Our Libraries
May 28, 2002
Curious? Like challenges? Consider being a librarian
Librarianship is a career that can use your talents, whatever they
are, yet challenge you to think bigger and try something new. If you
love learning and want to grow, this is the career for you.
Many people don't realize that there are a number of different areas
you can go into once you become a librarian. For example, if you're
interested in technology, public relations, Internet applications
or research, you'll find a place in the library. When I first started
in this field in the late 1960s, I was very interested in library
service to children. I liked kids and I took it as my personal mission
to inspire them to read. I loved children's literature, so it was
a labor of love to pass on my enthusiasm to them.
Later, I became more interested in getting children's librarians
to work together toward common goals. Later still, I became fascinated
with library governance and funding and making the library relevant
to the whole community. Now, of course, my job is one of both supporting
and leading libraries and librarians toward excellence. This is just
one career path, but most librarians could tell a similar story of
challenge and opportunity and development.
Librarianship is a helping profession. Whether it's in the academic,
public, school or special library, the purpose is not (as some might
suspect) to keep books and other materials tidy and in order. The
purpose is to help people find the knowledge and inspiration that
they want and need. There is satisfaction in helping a student learn
how to navigate electronic resources for a research project. There
is a feeling of personal reward in showing someone how to find his
or her long-lost ancestors through genealogical research. There is
joy in inspiring children to read in a story hour, and there is excitement
in helping a company find the research needed for the development
of a new product.
Librarianship is about being curious. Librarians are always early
adaptors to new technology. I remember the first fax machine I ever
saw. It must have been in the late 1970s and it was a round, cylindrical
contraption with a needle that drew the images being transmitted.
Frankly, it didn't work very well, but librarians were experimenting
with it. In today's technological landscape, librarians know all about
computers and the Internet and can even help you learn how to perform
an Internet search and find the answer you need, not 5,000 extraneous
bits of information.
If these snapshots of librarianship appeal to you or someone you
know, think about librarianship as a career. It can also be a second
career. Many of the practicing librarians today have started out in
another field. In the next 15 years, more than 68 percent of the professional
librarians practicing today say they will be retiring. There is room
for you in this exciting field. All you need is a bachelor's degree
in almost any subject and a master's degree in librarianship from
a school accredited by the American Library Association. Some programs
can be completed in a year if you can be a full-time student.
In Illinois, two schools are available, Dominican University in
River Forest and the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. Distance
education programs as well as scholarship information are available.
Have a look at these Web sites (www.becomealibrarian.org;
www.nsls.info/librarycareers;
or www.ala.org) for further information, or visit the staff at your
local library and ask them about this exciting career choice.
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Sarah Long's "Our Libraries" column in the Daily Herald is published the first Sunday of the month. The 