Library Interview Analysis

In library settings, the manager or administrator position is a prevalent position within the profession (Mackenzie & Smith, 2009). This exploratory essay will examine the current education requirements, skills, competencies, knowledge, experience, technical skills, and salaries of managers and administrators working in public libraries.

My incredible team members got in contact last week and we went on our scavenger hunt at the library today. To be honest I came into the scavenger hunt pretty clueless about where everything is because I typically go to a certain spot there and no where else. So I am grateful for the opportunity I got to see how the Jerry Falwell Library truly is an indispensable resource for any college student. I plan on utilizing the spaces over the next few years to study, brain storm and do homework. Our library also provides countless resources in the building ranging from thousands of books to databases we have access too. The staff members also have a joyful attitude and are willing to help answer questions and concerns.

I observed a Saturday morning story time at the Westport Road Library, there were 8 children and 6 adults present. The children’s librarian Jacleyn received a Master of Library and Information Science from UK. She explained students earning this degree must take 5-8 core classes, then depending on their interest take the additional courses to fulfill their chosen career path.

I have helped students in finding resources for research projects on a limitless number of topics while using and explaining to the student the myriad of resources available to them from the libraries physical collection to, books available through external sources such as OhioLink and SearchOhio and digital resources such as e-Books, electronic journals, pathfinders and newspaper databases. Working with the students at Wayne College has truly made me recognize my desire to pursue a Master’s degree in the Library and information Science program. While working at the Wayne College Library I have also had the chance to learn a great deal about cataloging and processing books and feel that this knowledge would help me greatly through my

Julie Winkelstein is a self-described social justice librarian with the following degrees: BA in Dramatic Arts from University of California, Berkeley; Master 's in Library and Information Science, San Jose State University, California; and Ph.D. in Communication & Information, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Julie worked in public libraries for many years; is finishing postdoctoral research on LGBTQ youth homelessness and public libraries; and has only very recently started the nonprofit Mind the Gap, which aims to address family and child homelessness through social justice and using public libraries. To fulfill her role(s) as administrator and researcher working with agencies and the public, she has needed a commitment to social justice, based on work/life experiences in jails and

As I was preparing for this interview, I had no idea what to expect. Aside from our email correspondence, I had never met nor heard of Mrs. Laureti. Curious to learn more of my interviewee, I found her LinkedIn profile and felt the nerves rise in me. This professional had done it all; doing what I dreamed of doing in my own future! How was I going to be able to steer the conversation? What if I made a terrible first impression? We had set the date for the interview; October 7th, at the Capitol Complex. I set my GPS for Harrisburg and made my way up I-81, arriving nearly 45 minutes early. Walking into the Complex itself was intimidating by itself; this was where the magic happens, where all the policy is written and passed. I made my way down the escalators and was met by a cheerful Mrs. Alycia Laureti. We each took our turns introducing ourselves, talking about my commute,the weather, finally sitting out in front of the coffee stand. I choose to talk about three aspects of her work; educational requirements, a day in the life, and, because I enjoy puns, “politics” in the workplace.

For this project, I interviewed Dr. Sonya Gaither, director of the Hightower Library at Gordon State College in Barnesville, Georgia. The challenge Dr. Gaither wanted to focus on was changing procedures within the library that have not been updated in years, specifically how the librarians on her staff conduct appointments with students seeking research assistance through the Personal Librarian Program.

Wayne Wiegand’s article, a revised version of a lecture delivered at the Library of Congress, entitled Tunnel vision and blind spots: What the past tells us about the present; reflections on the twentieth-century history of American librarianship offers a critique of the library profession. The author’s dedication and enthusiasm to the profession is apparent, yet he offers a somewhat pessimistic point of view of the work being done in libraries. Wigand acknowledges that it is impossible to universally apply a “one size fits all” set of best practices on librarianship. Rather he states it should be examined on a case by case basis, so particular organizations can determine what library practices serve their local communities best. The author

This semester I had the opportunity to work first hand with Jason Gumm in the Glenville State College Archives center located in our colleges library. Not only did I have the opportunity to work closely with Jason, but different members of the library staff and other student Interns. During my time in the Archives center I had the chance to experience what having a job in an Archives entails, and the different types of knowledge it requires to properly maintain and keep up an archives to efficiently provide a proper display of information.

Goal #1- Gain exposure and knowledge to different medical librarian’s roles in the libraries located at MD Anderson.

Change can be intimidating for any organization. But to improve an organization’s function, change is necessary. Libraries and library staff are sometimes viewed as being obsolete or irrelevant in today’s society. Why would anyone need to go to an actual library when resources are available online? Why is there a need for people to continue to enter the library profession when it is obvious that it is an unnecessary job? Along with those questions, misconceptions abound in the general population. Some are surprised to learn that librarians have advanced college degrees. The general population seems to be unaware of the many skills librarians have and use in guiding patrons as

The person I chose to interview for this assignment was Anita Donald she is currently a Catalogue Technician at the Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library. Recently Bradford has created a new strategic plan where they can begin transforming themselves in the next five years into a place where the “Community can gather”. They, like other Libraries are also moving into new trends and are merging their reference and circulation departments to better serve their patrons to become a non-traditional library.

Naturally, it wasn’t just community stakeholders, library users and library partners that came forth to ponder and discuss the present and future of our organization. The early discussions on the Ferguson Library and public libraries had sparked something in all our colleagues. Ellen Sullivan, our resident readers’ advisory expert shared this in her monthly report.

The interview was conducted in multiple settings and at different times. Mr. D and I had to schedule multiple sessions with each other because of our busy schedules. I also had to ask him more questions as the assignment changed over the course of this semester. We had the interview over the phone a few times and once in-person. The interview that was in-person took place at a restaurant in Greenville, SC. I offered to buy him lunch for doing the interview for me.

I ended up interviewing Jennifer Noonan who works in the Human Resources Student Employment Department in University Housing. I choose to interview her because I work in housing and I was able to get in contact with her fairly easily. I also hope to work in the field of Management and Human resources, so I wanted to interview someone in that field to get a sense of what the career entails.