Alumni Interview: Clinical Information Analyst Melissa

Melissa attended Drexel from 2008 to 2010 as an online student. By taking advantage of reduced student rates, Melissa was a member of SLA for a few years, as well as ALA and ASIST, but now that she has graduated and has to pay full membership fees, feels the need to be more selective about joining professional associations. Currently, she is a member of the Medical Library Association (MLA), and plans to one day join Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). She highly recommends that current students take advantage of student rates, conference stipends/grants, and association listservs, because they offer an excellent opportunity to learn about the professional world.

While attending school, Melissa worked in a corporate library, a hospital library, and a law library, mostly working with technical services and knowledge management. During her last quarter at Drexel, she took the Healthcare Informatics class (INFO 648), and really enjoyed it. Melissa was "...very impressed with the overall quality of my online experience. There are challenges to being an online student, but the convenience and flexibility can't be beat. I had many excellent professors who challenged me to do my best and I find myself silently thanking them on a regular basis as I confront the many situations at work that have some aspect of "information management" at their core."

What is your current job? Clinical Informatics Analyst at Olympic Medical Center, a small hospital in Port Angeles, WA. 

How did you find your job? I was extremely lucky that this job was being advertised right at the same time that I was planning to move to Port Angeles for family reasons. I applied and was competing against other people who had actual clinical experience, but I guess I interviewed well! I also had excellent references and had just taken the Healthcare Informatics class at Drexel.

What does your typical day look like? Is this what you expected when you took the job? My days bounce between sitting at the compeer, puzzling out some issues with the electronic medical record system (mostly issues caused by the interaction of imperfect end-users interacting with imperfect computers!) and going to meetings. It is rare to have a day without any meetings, whether it is sitting down with a clinical manager deciding on what their SharePoint site needs, or participating in a regular team meeting, or presenting about a topic (like Information Security) to a group of administrators. The word Analyst in my title is very apt, as I do a lot of problem-solving and "reference interviews" with people who are experiencing issues.

I am learning a lot about healthcare information technology (hardware and software), and I am getting more familiar with clinical processes and the way medicine works. Those were things I expected I would learn. What I didn't expect is just how much my librarian and knowledge management background would be relevant! I was recently assigned to be Primary Support for SharePoint, which is the hospital's main platform for collaboration and Internet functions. This is both scary and exciting, because it has so much potential from a Knowledge Management perspective, but it takes a lot of time and energy. I am also on the Education Committee, so I bring my "librarian" self to those meetings, but it constantly frustrates me that we don't have an actual medical Librarian or Hospital Library!

What do you enjoy most about your job? I enjoy solving problems for doctors and nurses (and support staff) which enables them to provide better patient care and possibly save lives. I also enjoy being able to collaborate with others on various process involvement projects, because it's like solving future problems (preemptively!) There is also more to learn, and that is very satisfying. 

What are some common misconceptions about your job/area of librarianship? That "informatics" is the same as IT. Nobody really understands what "clinical informatics" means, or what we do (until we help them with a problem...and then they know who to call! But they still couldn't explain what informatics means.) To confuse matters even more, our Clinical Informatics team just merged with our Applications (software) team, so now there is a "software" team and a "hardware" team under the umbrella of Information Services. However, informatics is not just about software, it is largely about people and how they do their work (processes and workflow). But since we usually help people with problems that stem from computers, we end up getting labeled as IT.

What was the most valuable thing you did or learned while in library school? I'm extremely glad that I ended up pursuing the Knowledge Management/ Competitive Intelligence concentration. I have used the skills from those classes on many occasions. I also am thankful for learning about the structure of relational databases, and the main principles behind Information Architecture and website design. I think library school also instilled a deep appreciation for the value of providing excellent customer service. 

What inspired you to choose this career? Ironically, my very first library job was as a Library Assistant at a hospital library, but that was a job just for the sake of getting a job- until I feel in love with it during my tenure! My boss encouraged me to go to library school, so I did, but I did not think I would end up back in a hospital setting.

