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Posted by Staci B Elliott on November 4, 2008
You may have noticed my recent hiatus from blogging for LJ. I've been applying for positions as a new librarian for over a year now, and am finally channeling my energy in a different direction. As a friend of mine recently said, "A girl's gotta eat." But before I make my absence more intentional, I want to tell you what I've learned about the job search and about myself in that year. I hope it will lead you to find the job I did not.I've had one job offer since I started applying in October of '07. I graduated with my MLS in December of '07. In some ways, I was lucky that the school's loan distribution process messed up-- twice-- on getting me my student loans in the last semester. I received that money less than a month before I graduated. I lived on it for the next six months of my job search. In January of '08, just after surviving a bad car...Read More
Posted by Staci B Elliott on November 4, 2008
Here are the things I did wrong:I was proud of my skills and my degree, and worried about my finances. I refused to apply for jobs that didn't pay a decent basic salary that I could live on. I also refused to apply for jobs in certain states, like Texas. Texas consistently has a lot of entry level job openings, and just because you spend a year or two at your first job to get valuable experience doesn't mean you have to live there for ever. Also, 2/3 of your needed salary is better than no salary at all. I turned down the job offer I got. If you get A job offer, you are lucky. Take it. See if there is room to negotiate for additional resources before you accept, but don't make my mistake of thinking you'll have a lot to choose from as a new librarian. Work in a library before you go to library school. Work in the kind of library you...Read More
Posted by Staci B Elliott on September 8, 2008
From retired librarians to respected authors of mountaineering resource books, the community who support the Mazama Mountaineering Library’s function are every bit as impressive as the library itself. With this in mind, today’s post will focus on Mr. Lockerby, whom I interviewed earlier this week, and subsequent posts will talk more about this very special library and the history of the Mazamas themselves.Meet Robert “Bob” Lockerby. As he says, “Climbing literature isn’t my passion; sci-fi and military history are.” Intelligent, funny, thoughtful, and occasionally gruff: Bob is a born project manager, and an example of unwavering integrity. In the two hours I spent interviewing him, Bob told me a variety of engaging and amazing stories from his life—all unfortunately “off the record.” He also gave me t...Read More
Posted by Staci B Elliott on August 31, 2008
It’s true. The librarians I know are service-oriented professionals. While they do need a salary that makes ends meet, health care, and a stipend for attending professional development conferences… Generally speaking, you don’t become a librarian to get rich quick. I had always assumed that vendors would also be getting by on the type of salary that librarians receive. But now that I’ve done a little research…The vendors I’ve met in the last couple of months do their job out of love for learning, and in pursuit of intellectual excellence. Their goal is to make librarians’ jobs easier, more efficient, and improve access to information for everyone. Just like many librarians. And, in fact, many of them once were librarians. While I have not put together a scientific survey… I did a little digging to find out just ...Read More 
Posted by Ellen Madigan on August 30, 2008
Brideshead Revisited is next on my summer reading list. I have just watched the 13-hour mini series from 1981 in two days, and I didn't want it to end. I wouldn’t dare go see a film that hacks together this novel in 1:40 mins. Evelyn Waugh writing reflects the intensity and passion of youth. The passion that makes us write poetry and fall in love everyday when we are 16. I had almost forgotten how beautiful English could be coming from the right person, but I am gushing. The first time Charles and Sebastian are sitting together under a tree drinking champagne in the early afternoon and Charles poetically describes their moment of happiness juxtaposed with their first meeting where Sebastian, standing in their Oxford courtyard, throws-up into Charles’ open window illustrates the fullness of their relationship and acceptance of one anot...Read More 
Posted by Michael Wirtz on August 20, 2008
I’m sorry I haven’t made a post in a while, and I think this one is going to be short. Things are ramping up for the beginning of the school year (Monday) and I still have a ton to do. The thing is: The ASU Polytechnic campus is expecting nearly 10,000 students this semester, and we’re losing one of our librarians (hopefully temporarily). Unfortunately, this leaves one librarian to service all students, faculty and staff on this campus.
