Revisiting Assumptions/Assertions of LIS
Looking back on my post about what I was expecting and thought of LIS, I realize by just taking this first class towards my MLIS I have learned A LOT. Libraries are much more than just a place to check out materials. Librarians do more than just find information and not all librarians work in libraries or with the public. At first I thought that a subject or reference librarian was mainly there to help patrons find information. The reality is that they order materials, have their own research, are on committees that help libraries continue to thrive and are actively involved in professional associations- along with interacting with and assisting patrons. By viewing my colleagues’ work and thoughts, I realize that not everyone has the same goals nor do they want they same “job” even though we are pursuing the same degree. Some people want to work in law firms, museums, schools, and hospitals- not just public or academic libraries. I think the term “information specialist” is a great way to look at library science professionals. This helps to eliminate the idea that all librarians do the same things in libraries only.
Some things that have stayed the same for me through the course of the semester are that I knew librarians did more than just check out books, just not to the extent that I learned about in this course. I also realized after exploring different outlets of this profession, that I still am passionate about academic libraries and want to be a subject librarian. I am glad my goal stayed mainly the same, but I now have so many other ideas about what I want to do. I am so much more interested in learning different technologies (even blogging was new to me). I also want to be more involved in professional associations such as the Music Library Association. I don’t just want to be a member, I want to be actively involved with the association by presenting research or posing discussion questions- maybe even being on a committee or being an officer for the association. Now I don’t feel like I will just be searching materials for patrons, but will be more involved in the library and community I serve. I feel very lucky to have had the experiences I have had with libraries and in this class. It has been wonderful to connect with people who share an interest in passing along information and researching topics. It is also nice to see how many outlets this profession contains.