What do you wish you had learned more about? I actually wish I had learned more search skills! However, after some years of work experience (but not necessarily search experience) I know that after a certain point you can't learn it in school. You just have to jump in the pool and start helping your customers even though you don't think you know what you are doing! I call myself a librarian, when the situation warrants, but I often feel like I'm not a "real" librarian because I'm not doing long Boolean searches in obscure databases to find articles or books for grateful patrons. But I don't let that bother me too much- because I really love what I AM doing for my "patrons".

Any tips for current students? Learn about informatics! And especially consider going into the field of healthcare in some capacity, because we need more people with our skill set. It's one field where jobs are available these days, too (although it helps to have even a small bit of experience with something healthcare related, so volunteer, or cultivate healthcare connections in your network).

Alumni Interview: Academic (and Medical!) Librarian Jackie

Jackie earned her MLIS from Drexel in 1994, while working full-time as a cataloging technician at the Scott Memorial Library of Thomas Jefferson University. Six months before she graduated, she got her first job as an entry level reference librarian at Scott Memorial Library. She stayed in the reference department for three years, and then moved over to access services for another three years. She left Jefferson in 2000 to work as the director of the library at Chestnut Hill Hospital, where she provided services to healthcare providers, staff, and patients. Currently, Jackie is the department head of Access Services at the Community College of Philadelphia. She has also taught a course on medical bibliography, and earned a Master's of Education degree from Drexel in Learning Technologies in 2009. 


Jackie has served as the president of the Philadelphia Chapter of SLA (1999-2000), the president of the Philadelphia Chapter of the MLA. She has enjoyed attending conferences for these associations, especially because she is able to visit places that she would not otherwise have traveled to.


What is your current job? My current job title is Department Head, Library/Access Services Librarian at the Community College of Philadelphia.


How did you find your current job? I found my job advertised on a listserv, HigherEdJobs- www.higheredjobs.com


What does your typical day look like? Is this what you expected when you took the job? My typical day will consist of a combination of activities such as staffing the reference desk, collection development, circulation responsibilities and administrative activities such as signing invoices, monitoring the library budget, and attending meetings. I did not expect to be as busy as I was afar taking the job at CCP. Life as a hospital librarian was tame compared to being in academia. I had forgotten the demands of academia after working 8 years at the hospital.

What do you enjoy most about your job? I like that my job is challenging, and every day is different. Having the chance to get to know our students and to watch them as they work towards their goals is nice. As faculty, librarians attend commencement each year. It is an inspiration to see students that we have helped in the Library march down the aisle to receive their diplomas. 

What are some of the common misconceptions about your job/area of librarianship? In general, I don't think people realize how intense a job being a librarian can be. I believe that people recognize librarians as information professionals who are experts in the field, particularly as the Internet has developed over the past decade or more. People look to libraries to satisfy their technological and information needs so if anything, the misconception would be that this is all we do. We still perform traditional tasks that are now technology driven. As far as access services goes, library users may not know what those words mean, however, everyone has a concept of the circulation desk. Being department head is something that must be experienced to be understood. The role of department head requires a major amount of multitasking to keep up with those demands, in addition to managing access services, and everything else that being a librarian requires. 

What is the most valuable thing you did or learned while in library school? Because I worked in libraries for many years as a cataloging technician before attending library school, learning the theory behind the practice of what I was doing was valuable to me. I also learned the power of networking. 

What inspired you to choose this career? I have always been a lover of libraries since I checked out my first book. My mom took me to our local branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia (Cobbs Creek Branch) to get my very first book and library card. I came to admire the work of the librarians at Jefferson. Some even served as mentors, unbeknownst to them. My focus then changed from wanting a career as a cataloger to public services. 

