I will finish this semester with many new ideas about my role as a Librarian, and what a library itself is. I realize that the library will always be changing, and that I am not alone in my belief that the learning that people will use the library for will be taking different shapes in the future. I was pleased to learn, during my library visit, that a local director feels the same way that I do; that the library is going to shift to a place of social learning and interaction not just a place for reading and books. Every time I start to get worried about the current state of libraries, or how people say that libraries are "dead" I go back and think about how libraries have evolved over the years, from private institutes, religious holdings, and beyond. The library constantly evolves, and we as a profession will keep evolving with it.
I also have to keep reminding myself, and this is a lesson that has been reinforced from this class, that the library is for everyone. That we really need to have books for any patron on our shelves. Ideally, we'd have the equal amount of information for each patron on every subject, but that isn't realistic. But, we can make an effort to reach out to every patron that might come to the library. We get almost no request for books on LGBT youth, and have never had a request for a book about LGBT youth from a parenting perspective, but my boss read a positive review about a book on the subject, and the book was available in paper back, so I advised her to purchase the book for our collection. We don't have any books on that subject, and there may be a parent that we serve who would need this book.
Another thing that this course, and just pursuing my MLIS in general has given me is a new level of confidence in my work. I am a good librarian. I know a lot about many different areas, so I am able to help patrons with many different questions. I am a patient person, and I am accepting. I also understand my job, my boss has told me I "think like a librarian". So, when it comes time for me stand up for myself at work, I am doing this more. There are some personal issues (that I do not need to get into in a scholarly blog) that sometimes come up, but this schooling is helping me to stand up for myself based on the knowledge that I am dedicated to my job, and I am learning, supporting, and defending the ideals of librarianship.
I've also come to respect and understand my profession from a larger scope. I know that I love being a teen librarian, and I doubt that I will ever change from what I do. But, it's been interesting to look through the different blogs, Think Tanks, and general discussion to see what other types of librarianship my classmates are considering. It's good for me to get out of my myopic existence and see this profession from other perspectives.
Finally, I have realized that I am a crusader for access to information. I am passionate about the ALA and publishers getting their acts together and making it so everyone can have access to e-books, not just the rich communities that can afford the subscription services and high prices of the books. Authors and publishers have a right to make money off of the books that they write and produce, but I believe they should also remember how important libraries are to bringing in new readers and introducing readers to new authors. We are the advocates of literacy, and we need to be able to share the new technology that is available.
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