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I saw that yesterday at popurls, it inspired me and I actually spoke to someone about going back to school and get my MLS certification, and I almost posted it here.
Janetland: WHAT!? I LOVED both of my library jobs. Why did you not like it? I have never in my life met anyone that said they hated being a librarian, I am just amazed and so curious because my dream job is as a chief reference librarian at some marble walled ivy league library.
Well, I loved working with the other librarians; it was the library patrons I couldn't stand. For every interesting or fun person to help out, there were at least three people who would be 1) deeply disagreeable, 2) deeply stupid, or 3) both. To this day, when I go into that library and their phone rings, I jump in horror. I was very good at the job, and very nice to everybody, but I guess I just don't have the patience or internal fortitude or altruism or something; that circulation/reference desk nearly killed me.
AHHHH. Gotcha!!! I know EXACTLY what you mean. I have worked circulation and shelving, but not reference, my dream job, so yes, I get it-it was the IDIOTS!!! So it wasn't library science per say, it was the asshats. Thank you for sharing with me. Are you certified, what is the best school for library science?
I'm looking for a book. I don't know the author or the title, but the cover is red.
If I ever get a job using my MLIS, it will not be reference or front-desk related - I'll be in the back cataloguing or doing collection development or something.
Nah, I'm not certified. I only did one semester of grad work in library science at the University of Maryland back in the 80s. (pre-internet! I bet THAT program has changed!) Jessamyn would have a better idea which schools are the strongest, I would think.
I'm doing both reference and cataloging, and I love it. I can go up and work on the desk in 2-hour blocks, then escape to my cataloging realm and be alone with my machine. But I'm at an academic library. I have heard a lot of stories from public-library friends that made me cringe.
I am far more into academic than public libraries, as far as career goes. Party Girl with Parker Posie is one of my favorite movies. There aren't many library movies out there.
Hooooboy. I can tell this author doesn't live in the NYC Metro area.
Once I went down to the Brooklyn Public Library to apply for a library job. The receptionist tried to dissuade me; she said "You know there are people who have been here for ten years and don't make any more than $30K, right?"
Hi -- I don't think I'd call Number 9 "Romance" but I did pick up a guy while I was working at the reference desk one time [yes matildaben, at UW] Ahh good times, good times.
However, to be fair, I really didn't enjoy my two years as a public librarian, I'd much rather work for some little community college, or being sort of a circuit librarian like I am now.
photo by splunge
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