One thing I get a lot from people when I say that I am a librarian is “well, you must love books” and I do. It’s not what actually drove me to work in a library, but it is a truth. As a child I was an extreme bookworm, someone whose nose could not be pulled from whatever my most recent story of interest was-sometimes even under threat of punishment. But something happened to me as an adult. I blame it on undiagnosed adolescent-onset ADD, but I just cannot sit down for long periods of time and just read anymore. Shiny objects distract me, or I fall asleep. It generally takes me months to finish any one book-usually in 15-minute spurts before bed.

Unfortunately, being well-read is a real plus in the world of readers advisory, and I’ve yet to meet anyone with the attention span and spare time to read every popular new book to roll into their collection, sampling the goods is something of a necessity. For me, this is where audiobooks come in. From my public servant’s financial view, buying them isn’t an option, but with the love of a good iPod they can be downloaded from wide collections via Overdrive or any other comparable audibook service OR they’re probably available from your friendly local library. They’re there for your morning commute, your trip to the gym, your bus ride, or for background during mindless data entry or other repetitive tasks.

Yes, audiobooks love you and want to help you soak up your favorite novels and non-fiction. And no, it’s not “cheating.” Use them well.

Anyhow, I was looking through my inbox/to-do list and found this great article from Library Journal.  Useful for aspiring librarian types-and also a good thing to print out and hand to people at parties, for light reading.

I do, however, have MANY ideas and things I want to chitterchat about-so I will quite hopefully be back quite soon.  Until then…BOOKS ARE FOR USE!

And here we see one of the many values of professional library blogs: wonderful information professionals attend and present at conferences, then post the results (with the occasional Slideshare link). Recently, a few of my favorites attended IL2009 and the Librarian In Black blog posted a great presentation on Web services for small libraries short on bling (with LOLCATS for your viewing pleasure).  Please enjoy.

And yes, I am posting on a Saturday night.  That’s just how I roll.

Amazon to the Rescue

The fact is, a good chunk of the patrons I see do not know the Title/Author/ISBN and Dewey call number of the item they seek. More often than not, they have part of the information, but not all, and sometimes the information they have is incorrect but they do not know or believe this.  At times like this, you really need a search engine created for the unsure-this is a job for Amazon.

As wonderful as our catalogs may be, there’s something to be said about a search engine that’s designed to help people find things they don’t even really know they want.  Amazon is helpful when…

you’re trying to narrow down a very vague request

“It’s something like ‘Darkness forever’ or ‘eternal midnight’…the author’s something like johnston or jonestown…I’m sorry, I don’t really remember”

Searching for titles possible authors will usually bring up a list of possible suspects.  Much like Google, Amazon likes to suggest similar search terms when it thinks they may be closer to your goal.

the patron is asking about a new or popular book (with a pretty common name) with which you are not 100% familiar and doesn’t have the author

Begin to type in the title and it will supply a list of “guesses” as to what you are looking for.  Don’t be surprised if the book you seek is right there.

They have a title but you’re not sure they have all the details

Tiny things like prepositions and articles can mess up a too-literal ILS system.  They insist it’s “Don’t Be Your Mother” or maybe it’s really “Not Becoming My Mother” that caught their ear in a radio review.

Wiki-heckifiknow

It’d be really great if being surrounded by information resources meant you had the chance to sit around and read all day, but alas.  The fact of the matter is, while we may have a few areas of expertise up our sleeve, we might need some quick interweb help when the patron in front of us is asking about the history of convention centers in Hawaii.  Enter Wikipedia. Though by its very nature we cannot trust it as one would a fact-checked and authorized publication, the fact is that most wikipedia articles are written by those with LOADS of INFORMATION on the topic, who really want to share their knowledge of Hawaiian convention centers.  And you can search it easily.  As an information professional, of course, you are able to sift out the fact from fiction in certain entries and may take it upon yourself to mention the reasons your patron should not use Wikipedia as its end-all resource for his or her coming research paper.  Still, it’s a good starting point, and often chock-full of links to real sources that you can double-check and/or branch off with.