Posted by Staci B Elliott on August 17, 2008
I spent this week at a Women in Time workshop. We gained some great insights and tools, and began to create personal timelines of our lives. It was an exciting process! One of the first things we did was to divide our lives into “stepping stones” or segments; not by year, but by defining six or seven moments of change throughout our lives. Some people overlapped their segments, and some were very linear. For example, one woman at the workshop grouped all the summers in which she traveled and had internships or life experiences in various countries, from age 12-24, as one segment. She also separated her time before college from her time after graduation, even though her travel experiences overlapped each of those segments. I included the time before my birth—wherein my grandparents, my parents, and their friends all had experien...Read More
Posted by Staci B Elliott on August 16, 2008
It's time to submit your nominations for the LJ Teaching Award again! This year, the award is $5,000 and the winner will be honored at a reception in Denver, at the 2009 ALA Midwinter Meeting. For more information, please visit http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6586941.htmlThe deadline for nominations is September 29th. What's that famous line? "Vote early, vote often!" ...Library Journal is looking for individuals with a history of providing quality mentorship to students and new librarians. People who communicate core principles of librarianship through teaching and through example, and who have a strong knowledge of cutting edge technology. I suspect that these folks are popular in many different forums, so nominate them now, before their schedules for next year fill up!
Posted by Ellen Madigan on August 15, 2008
Want to try two of the most nerve racking things you have every done? Why not set them up in the same month? I will give you a master's degree that's worth is questioned in many circles and when you get it, I will take away your jobs because all three are Graduate Assistantships! AHHHHH! Okay I am calm now. Oh, I forgot. No one will ever ask you about grades. I ended with a 3.8 if anyone wants to know. I have my eye on NYPL, BPL, and a few other places.While I know I will be staying in the NYC area for at least the next 10 years, will be married, and want to work in YA or children's lit, no job :( I am keep busy though. I will be doing a story hour at BPL, and will most likely start substitute teaching, and taking on more internships if the job thing doesn't happen first. Don't panic Ellen! Right... Is it time to get that second master’s?
Posted by Ellen Madigan on August 1, 2008
As of Monday August 4th 2008 I will have completed all the requirements for an MILS. I should be partying. Right? I should be saying meet me at Bleeker and 4th and let’s party like its 1999-the year I graduated from high school. Why am I not in the partying mood? THE ECONOMY IS AWFUL! Now I have to pay back my student loans- like a lot of you out there. I feel like I am falling off a cliff, or being thrown off the ship!School...School is easy. Do your work. Do the reading. Show up and participate. Here is your degree. I will love working as a librarian. My interests in children and young adult services have been growing for sometime now. I want to do this in the public setting. While this what I am aiming for now, the dollar is going to be making decision for me soon. Will recommend a good book for food. Reflecting a little on my time at Pratt I...Read More
Posted by Staci B Elliott on July 25, 2008
Today, I’m excited to share Dodie Ownes with you. This is the second half of our interview. The first half can be found at "From The Dark Side" on LJ. Dodie is the current Editor of SLJTeen, and a self-made Information Services Consultant working out of Golden, Colorado. Her interview has given me a window into the complex and interwoven world of “the dark side” (actually a blinding kaleidoscope!) of library services, and the extensive skill sets that feed it.--What services does your business provide for libraries, and how do you facilitate that? I don't really do much work for libraries - most of that is...Read More
Posted by Staci B Elliott on July 23, 2008
In case you were wondering, I continue to search for employment. I’ve had a couple of great leads in the past month, which—in Hiring Academic Library Time (HALT!)—means that I might know if these leads have led me anywhere by… oh…. September. As important as previous experience in libraries can be, I find that it's just as much about who you know. This isn't unique to library-world... it's just frustrating if you're not sure how to grow that network in your particular professional field. So many great librarians and vendors have given me helpful information-- or potential leads-- all I can do to thank them is commit myself to doing the same for the new librarians who come after me... and keep writing about my experiences as they come! I’ve also begun to look more closely at vendor-world as an exciting opportunity for potential emplo...Read More
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