What do you wish you had learned more about? Well, I worked very hard to get a "B" in Resources in Business. I feel that I survived the experience more than retaining the content of the course. 

Any tips for current students? I think students should join professional organizations and attend conferences and local programming in order to meet people and of course, to learn. Professional organizations have reduced membership rates for students, take advantage! I also think students should be open to experiences that may not be in the area of librarianship they wish to pursue. You never know where you may get that first job. I would of course advise students to give back and support ISTA. Brenda Sheridan and Jennifer Lally are really great and totally invested in iSchool students and alumni. A relationship with the iSchool is one that will be of value long after graduation.

Alumni Interview: Library Media Specialist Deborah

Deborah considered herself to be "non-traditional student", because she returned to school for her MLIS when her children were in middle school. She graduated in 1992, and took many classes while still working as a part-time aide in an elementary school near her house. She feels fortunate to have had stellar professors, such as Dr. Mancell, and to have worked as a graduate assistant for Dr. McNamara. Twenty years later, she says she still hears some of their advice when considering different approaches to a problem, and she feels lucky to still love her career.


What is your current job? Library Media Specialist in a grade 3-6 building (PA).


How did you find your job? Job opening in my home school district, and previous place of employment.


What does your typical day look like? Is this what you expected when you took the job? Rarely are two days the same, except for my half hour lunch which I've worked hard to maintain. I am the only librarian for a building of 1600 students, with two part-time paraprofessionals. We see about 70 groups every week in 15 minute intervals for book choice/exchange. Additionally, I see flexibly scheduled groups for instruction on an "as needed" bass (the classroom teachers are the ones who identify the need). 


I also work on curricular committees for the district and serve as a "leader of integrated instruction". I work with groups of teachers and coaches on professional development programs, and have the opportunity to work with our Literacy Coach to help promote and plan for our shift to Common Core Standards.


What do you enjoy most about your job? Having the chance to work with adult as well as student learners. For example, we have almost completed our first year of faculty interaction in professional learning communities which I helped to plan and implement. 


What are some common misconceptions about your job or your area of librarianship? That I sit and read books, that I know the Dewey Decimal system by heart, and that I expect the library to be a quiet place.


What was the most valuable thing you did or learned while in library school? Attended professional conferences, and worked for a professor (graduate assistant) to facilitate Drexel/Free Library award and conference.


What inspired you to choose this career? A desire to teacher students how to learn, instead of telling them what they need to know. And my own need for order and organization in life.


What do you wish you had learned more about? Rare and aged books and how to care for them. 


Any tips for current students? Get out and see as many examples of working professionals in your field as possible. Everyone has their own "angle" on procedures, etc. and everyone has something of value to share!

Bored over Break? Why Not Try an Informational Interview?

Are you looking for something librarian-ish to do over the week-long break between Spring and Summer Quarters? If so, then why not schedule an informational interview with a professional in the library and information science field? Many librarians will tell you that they not only love what they do, but also that they love discussing what they do with anyone who is interested. Additionally, people in the information profession are especially eager to share their ideas, experiences, and advice with future librarians. So why not use this lull in school-related activity to learn more about the profession directly from a professional herself through an informational interview?

Before scheduling an informational interview, you should first do some internet research about the libraries in your area, especially if you do not have a library or an interviewee in mind. A general rule of thumb is to limit the list of potential libraries to visit according to your own interests, particularly in terms of library type (public, academic, special, etc.). For example, if you think you would like to work in an academic library someday, create a list of academic libraries located near you (try using the College Navigator search on the NCES homepage), find the homepage for the libraries at these colleges and universities, and take a look around each library’s website.