Google and other honorable mentions

I give a lot of credit to Google and message boards, not as the source for unquestionable facts, but as a good way to get a name or company associated with chatter, when all your patron has is chatter (ex. “Who was that actor-in the 80s-he was in this TV show then he died filming a movie because he shot a blank too close to his temple…”)

Similarly, yay for IMDB.com when people try to find movies armed with little more than a few actors and some trivia.

There’s also something to be said for the value of the internet in finding additional book/reviews for collection development, or gathering lists for pathfinders.

Not that these are always going to be the best tool for the job, but they sure do work in a pinch.  I’m just sayin’…

So here’s a little summary to get you started. I do not claim to be a financial aid expert or professional, so please use this as a jumping-off point for your own research. I’m not gonna lie-Legislativespeak confuses me sometimes.

The College Cost Reduction Act (For Direct Loans)
This Act contains a new Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, which is pretty much just how it sounds: you go into public service and you may be able to have your loans forgiven. Yay! Librarians are included in eligible participants, but I encourage everyone looking into non-profit (that includes public universities and government organizations) work after graduation to take a peek at the act to see if they qualify.
Basically, you need to do two things:
-Work in public service for 10 or more years
-Pay your loans consistently and on time for 10 years (120 payments).
The years of service do not have to be consistent, but must equal full-time (can be combined from multiple positions, even at different institutions). For full forgiveness you wait until you’re finished your ten years, otherwise, you can seek forgiveness after 120 loan payments and get 10% off for each year in public service. (I’ve gotten some murky information on this-which is why I urge you to seek additional advice when deciding on this program.)
See the ALA posting for details, and definitely check out the summary for details on program guidelines and restrictions. This being my main focus due to my large Direct Loans debt, I have spent a healthy chunk of time looking into this. Two things of which you should be aware:
1. Standard repayment plans-the ones you may gravitate toward because of the 10-year repayment and consequent low(est) interest amount-conflict with this plan, as they are set up to have you paid off in 10 years, which is when your forgiveness would occur. To have anything left to forgive, you must change your repayment plan to something longer than 10 years. Income-contingent plans are a good bet because they base your payments on your household size and income and forgive the remainder after 25 years. This leaves you with a very LARGE overall debt, but as you’re off the hook after 10 years, you will most likely end up ahead, possibly by many thousands of dollars. The Finaid.com website has a great article on the plan, and a repayment calculator that will help you estimate your payments and total forgiveness based on estimated salary.
2. The amount that is forgiven at the end of the ten years is counted as “taxable income” that year by the IRS, meaning that if you make $50,000 a year when your forgiveness kicks in, and get $20,000 forgiven, that year you will pay taxes on $70,000 in income. Still, I am of the opinion that paying taxes on $20,000 is better than paying the actual $20,000, but it would be wise to plan ahead.

The Higher Education Act (for Perkins Loans)
This act extends the current Perkins Loan forgiveness guidelines to include a number of public servants, including librarians (with Masters degrees) working in elementary or secondary schools that qualify for Title I assistance, or public libraries serving Title I school districs, and also define librarianship in low-income areas as an “area of national need,” qualifying these librarians for $2,000 a year in forgiveness for up to 5 years.

The LIBRARIAN Act (for Perkins Loans)
The Librarian Incentive to Boost Recruitment and Retention in Areas of Need (LIBRARIAN) Act is pretty similar to the Higher Education Act, but with a few differences. It covers school and public librarians, but applies to Perkins loans from graduate school (often a much lower amount than you may have taken in undergrad). Also, loan forgiveness does not occur in $2,000 increments, but as follows:
-15% for first and second years in eligible service
-20% for third and fourth years
-30% for fifth year

These are, of course, simple summaries based on my somewhat limited analysis and what ALA tells me. If you think any of these programs are right up your alley, check into it. Contact your school counselors or financial aid office to see what you have to do to qualify. This is one of those situations where being resourceful and proactive will prove greatly beneficial.

*!!! It’s important to remember that these Acts affect certain KINDS of loans, and consolidation may affect your eligibility, so be sure to seek assistance when considering consolidation to make sure you are not disqualifying yourself from thousands of dollars in aid.

There are a lot of possible (and somewhat expected) answers to this, including “I attend conferences, read professional publications and maintain a strong network.” However, iSchool students and newly-minted professionals may find that their professional network offers limited information, or that conferences and subscriptions may be a bit of a tug on already-tight purse strings. And what about students who are still exploring multiple career options? What to do?

