Narratives of Academic Librarians: Chapter 2: Navigating Early Career Landscape

Chapter 2: Navigating Early Career Landscape

Let’s go right back a sec. I don't know if you've been a librarian long enough to remember [a search tool tutorial], but [this search tool tutorial] was a tutorial that was used in [another state].

At one institution, we had reviewed it to try to say, “how would we adapt it for us here?”

Then a web person ended up implementing those changes.

[At the next institution I worked at] they just asked me to make it.

 

I'm trying to make this [search tool tutorial], and it took me forever because I didn't have.... I had to figure out and advocate for myself.

I said. “Ok, I need this tool. I can't do this for each team. Now I need [webpage editing software].”

 

I got [webpage editing software].

I had to get a better computer because I was bringing my laptop in because I couldn't get these things done.

I was just so happy that I was an academic librarian.

I feel like I established myself as an academic librarian, but sometimes that boss...

I remember them once saying to me, “maybe you're not cut out to be an academic librarian.”

I remember her saying that once to me.

I think because she just expected more output, which one time I said that to my office mate, and they replied, “like, what the hell? You do so much.”

 

I'm always one of those people who's still to this day, I think I don’t do enough.

 I'm a full professor.

I still think I don't do enough.

I just send a video to everybody and they're like, “oh, this is great.”

 

I'm one of those people that just does that.

I am always critical, but I mean, I'm not unhappy.

I just want to improve and do better.

One of the things, and we had a really great structure, but I needed help from somebody who was much more academic, more experienced and older.

 

I was able to work on a composition program to embed an information literacy component.

 

When we started, we had a few workshops that students had to come and attend, but creating those workshops was overwhelming for me.

It was super overwhelming for me.

 

I'm like, “what am I going to do?”

I had to pull in help from everyone else, from my colleagues and get ideas.

Even though I've taught a thousand times at that point, it was overwhelming for me.

I thought, “I have to make these perfect workshops.”

 

I knew I needed an advanced degree.

I ended up getting an [instructional technology and design] degree, which was perfect.

In the first class, it just explained everything to me.

 

I loved it.

I think it was the most complimentary degree.

I think that every librarian should take an instructional design 101 course.

In fact, I have taught some librarians.

I have Dick and Carey model instruction, and I tried to share with other librarians at some workshops.

 

I still share...even ADDIE, people don't know these things (Allen 2006).

Now it just seems common sense, but even [a co-worker] wanted to apply for an instructional design librarian job, and he asked me, “do you do anything with instructional design?”

 

I was almost embarrassed.

What could I explain to him because what could he do?

[The coworker] is a [new worker], so I'm not trying to make fun of him.

I explained to him what he could tie in and what he could say.

 

But I know where he’s at with the level of work that he's done.

I know it was an entry level job, I don't think he’s going to want to go for it.

He should stay business focused, but in my head, because I want him to get paid more.

 

I guess what I was calling this chapter was “navigating my early career landscape”, when I was figuring out technology and establishing partnerships.