After obtaining a better sense of what each library is like, decide on which libraries you would like to visit. For these libraries, find the staff directory (usually labeled “Staff” on the website’s navigation bar) and take a look around. Not only is a staff directory useful for finding contact information, but it is also a fast way to find out who does what at a library. Depending on the directory, some libraries might list each staff member’s title, credentials, and short professional biography. Even if a directory does not have all of this information, it will almost always list staff members’ titles. Use this information to figure out who is responsible for what interests you about the library (e.g., if you are interested in a library’s information literacy program, find the director of this program on the “Staff” page).  Finally, send emails to these libraries to request an informational interview.

Write your email as you would any professional correspondence (click here to review professional email basics). As for content, explain the purpose for contacting the librarian (you would like to schedule an informational interview), where you found their contact information, who you are as a student (the degree you are working towards, where you go to school, etc.), and a common point of interest (e.g., digital libraries) and/or a compliment on project they have worked on at their library. End the email by listing your availability and by thanking them for considering your request.

Once you receive a response accepting your request, start preparing your questions. You may decide to use stock questions that could work when interviewing any professional (click here to see a list). Stock question are quite useful for obtaining general information about the person and the position they hold at the library. Nevertheless, your questions should become more specific as you work your way down the list, and you will need to tailor these questions to the person being interviewed. To do this, base your questions on what information you found about the person or their position at their library from your basic internet search. By asking these types of questions, you are trying to find information about the key competencies needed for the position, as well as the kinds of non-library-specific skills (e.g., project management) one would need to develop to succeed in the position. While it is important that you come to the interview with a list of questions written down and ready to be asked, you should also allow the interview to follow any interesting or potentially useful tangents that might arise. Also, while you should be respectful and appreciative, you should not be so formal as to make the interviewee uncomfortable.

As with a job interview, you should arrive early to the informational interview in professional attire (click here to review tips on job-interviewing ). Also, as with a job interview, make sure to send the interviewee a “thank you” email afterwards. This type of email is especially important to send after an informational interview because, unlike a job interview, the professional with whom you have met has no immediate incentive for taking time out of their workday to speak with you; in this sense, then, the informational interview is primarily for your benefit, which is why you should express your appreciation to the interviewee appropriately.

Those readers who have taken INFO 520 have already interviewed at least one information professional and so are already familiar with the purpose of and steps involved in informational interviewing. Consider this post, then, a reiteration of what your INFO 520 professor has said about informational interviewing with an additional, first-hand affirmation of its value. To be more specific, two current SCALA officers have been offered internships as the result of conducting informational interviews. While there is no guarantee that you will be made the same offer, the more you put yourself out there and get to know people in the profession before you graduate, the better chances you have of finding a position that suits your interests and needs. Additionally, the more informational interviews you conduct, the more you will learn about the profession and the larger your network will grow. Thus conducting informational interviews is an excellent pre-professional activity in which you can actively engage.

Awesome Alumni Interview: Eric

This week's alumni interview is with Eric Dillalogue. Eric graduated from Drexel in 2009 and currently works as the Assistant Director of the Florida Keys Community College Library in Key West, Florida. While at Drexel, he interned at the Biddle Law Library at the University of Pennsylvania.


What is your current job? Assistant Director of the Learning Resource Center at Florida Keys Community College (FKCC- www.fkcc.edu). FKCC serves about 1600 students across the Florida Keys, with the main campus in Key West and two satellite campuses in Marathon and Coral Shores. The location lends itself to some unique offerings with opportunities for hands-on work, such as an AS in Diving Business and Technology or an AA in Marine and Aquatic Biology. 


How did you find your job? I found out we were relocating to Key West about a month beforehand, so I started researching the area at that time. I knew I wanted to work in higher education, so I made a point of exploring every aspect of FKCC (the only college in Key West). I also sent an email to the Director of the Learning Resource Center, introducing myself and asking to meet once I arrived. The library did not have a position at the time, but I was able to start working in the Financial Aid office where I learned a lot about how the College operates. I transferred to the library after about four months, starting as a Library Specialist and then was promoted to Assistant Director.


