Good afternoon! My name is Jennifer and I am very excited to be taking this course on the Hyperlinked library and the future of information science. I was very lucky to have Dr. Stephens previously for INFO 200: Information Communities and enjoyed his course materials so I definitely had this class on my radar to take. I have been focusing on courses in accessibility and cultural communications and this course will definitely help expand my knowledge on the evolution of library services and how to incorporate them to better meet the needs of the patrons and community agents that I assist on a daily basis.
As for me, I graduated in 2021 with my Bachelors in Business Administration, Information Systems and I have been working on my MLIS for about three years now. I did take a “break” to focus on my now one year old, but I am back on track and should hopefully graduate Spring 2025! I am currently a full-time Library Assistant at a public library. Most of my duties entail supporting our circulation department, handling interdepartmental materials ordering, and administrative support. I also handle some recordkeeping and membership engagement and create programming and outreach materials for our library’s foundation. As of right now, I do not have a lot of free time, and most of what time I do have I spend with my high schooler and one-year-old who seem to always have something going on as of late! We do visit the Aquarium of the Pacific often so I will leave you all with a picture of our trip from last week.
Happy new semester! I look forward to reading everyone’s work!
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer. I am in awe that you are able to balance full-time work, the MLIS program, a one-year-old, and a high-schooler. That is some top-level multitasking! It sounds like you also have to do a lot of multitasking in your library assistant job. Once you complete your MLIS are you hoping to stay on in your public library, or do you have a different library passion you want to pursue?
Hi there Rachel. I really wouldn’t be able to do all that I do without my attentive and one-track mind partner. He really does keep me organized and reminds me of my priorities! As for the multi-tasking at my job – I do believe that as the library profession evolves, efficient multi-tasking will be a common requirement due to the condensing of job positions and the changing needs in the traditional public library setting.
I do enjoy working in a public library setting, so I would not mind to further my career in public librarianship. I would also not mind working in a records management position somewhere down the line!
Hey Jennifer, I definitely agree that multi-tasking seems to be an everday facet of library work! My job title is cataloging, acquisitions, and metadata librarian, but I also spend time doing displays, merchandising the collection, helping with strategic planning, and conducting usability tests. On the one hand, this type of flexibility can be stressful (as we add more to our already full plates). But, it can also be fulfilling to be able to flex our muscles and pursue our passions in different aspects of library work.
I’m looking forward to seeing where you end up! I am partial to public libraries (I am currently working in my fourth one). But, there are also so many other fun information professions to explore!
Hi Jennifer, love that picture of the aquarium – I was born in Torrance, CA , near you, but lived most of my life in Washington State. I’ve been to Long Beach more than a few times to visit family. I think I’ll always be a aquarium/zoo person so thanks for the pic!
Hello, Jennifer! How nice to meet you through this digital space. This class is definitely one that I am looking forward to for the same reason you say, to help navigate the evolution of library services!
Thank you for sharing these pivotal moments of your educational journey so far. Also, aquariums are one of the best places in the world, in my opinion (besides the library, of course).
– Hope
@giffordlore Gorgeous photo! So excited you will be graduating in spring 2025. Yay for your background that brought you to librarianship. I think your previouys degree will serve you well. I hope you enjoy your explorations.
Welcome to #hyperlib!