Posted by lynn on Jan 25, 2006 in
News My second class session of Cataloguing is today. Perhaps it’s too soon in the semester to form an impression, but I really like the instructor and the material so far. I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but *cataloguing might be fun*. Emphasis on the might simply because cataloguing could always turn ugly in a few weeks. Anyway, the assignments are fun and not that hard (so far). The catch is that there are SO MANY OF THEM. Literally, folks, I have like 1-3 assignments due each week for this class alone.
As for my other class, Use and Users of Information, the assignments are stretched out a little more, but the reading is insane. I have about 350 pages of reading for just this class due a week from tomorrow. The readings so far are also a little too theoretical/philosophical for my tastes at this point. Is a tree information? Um, I’m not sure. Does it matter for this class? Still I think this class will be useful. In every job/career/industry/etc there’s a concern about what customers want, how they use a “product” and how to meet their needs. This class aims to provide some guidance on addressing that concern.
So yeah, different kind of workload this semester. Hopefully it won’t kill me.
On another note, I’m getting freaked out about my job prospects. I’m now subscribed to two librarian mailling lists, and the consensus between both is that library schools might be misleading you a bit when they say “Everyone is retiring and there are tons of jobs!” What I’m finding out is that libraries are either replacing retirees with para-professionals (people without MLS/MLIS degrees) or they’re opening their positions up for people with experience only. The number of entry-level positions are slim to none.
Not that this is detering me from getting my degree. I still love the content and I’m determined to finsh, but I’m adjusting my future career expectations a bit. Man, I hope things improve in 18 months.
Posted by lynn on Jan 9, 2006 in
Random Since I’ve survived a “real” semester of school, I’m not freaking out as hard core as I did in August. As the syllabi for this semester are getting posted, I’m kinda doing the “Um, wow. Okay. That’s a lot of work. Um, okay. I can deal. I can deal. I will deal. I have to deal” thing.
Anyway….
So I joined a “new librarian” mail list. I was sorta interested on what life would be like once I graduated. As to be expected on a mail list of over-educated people, there’s the requisite cranks that have to comment on everything and act like they are the best thing since my light-up tire (and really, that is like the COOLEST THING!. There’s also the people who have to comment on everything, even if it’s only with a “me too.” Beyond that, here’s what I’ve learned so far:
1) Jobs are not as easy to find as everyone at the ALA and library school would like you to believe, and the jobs that are out there that don’t pay that well. The mitigating factor in this is that most of the people on the list are public librarians, and I kinda knew that public service (on the local level) doesn’t pay that great. Fingers crossed that academic or corporate librarianship jobs are easier found and better paid.
2) There’s still a lot of tension over the fact that most librarians are women. The tension centers around the fact that while most librarians are women, most library administrators are male, pay differences, patron perceptions of women, how women librarians treat male patrons and male colleagues, etc. Should be an interesting switch for me since I’m a female manager in a male-dominated field.
3) Librarians LOVE conferences. This suits me just fine. I loves me a good conference too.
This is all I’ve been able to glean so far, as most of the list is a bunch of “me too”s and “let me tell you how brilliant I am by dropping this $0.50 word on you bitches.” I guess that’s a sign of things to come as well…