What does your typical day look like? FKCC is a small school, as is the library staff. With four full-time staff members, two 15-hour part-timers, and two work-studies, we are expected to wear many hats, often at the same time. We also have functions that may not be found in most academic libraries, like managing an art gallery with several different shows per year. Our patron base includes our students, faculty and staff, as well as members of the community who can use the facility and most of the resources freely. So most days are varied. In general, these are the types of tasks on a typical day:

• Commenting on discussion board posts or grading work in the Introduction to Internet Research class I tech online.
• Working with faculty members to arrange for a library instruction session with their classes or conducting such a session.
• Presenting workshops of interest to a variety of patrons (e.g. downloading ebooks to an ereader)
• Processing ILL requests
• Staffing the circulation desk
• Providing reference assistance to patrons in the library, including lots of computer/technology assistance
• Providing reference assistance online via the statewide "Ask a Librarian" service
• Attending different committee meetings

What do you enjoy most about your job? What I enjoy most about my job is the opportunity to try new things on a regular basis. With a small staff and a small budget, we actively look for free or low-cost options to create or manage content. For example, after attending a free webinar on creating video tutorial,s I learned about a low-cost tool for screen casting and was able to produce library orientation videos. Since there are fewer layers of administration, we can make decisions to try new technologies or processes quickly. 


What are some common misconceptions about your job/area of librarianship? The concept that our staff sits in a quiet space, reading books and shushing people. A library, academic or public, is a dynamic place and the staff are constantly busy.


What was the most valuable thing you did or learned while in library school? At work, it would be the Drexel class INFO 740: Digital Reference Services and work with the IPL. These prepared me for providing reference services remotely, a key skill at my library.


Personally, I echo the comments from Catherine Odson about INFO 608: Human- Computer Interaction. I learned so much about how design is a key element in our relationship with technology (and everything else). I also highly recommend INFO 633 Information Visualization for learning about a field that seems increasingly important. 


What inspired you to choose this career? I originally worked as a manager in hotels and food service, but became burned out on the hours. After visiting a career counselor, it became clear that I had two main interests: helping people and continuous learning. Of all the career options, the library field felt the most right. 


What do you wish you had learned more about? I wish I had invested more time in learning about providing instruction. Librarians possess unique and often specialized skills that other people want to learn about, so requests for workshops or instruction sessions happen frequently.


Any tips for current students? Don't overlook an opportunity that isn't exactly what you want, especially if its in the same organization. Not only is a different job a "foot in the door" it is also a great way to learn more about the organization's systems, processes, and people. 

Awesome Alumni Interview: Lindsay

Lindsay Cummings graduated from the iSchool in June 2011 with a concentration in Youth Services. She was a co-chair of SCALA from 2010-2011 and created the SCALA blog. While getting her degree, she worked as an ILL assistant at the England Library, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, and as an After School Leader with the LEAP program at the Free Library of Philadelphia. You can visit her website at LibrarianLindsay.com.

What is your current job?

I'm the young adult reference librarian at the Abington Free Library in Abington, PA, a suburb of Philadelphia.

How did you find your job?

I found my job on the Drexel iSchool job board. I was also looking at jobs regularly on HigherEdJobs.com, through my local SLA chapter, and on the local country library websites. Social bookmarking sites have been a huge help in organizing my ever growing list of job websites. On Delicious.com I created a list of websites all tagged "jobs" (http://delicious.com/stacks/view/I3Kxyh) so that I could easily go down the list and check for new postings.

What does your typical day look like? Is this what you expected when you took the job?

Half of my day is usually spent staffing the reference desk, answering patrons' questions, helping patrons use the Internet, and finding them all the information they are looking for. The rest of my time is spent doing YA collection development (reading book reviews, placing orders, weeding, tracking stats), planning YA programs, and creating marketing materials (booklists, signage, etc). Overall, I'm doing what I expected in this job. Even though I am a YA librarian, I do provide services for all ages when I'm at the reference desk. I like working with the public so this naturally works well for me.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I've only been in my job for about a month now. But so far I really enjoy making decisions about what to buy for the YA collection. It's really satisfying when a book comes from the vendor and right away goes to a patron who's been waiting to read it. I periodically check out stats to see if the books are still out, how popular they are, etc.

