Sunday, June 22, 2008

Why I Decided to Become a Librarian

  • I like researching stuff--the weirder, the better.
  • After teaching community college English composition classes part-time for three years I wanted to slit my wrists. Seriously. I didn't choose an English undergrad and a M.F.A. in Poetry so that I could read terrible writing for 30 years.
  • I like helping people--the weirder, the better.
  • Some of the qualities that made me a decent teacher make me an even better librarian: I'm patient, I break a long process down into smaller steps, I'm funny; not stuffy.
  • I looked forward to helping my students research their papers, but I rarely, if ever, looked forward to reading their papers.

Once I began working in a library I discovered that:
  • I have some pretty awesome "people skills." People like to talk to me and I like talking to them.
  • I feel that I'm a little bit of a detective. Finding the answer to a tough research question is a little like solving a mystery.
  • The bizarro element of working in a library makes me laugh more than it freaks me out. I have great stories to tell at cocktail parties.

4 comments:

Ruth said...

You have found your element. I know it's hard at times. But so so much better than reading those papers. I'll be glad for you when classes are done though, except that it probably means you'll be leaving us. Boohoo.

Heather said...

Hey Sweet Ruth,

Yes, I've found my niche. I'll be cutting down my hours or quitting the Library for the Blind in the fall so that I can focus on my last two classes. Anyhoo, if I do leave the state, I'll have Courtney set up her laptop so that she can facilitate the techno-magic of Skype. :)

Carleen said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

I like the weird questions too...keeps me on my toes, provides me with challenge. Congrats on finding your calling. It's a good feelin'. :-)