First Blog

Everybody's doing it, so it must be the cool thing to do. That is have a blog, not whatever else you were thinking... I have been meaning to start a blog as a librarian for quite some time now, but never got off my lazy butt to start it. Now is as good time as ever to get one going I suppose. Apparently as a librarian this could help my career, help me vent, help others in the field, and hopefully entertain folks reading this. I am very interested in helping my career, which may sound selfish, but I didn't spend close to two years in graduate school to spend my life as an entry level librarian. I want to be a leader in the field, and shake things up positively. So, it isn't all selfish, since I do care about librarianship as a profession immensely, or I would have never become a librarian. (I could have gone to law school, been a professor, etc.) And if getting things out on the 'net helps me in a therapeutic manner, encourages other librarians, and provides some good clean entertainment, then why not?

Let's start with some background. I attended the one affordable Library (and Information) School in Michigan. That would be Wayne State University. I worked there as a graduate student assistant before moving to SW Florida and landing my first professional library gig as a public reference librarian. I worked in a fairly large public library system for close to two years before ending up (long story) in SE Florida at a small public library. I have been a professional librarian for over 3 years now, and enjoy the variety of work. I am currently attending the Sunshine State Library Leadership Institute (SSLLI), where I have begun a major project in conjunction with my library. I also help maintain the web site for the Palm Beach County Library Association (PBCLA), and am hoping to be chosen for one of the FLA Committees. Last year I was on the scholarship committee for the PBCLA, and helped choose the winning essay for current LIS grad school students. I am definitely interested in local, and state professional association work, since national groups are difficult to interact with due to the economy, etc. I am a member of PBCLA, Florida Library Association (FLA), ALA and PLA. And I try to stay current in all of these associations. I attended the ALA Convention in Chicago last year, and I am going to the FLA convention in a couple of weeks. First time for both.

What I would like to blog about is my daily life in my library, my SSLLI project, emerging trends in the field, tips and tricks for making life as a librarian easier, and any other random things on my mind. What I don't want to do is complain about patrons, the bosses, or my co-workers. I would prefer this to be a positive place for general observations, and updates on my career, librarianship, and encourage feedback from anyone with something constructive to say. I may also talk about what music I'm listening to, sports, TV shows (LOST anyone?) and my recent adventures as a first time home owner. Life isn't just about the job, but also about the many other things we do to pass the time.