True to librarian form, I also enjoy helping people simply find what they are looking for. It brings me so much satisfaction whether it's a student trying to find books for a report or an older patron who wants to know how to download e-books onto their e-reader. I'm so glad I work in a public library. It's exciting to work with the public because you never know what people are going to ask for.

What are some of the common misconceptions about your job/your area of librarianship?

People think that it's a boring job. It's NOT! For anyone who has worked in any field that involves customer service, you know that everyday brings new challenges and obstacles to make the customer happy. We are in the same business. That's how my 6 years of working in a restaurant have really paid off. Plus, there's always something to be done here, always questions to be answered, books to be ordered, people to teach.

What was the most valuable thing that you did or learned while in library school?

Some of the core classes taught me the biggest lessons. People never ask for what they want right out. You have to ask them more questions to get to the root of their need. Don't point to things. Get up and walk the patron to the book they want. Every moment is a teachable moment. Don't use a lot of jargon when talking to a patron. Try to explain, display, create things in user-friendly ways. Respect the right to read and the right to information.

What inspired you to choose this career?

I've always loved when people stop me on the street and ask me for directions. This is the ultimate career for people who love being asked questions and who enjoy giving the best answers possible. As someone who is naturally curious and loves asking questions herself, I'm driven to find answers and I will keep searching when most people have given up. 

What do you wish you had learned more about?

I wish I had done an internship once I figured out that I wanted to be a YA librarian. Unfortunately, it didn't fit into my schedule, going to school and working part-time at an academic library. I think an internship at a public library working under a YA librarian would have given me special insight in to the everyday tasks of the YA department. It would have looked excellent on my resume too.

Any tips for current students?

My former boss gave me some great advice that I will pass on to you. Take the classes that you think you will really like. Find those professors who you admire and want to be like and develop a relationship with them. Professors Denise Agosto and Vanessa Morris were my library idols.

Also, be patient as you search for a full-time job. Voluneer or get a part-time job in a library. Find ways to sharpen your teach skills in your free time, like starting a blog on library issues that interest you. Get involved with professional associations. Network. I know test things have been said many, MANY times before, but I truly believe it's helped me land the position I have today.

librarianlindsay.com

Awesome Alumni Interview: Andrea

Andrea Goldstein finished her MSLIS at Drexel in March 2011.  She was co-chair and treasurer of SCALA for the 2010-2011 year.  During her two years at Drexel, Andrea was an intern at the University of Pennsylvania Dental Library.  She also volunteered at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society library and held two internship positions as Drexel's Hagerty Library (in engineering instruction and reference analysis).  Prior to library school, Andrea was a post-baccalaureate research fellow at the National Institutes of Health, doing behavioral neuroscience research.  Her undergraduate degrees are in chemistry and psychology.


What is your current job?

I'm a Liaison and Outreach Librarian at the Health Sciences and Human Services Library at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.  Specifically, I'm the liaison to the School of Medicine, which, aside from your obvious med students, includes Physical Therapy, Public Health, PhD programs in the life sciences, as well as the physicians and residents at the hospital on campus.  

How did you find your job?

I found this particular job on the medlib-l listserv, which is specific to medical libraries.  While I was searching for jobs, though, I was on a number of mailing lists, and I kept up with a huge number of job boards and Twitter feeds, including HigherEd Jobs, LibGig, LIS Jobs, ALA JobList, and the University of Texas iSchool jobs list.  It's a lot to go through, but it's worth the time and effort if you want to make sure you don't miss out on your dream job!