My answer is this: Don’t put yourself in the poorhouse, and don’t be afraid to show your resourceful side. Here are some ways to stay in-the-know in your field without breaking the bank. Plus, mentioning these methods in an interview will show your future colleagues that you are interested in learning and creative in problem-solving (the problem being that you have no money and want to learn more). Here are some options for the light-of-income:

Join a listserv
If you’re not getting enough opportunities to talk with current professional about what they do and what think-listservs are full of ideas and opinions. As someone interested in librarianship in Michigan, I am a member of the MICHLIB-L listserv, on which librarians post job listings, questions and comments, policy concerns and free equipment/materials offers. ALA has lists online, once you specified an area of interest.
(Note: students may want to consider setting up a second email account if they plan on joining one or more high-volume listservs, such as the yalsa-bk listserv for youth services professionals.)

Find it online, or in the library
Remember, you don’t have to own the May edition of American Libraries to learn from the article on cross-generational programming. Many academic and some public libraries may carry subscriptions to some of these publications, and many are available online (Library Journal and American Libraries come to mind).
Also, when conference attendance is not an option, keep an eye on the hosting organization’s websites. Often, groups will post conference materials afterward, so that you can learn a bit about “The Library as a Community Art Space” or “Building International Collections” from the comfort of your own home.

Attend smaller, less formal professional meetings
Nobody will blame you if you didn’t personally pop hundreds of dollars to attend the ALA conference in Chicago. Yes, these events can be great ways to extend your network and learn a LOT of new things, but the large, annual conferences aren’t your only options. You can attend meetings of local groups, such as The Library Network‘s committee meetings, or local chapter meetings of large professional groups. Also, listservs and organizational websites are good tools to keep you aware of upcoming “unconferences,” (smaller events often organized around a topic and participant-led). These are a great way to stay involved, strengthen your “presentation chops” and get some good ideas from other professionals, with fees closer to $35 than $350, and often within the state.

Blogs-a-million!
Blogs are a great tool because they’re timely, free, and require very little work on your part. I use a Google Reader account to collect blog entries from professionals both local and national. I follow a variety of blogs, and with my Reader I can catch up on all of them at once, when I have time. I use blogs to prepare for job interviews, get help with readers’ advisory or program ideas, learn about a new resource or just get some perspective.
Not sure where to start? Well, you can start by asking any librarians you known if they blog, or who they follow. Also, many blogs will recommend other blogs. You can also check out these lists:
100 Best Blogs for Library Science Students
100 Best Blogs for Librarians of the Future
And why should seasoned professionals have all the fun? If you’ve got some ideas or experiences you’d like to share, start up a free account at Blogger or WordPress and get started! (Here’s an article to help with getting serious about library blogging.)

The important thing to remember is the librarianship is a collaborative profession-we love to share our good ideas! Yes, there are benefits to joining professional organizations and traveling to big conferences, but it’s not essential at every stage in your career. With some of these more economically-minded tools you can still start thinking about the profession, building your network and getting great ideas, and you may even impress a few interviewers along the way.

I’ve done a lot of different jobs over the course of my working career, and liked most of them (here’s looking at you, to-remain-unnamed Pizza Place).  In fact, you may just say that I’m a “liker.”  I like people, for the most part, and get all smiley when I can connect them with the things they need to reach their goals, be it a delicious new cocktail or an application for financial assistance.  What this means is that I love LOVE love being a librarian.  Love it to pieces.  Big fan.  Though there are hundreds of professions I could see myself in, this is the one that fits the best with who I am now, and puts a big load of happy right in my belly.  So yeah, I like reading about it, writing about it, and sharing the things I’ve seen and heard and read with others.  As I said-big fan.

The main purpose of this blog is to share what I come across in my first year as a public librarian.  I imagine this may be of more use to prospective librarians and new graduates than seasoned professionals, but I hope there’ll be some value in this for everyone. 

I’ve been keeping a blog for over a year now, mostly for prospective and newly-admitted students of my graduate program, but I also used it to cut my teeth on topics relevant to prospective and new librarians, so my first entries here will be imported in from my old stompin’ grounds. 

Let the wild rumpus start!