Renaissance Librarian—Sarah Johnson

Sarah Johnson, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston

By Staff -- Library Journal, 3/15/2006

Although a high school personality test suggested librarianship, Sarah Johnson resisted the idea for years. When she finally entered library school, she had “never worked a day in a library,” but she has found a home in a field matching her diverse interests—and now helps others find their own paths.

Her web site contains over 400 employment links, her blog lists professional development opportunities, and her Information Professional's Guide to Career Development Online (ITI, 2002) provides advice. “I remember being a new librarian,” she says. “If I can help other people, I'm happy.”

An academic librarian who has collected historical novels for over 20 years, Johnson has put her addiction to work by organizing the Historical Novel Society's first North American conference (in 2005) and editing The Historical Novels Review. Her recent Historical Fiction: A Guide to the Genre (Libraries Unlimited, 2005) brings together a lifetime of knowledge. She hopes to make the genre more visible. Even here, she can't help mentoring.