This was actually the second position I interviewed for at this library.  I felt really good about my first interview, didn't get the job, but was encouraged by the search committee to apply again if anything opened up.  When this job was posted a few months later, I jumped at the opportunity.  It turns out that if they hadn't gone with an internal applicant for the first job, I would've been their first choice.  So don't get discouraged from applying to your dream library if you don't get it the first time - your rejection might have nothing to do with you.

What does your typical day look like? Is this what you expected when you took the job?

I absolutely hated when librarians I talked to would tell me this, but there really is no typical day in my job.  As a liaison librarian, my time is almost entirely scheduled by what faculty, students, and staff request of me.  At my library, we have a separate reference department, so I don't have any desk hours.  I do have research consultations with students, faculty, and staff who need more in depth and personal help with their research than a stop at the reference desk can provide.  Usually this involves people who are working to publish their research and need help with their literature review, but could also include a student writing a paper for class.  I spend a great deal of time on instruction.  I train all of the new students, faculty, and medical residents each year, so while most academic librarians have a light summer, I'm actually busiest in June and July.  I also teach more specialized research-oriented classes on demand, and I participate in our library's workshop series, teaching on topics like PubMed and Journal Impact Factor (and other metrics).  I also do some pretty typical subject librarian tasks - I go through our approval plan every week to request books to purchase (although as a state school, we have no budget for purchasing right now), I keep LibGuides in my subject areas updated.  One of the cooler things I get to do is go to morning report over at the hospital every few weeks.  I listen to residents from Internal Medicine report on cases, go back to the library to do some research about any lingering questions the group has, and blog about what I found (and how I found it) later that day.  That way the residents get to keep learning about medicine even post-med school, and hopefully they pick up a thing or two about searching along the way.  I'll also (fingers crossed) soon be involved in a grant to learn more about the information needs of researchers involved in the University's new Clinical and Translational Science Institute, which will let me visit some other medical libraries, survey our faculty, staff, and grad students, and find a way to get them the training and resources they need to do better work in informatics.  Aside from that, I serve on the library's Staff Education and Training committee, a committee to plan an Apps and Tablets fair for the fall, and I go to a lot of various faculty meetings as they come up.

This is all pretty much what I expected of the job when I took it, although I didn't realize how much of my work would be driven by my actions, as opposed to my going out to the School of Medicine and drumming up business for myself and for the library.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

The biggest reason I left biomedical research and decided not to get my PhD was that doing the same thing at the same time every single day made me crazy.  Here, everything is so dependent on what patrons need that I can never predict what I'll be working on any given week.  I could have a handful of consults to prepare for and then follow up on; I could have two or three classes to teach in a day, or a day of back to back meetings.  It's always changing, and it's always different, so it's very rarely boring.  And because of my subject area, I occasionally get to use that chemistry degree, so it hasn't been languishing in a drawer somewhere.

What are some of the common misconceptions about your job/your area of librarianship?

I don't think there are any major misconceptions about working in public services at an academic library.  I will note that medical librarianship, even in an academic setting like mine, really is pretty specialized and can be more urgent than other areas of librarianship.  While it's more common to hospital librarians, it's not unheard of to have a physician come in needing to find information from the literature to help with a case they're currently working on.  You're dealing with real people with real medical conditions, and it's important to keep that in mind when you're doing a search.  I won't go as far to say that lives depend on the searching we do in medical libraries, but it's definitely more pressing (and a little more stressful at times) than helping freshmen write their first big research paper.

What was the most valuable thing that you did or learned while in library school?

The absolute best thing I could have done in school was work in a library.  I worked at Penn for 2 years, all the way through library school, and I can't recommend their vast internship program enough.  Between that job (and to some extent my other internships), I learned more about being a librarian than I got from any class.  I got experience working at the reference desk, teaching workshops, making video tutorials and LibGuides, and more skills that I use on a regular basis in my current job.  I was lucky enough to hold several paid internships that allowed me to spend as much time as I did in libraries, but even if you're not getting paid, it's hugely valuable to work in a library before you graduate.  I know for sure that having so much experience before I graduated was a big part of what got me my job.

