{"id":2273,"date":"2011-04-23T00:01:15","date_gmt":"2011-04-23T04:01:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/?p=2273"},"modified":"2011-04-22T22:56:46","modified_gmt":"2011-04-23T02:56:46","slug":"uncertain-times-won%e2%80%99t-bring-this-future-librarian-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/2011\/04\/uncertain-times-won%e2%80%99t-bring-this-future-librarian-down\/","title":{"rendered":"Uncertain times won\u2019t bring this future librarian down"},"content":{"rendered":"

As a library school student with one semester left before graduation, I can\u2019t help but be excited at the prospect of finally crossing the finish line, receiving that master\u2019s degree, and starting my career as a youth services librarian. Who wouldn\u2019t be excited to be one step closer to her dream? But the vibe I\u2019ve been getting lately from news articles, library literature and even some of my fellow classmates in their online discussion board comments is something quite the opposite of excitement. Their text has become the equivalent of ominous sideways glances telling me just one thing: be afraid.<\/span><\/p>\n

Phrases like \u201cuncertain times\u201d\u009d have been tossed around while libraries face budget cuts, reduced hours, branch closings, and layoffs. The library where I work as a part-time youth services staff member is currently in the middle of a hiring freeze. The promise of a degree is not necessarily the promise of the start of a new career.<\/span><\/p>\n

Should I be scared?<\/span><\/p>\n

Maybe. But being a student, I\u2019m still programmed to think in terms of the present. I\u2019ve had nights working on homework for seven hours straight only to wake up at 6 a.m. the next morning ready to present a toddler story time. If an observation report is due on Monday and a literature review is due Sunday, I spend Saturday working on the lit review and Sunday working on the report. This isn\u2019t procrastination\u2013it\u2019s necessity. To balance two jobs, a master\u2019s program, family, friends, and the occasional guest\u00a0blog (yes, I am writing this the day before its deadline), you have<\/strong><\/em> to take things one day at a time. Which means there isn’t any time to fear the future.<\/span><\/p>\n

This kind of outlook definitely has its benefits, aside from the obvious \u201cone less thing to worry about.\u201d\u009d By taking each day one at a time, I\u2019ve noticed the lines between school and work start to blur. I can\u2019t always remember if I learned something in class or on the job, but I just end up applying the fact or skill where I need it, making both my schoolwork and my job tasks even better. For example, after being introduced to the Web 2.0 poster website Glogster.com (I think <\/em><\/strong>this was in class). I was able to create an online poster\u00a0to present at the Nevada Library Southern District’s\u00a0 “Best of the Best in Storytime for Children” event on Wednesday (\u00ef\u00bb\u00bfhttp:\/\/forestjournal.glogster.com\/story-time-programs\/<\/span><\/a>).\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>During the event, I learned about exciting children\u2019s programs other libraries are doing that I can write about in assignments for school. Being a library student working in a library keeps ideas fresh in my mind while I sit square in the middle of what\u2019s happening with the state of libraries right now. Even as they face struggles from branch closings to budget cuts, they still continue toward the future with innovative ideas that don\u2019t let me get discouraged and instead motivate me to try something new.<\/span><\/p>\n

I plan to take this attitude and these skills with me to my next job interview, along with my MLIS degree.<\/span><\/p>\n

So even if there are no immediate jobs, if pay is low, if I have to brace a storm of fear as I cross that finish line, I still view the \u201cuncertain\u201d\u009d times through a student\u2019s rosy Technicolor glasses. Hopefully I can spread my outlook to librarians already in the field with one simple message:<\/span><\/p>\n

Be excited. The future is going to be amazing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0______________________________________________________<\/span><\/p>\n

Our guest blogger today is Stephanie Espinoza, a Youth Services Specialist at the Green Valley Library in Henderson, NV. She contributes to the Henderson Libraries\u2019 district-wide blog<\/a> and can be contacted at <\/span>forestjournal@yahoo.com<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

If you\u2019d like to write a guest post for the ALSC Blog, please contact Mary Voors, ALSC Blog manager, at <\/span>alscblog@gmail.com<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As a library school student with one semester left before graduation, I can\u2019t help but be excited at the prospect of finally crossing the finish line, receiving that master\u2019s degree, and starting my career as a youth services librarian. Who wouldn\u2019t be excited to be one step closer to her dream? But the vibe I\u2019ve been getting lately from news articles, library literature and even some of my fellow classmates in their online discussion board comments is something quite the opposite of excitement. Their text has become the equivalent of ominous sideways glances telling me just one thing: be afraid. Phrases like \u201cuncertain times\u201d\u009d have been tossed around while libraries face budget cuts, reduced hours, branch closings, and layoffs. The library where I work as a part-time youth services staff member is currently in the middle of a hiring freeze. The promise of a degree is not necessarily the promise…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[134,36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-guest-blogger","category-slice-of-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2273","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2273"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2273\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}