've constantly found comfort in being able to retreat into stories and dive into different worlds. I may not have traveled physically to many locations in my life, but my mind has been around the world and back a hundred times, in a hundred lives based on the books I've consumed.

Since graduating from college, I haven’t felt like I belonged anywhere in the corporate and business world. I know now that’s because I was in the wrong field. As Albert Einstein once said, “everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” I naturally thought there was something wrong with me because I never felt fully at home in my chosen profession. It wasn't until I went to the Wayne State orientation for the LIS program that I felt that sense of homecoming. I have big things planned for my career and future. I’m buzzing with excitement at beginning it now.

Assumptions, assertions, or beliefs that I hold about the LIS profession 

1. To be a great librarian, you have to be passionate about reading

I grew up watching my mom read all the time. I remember feeling frustrated because the letters on the page made no sense to me. All I wanted to do at school was learn to read, and once I could, I haven’t stopped. I find it frustrating that a majority of my peers right now do not take the time to read. I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t have at least three books with me at all time. It warms my heart when I can recommend a book to someone and they enjoy it enough that they pick up another one. Reading expands your mind and influences your thoughts.

2. Librarians have an important role in the community they serve

You are there to help serve the ever-changing needs of the community. Whether that be teaching classes to help people learn to use e-readers or helping young students with research papers. I was at the library once and a lady went up to one of the ladies behind the circulation desk and asked for a book recommendation. The librarian said “I can’t recommend you anything, I haven’t read a book in years.” It blew my mind that someone who worked in a library (the greatest place on earth) didn't take full advantage of her job. To this day, that librarian’s comment still bothers me. But then again, I can’t shut up about books I love. To each their own I suppose.

3. There must not be any need for programs for 20-somethings

Whenever I get my local library’s monthly newsletter or stop in, all I see are programs geared for senior citizens, high school kids, or little toddlers. Rarely are there classes set for the population that are just getting out in the real world and trying to navigate the adult world. I would love to have a class on how to budget, how to stay mentally strong while you get rejected a hundred times over for a job, marriage can wait until you know who you are, and acting professional while feeling like a kid. Luckily there are books that cover these topics, but it would have been nice to have some program at the library that reached out to this influential and scared crowd.

4. Libraries need to grow with the technological times or they will be forgotten

The world is geared toward technology right now. With e-readers being more popular now and most Americans choosing to get their news and information online, the library needs to make sure that they are serving that need. If people can’t have their needs met with the resources at their local library, they will find the service otherwise. We need to make sure that we are accommodating the wants of the community so we stay valuable and important in their eyes.