bloggers help with the missing out.

Unfortunately, I was unable to see Stephen Abram deliver his keynote address at CLA as I had to fly out on Sunday and he didn’t speak until Monday. After seeing him speak in New Orleans at ALA, I was really disappointed in the fact that I would miss him. I find him to be a great speaker – informed, intelligent, and funny to boot.

Thankfully, the LibrarianinBlack blogged his speech so you can read up on all of the things I missed.

two places at once (at least)

I’m approximately 30 days from receiving my MLS and leaving for California. This past weekend I attended the California Library Association Conference in Sacramento to both get acclimated to the California library scene and to scope out the job market. I was encouraged by everything that I experienced. The librarians I met were energetic and involved, willing to try new things and discuss existing and emerging issues in interesting ways. The recruitment pavillion was wonderful – libraries from all over the state had sent representatives to offer information and interviews for open positions within their systems. I am really excited about the amount of jobs that are available and I feel really good about the responses I received from the folks that I spoke with. All of this makes me feel like I can let up on the job search panic a little bit before arriving in California. I can focus on finishing my projects and getting the logistics of my move figured out without having to throw a frantic job search into the mix. There will be jobs when I get there. However, since I have already applied to some positions (some that I REALLY want) things are starting to get a little bit tricky… I have been selected to interview for two great positions, but they want me to fly out there right after Thanksgiving and of course, not thinking about this potential problem, I am going home (to NH) for Thanksgiving for 5 days. This is an especially important trip since I won’t be able to make it back east for Christmas. So I would need to get out to California immediately upon returning from NH (a trip which is itself right on the heels of my trip to Sacramento which was really not so far off from my trip to San Francisco a few weeks before…) – twice. Yes, twice. The two positions are not in the same town. They are not even in the same county. In fact, according to Google Maps, the two places are approximately 3 hours and 40 minutes apart. The west is big. I requested a phone interview for one of the positions, but the HR person told me that candidates who interview by phone don’t generally fare too well in the selection process. This is a position where they are conducting the interviews in two rounds – if I progress to round two, I would need to fly out there again a week later! And they are not footing the bill! How on earth can this be possible? The other position is much more reasonable. I submitted my application materials and was selected to proceed to the next round of selection which required a test (7 essay questions) to be submitted via email. Now I have been selected to proceed to the third round of selection which is an on-site interview during the first week of December. I think (I hope)they are paying the airfare, but I’m not certain (I have a call into HR to discuss this). So I’ll definitely head out there for that interview. But the place that wants me there twice in 10 days at my own expense at the end of the semester? How am I supposed to handle that? I’m feeling overwhelmed. I mean, I’m so so so so so so excited that I have been selected from the initial applicant pool. I only wish the interviews would take place December 15 rather than December 1. I guess I don’t have much say in that, huh. I’ll keep you posted on how things unfold…

youth services

You know, I never really considered a youth services position in public libraries until this weekend. Now I realize that some of the best things that are going on in libraries – indeed most of the things that I am interested in – are centered around youth – their communication and learning styles and their collaborative and creative impulses. I realize that a lot of what I want to change about libraries is centered around responding to the characteristics of “millenials” because I believe that these changes will serve to make make libraries more relevant and useful to all generations of users. I believe this because, if the amount of ipods upon the grey heads in the airplane are any indication, we are not getting older as soon as we used to and being older doesn’t mean the same things that it once did. In fact, older folks are increasingly interested in technologies and media and engaging in social networking on the web. Of course, midlife crises have always existed, but the disdain once associated with one trying to maintain their youth is rapidly disappearing! I love it!

I don’t think that I will become a youth services librarian, but I do think that I will continue to keep my focus on the fresh and new ideas that they bring to our communities. Making the library relevant and welcoming to our youth is one of our top priorities as librarians….after all, they’ll become adults soon enough.