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Graduating with my MLIS in 2010 marked the end of
an era: prior to that, I had been a higher education student for ten straight
years. I had also been working full-time since 2004; school was my hobby, of
sorts, in the sense that I had no time to do anything else for fun. It had to
be my fun.
It stands to reason, then, that I am in fact one
of those people that believes in school and professional development as a way
to make myself a stronger librarian. I know for certain that I use everything
I’ve learned every single day.
Similar to Giso
Broman, I didn’t really have a clear idea of what I wanted to do with the
degree (I knew I really didn’t want to work with kids, which is pretty
laughable now as a Youth Services Librarian), but I found that getting a general
degree worked best for me.
Despite being a generalist, I decided not to write
“general studies” on my questionnaire for my
Emerging Leaders trading card when asked what my “specialization” was, for
fear I’d look somehow lesser. But I shouldn’t have been embarrassed, and
current non-track students shouldn’t either: I was able to take a variety of
classes, and I still got an MLIS and, perhaps more importantly, a job!
Here’s some of the best classes I took, and the
skills I picked up that made me into the librarian I am today:
Also, the final project was about mission
statements and objectives, and whether an organization is doing what they set
out to do, and weighing internal versus external perceptions of an organization’s
value. I can’t say enough about this course. Please take it if it’s offered at
your graduate school, future librarian. [Editor’s note: there are great books,
articles, and more – both in and out of the lis literature – if you’re out of
grad school or are working in the field but have no interest in the MLIS.]
ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: I create informative signage
and have an elevator speech prepared for people who say, “Librarian, huh? Why
are there still libraries anyway?”
ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: By keeping our main
objective at the forefront of our plans, I avoided multiple epic freak outs and
became a successful project manager as a first-year librarian.
3. Digital Tools: This class was the foundation for
my entire online presence. I was introduced to professional uses of social
media, and it was where I created a Twitter account. Every student in the class
had posting access to a Wordpress blog, and we took turns writing about ourselves
and about library issues we researched. I learned how a professional post
online was different from the LiveJournal that I kept, and how comments can
steer a conversation (for better or worse). Also, Digital Tools taught me about the wonder
that is open source software, like Open Office and GIMP!
ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: While I’ve never been
someone with a “brand,” I’m definitely better off than I would have been had I
not learned about being a librarian on social media.
Behavioral psychology is a great class to take for
anyone who works with other people (basically, everyone). I’m not just talking
about the public, here; many librarians work on a team or in a hierarchy, and
understanding what makes other people tick can help those “dreaded” group
projects and meetings work in your favor. Knowledge about brain development helps
anyone who deals with children [Editor’s note: It’s also super helpful when
dealing with college students.].
ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: This definitely helped me be
a better librarian. I know now that an adult’s attention span isn’t that much
longer than a child. So my school tours are 7 minutes, and presentations to the
Library Board will be 10.
I can’t say that these are classes I planned to
take, knowing their desired outcomes. I took classes that sounded interesting
or challenging, and didn’t even know when or how I would use them in the
future.
What were some of the most valuable classes you
took in school?
Sara Bryce is a youth services librarian for La
Crosse Public Library. She was a 2013 ALA Emerging Leader and a 2012 Wisconsin
Library Association Rising Star. She blogs at Bryce Don’t Play and tweets at @PLSanders.
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