One year later…

It doesn't get much more pensive than this

It has been a year since I graduated from the University of Michigan with my Master’s degree in Information Science. It has also been almost 8 months since I have been in my first job as a librarian. And it has been that long since I have blogged about it. Why? Well, to be frank, there hasn’t been much to blog about in my job. I’m also still finding my feet in blogging about professional topics.

You may have noticed that I have changed my blog title from “Midwest Librarian” to “Michigan Librarian”. This is a statement of hope, not a reflection of recent change of status.

In this past year and these past 8 months especially, I have learned many things about myself, sometimes quite painfully. The move out of state, to a rural area and to a small college has taught me so much more than I imagined.

I have discovered how truly important my family is to me.
When I moved here, I didn’t think a 5 hours drive would be that far to travel to visit my family. It is further away than I have ever been from my hometown. And as I have discovered, that is too far. My career is important to me, but so is my family. And in order to be truly happy, I need both. I also miss Michigan in a general way. I miss the culture. I miss my home.

Courtesy of David Rumsey Map Collection, Creative Commons License 2.0

I am an urban girl.
Not New York City or L.A.-urban. But Detroit, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor-urban. I miss the bustling city life, where places are open past 9 pm, cultural events are around every corner and social activities for the creative and intellectually curious young adult are prevalent. There is certain appeal to the quiet, small-town life and I have total respect for those who need it and love it. But it is not for me.

I would rather be a medium-fish in a large pond than a medium-fish in a small pond.
My current title is Reference Librarian. In reality, however, I am Reference/Instruction/Circulation/Serials/Interlibrary Loan/Outreach Librarian/Archivist/Supervisor/Paraprofessional. That doesn’t really fit on a business card, though. Obviously, reference librarians do more than just reference; I am not deluded about that. The small size of this library (3 full-time library staff) necessitates multi-tasking within and across departments – we all do a wide variety of things! There is breadth, most certainly, but I am more interested in depth. I am also very interested in being on teams and committees, which I have had some opportunity to do on an interdepartmental basis with other college units, but nothing within the library. When your staff is only three, there isn’t much need or place for committees.

So! I’ve made a decision. I want to go back home to Michigan. I want to work at a (much) larger college/university and I want to live in an urban area. Ideally, my goal is southeast Michigan, in the Ann Arbor/Detroit area, since that is where I feel I would thrive personally and professionally. I would also be close enough to family and friends.

I don’t mean to disparage where I am or what I’m doing. I am extremely fortunate to have a good job in my field when I know some of my friends and colleagues are out of the field or out of work entirely! Nor am I disparaging the school. It fulfills a definite need, is unique in a lot of ways and has given me a great deal of opportunity to grow. I have a say in pretty much everything that happens at the library and a great deal of control over the areas I manage – how many librarians can say that?

Courtesy of bighappyfunhouse, Creative Commons License 2.5

I’ve had some great times and wonderful encounters here. Like last week, I helped a student troubleshoot a problem with a video not playing and when I fixed, he gave me a high-five! The two English professors who have praised me for excellent instruction sessions. My regulars, the students who stop in and always say hi. The students who have returned after a reference interaction to say how much I’ve helped them and how they appreciate it. These things, however small, will absolutely make my day or even my week!

In terms of subject knowledge, I’ve also learned a great deal more than I ever thought I would about topics in agriculture. I’ve gained knowledge and patience in working with students who are less than tech-savvy – a big change from U of M. I’ve learned not to take those things for granted and to assess the level of tech-savvy from the very beginning.

I’ve learned a lot about myself and my goals, I’ve gained invaluable experiences and I’ve met some fantastic people. But I’m ready to move on and to go in a different direction in my career. To return to my home and to settle. I only hope the Michigan job market is kind to me.

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