What inspired you to choose this career?

As I said before, I started out in biomedical research.  It was incredibly tedious, but I didn't want to leave the sciences.  As a medical librarian, I get the best of both worlds.  I get to work on a variety of tasks, but I also get to work with people in all areas of medicine whose research is fascinating.  Whenever I have a consult or go to morning report, I get to learn about areas of scientific research I didn't know about before.  And with tuition remission, I get to be the perpetual student of the sciences I always wanted to be (next fall: human anatomy)!

What do you wish you had learned more about?

The University, and in turn, the library, have recently started focusing a lot more informatics.  I have a little bit of bioinformatics background from my undergrad biochemistry classes, but I'm starting to wish I'd taken a course or two on the Healthcare Informatics track while I was still at Drexel.  I avoided it because I couldn't quite figure out what informatics was (it turns out no one really has a good definition, even the people who teach the workshops I've been to since graduating).  It's definitely a huge area though, and anyone in medical libraries is going to have to start learning more about it.  I'm hopefully going to start to remedy that this summer at a week-long biomedical informatics course.

Any tips for current students?

Like I said earlier, work in a library while you're in school.  I was lucky enough to come to Drexel with a pretty clear career path.  I wasn't sure about tech services vs. public services, but I knew I'd end up in a medical or science library, and I was able to work in all of those areas to narrow down my interests.  If you don't know what you want, in addition to getting a library job or volunteer position, make an effort to do informational interviews with librarians in as many fields as you can think of.  Ask them tough questions about what they like and dislike about their jobs; where they see their fields going in the future; what skills you'd need to do what they do.  If you can't work in public, academic, school, and special libraries, you can at least get a better idea of what people who work in them do.

On a related note, take advantage of student pricing for professional organizations.  Hopefully as a SCALA member, you've joined ALA and any of their divisions that interest you (I'm already missing paying student dues).  SLA, MLA, and other organizations all give you a similar deal.  Even if you don't get involved in any committees, you'll get useful publications from the organizations you join, and you'll be able to go to their conferences for far less than other members.  National conferences can be overwhelming, but they're a great opportunity to network and to learn more about your chosen field. A presentation or poster might inspire you to try something new, or give you something great to talk about when you go to your next interview.  Plus, you never know who you'll meet!  I was assigned a great mentor from the Delaware Valley Chapter of ACRL, and he really helped me through the job search process.  I'd definitely recommend seeking out mentoring opportunities from both local and national organizations.

Feel free to get in touch with me at andrea.l.goldstein@gmail.com or follow me @oreadandletsing, where I do occasionally tweet about librarianship, despite a fair number of cooking and tv-related tweets.

 

Awesome Alumni Interview Series: Catherine

This week's alumni interview is with Catherine Odson. Currently, Catherine is the courseware support librarian at the University of Pennsylvania. She graduated from Drexel with an MS(LIS) in March 2011 and was president/co-chair of SCALA from June 2010 to March 2011.

While at Drexel, Catherine completed internships with the research and instructional services and courseware support departments at the University of Pennsylvania's Van Pelt Library.

Before library school, Catherine was a children's department and circulation clerk volunteer at her hometown public library. Her past jobs include newspaper reporter, substitute teacher, and youth tennis instructor.


What is your current job? I am the courseware support librarian at the University of Pennsylvania. Most of my time is spent providing end-user support and instructional design support for Blackboard and other courseware systems. I also help lead our social media efforts, provide reference services, work on our website, and occasionally help out with library instruction.

How did you find your job? I had a number of internships at the Penn Libraries during grad school, and a position opened up a few weeks before I graduated. I was extremely lucky and spared most of the job search.

What does your typical day look like? Is this what you expected when you took the job? I have two kinds of typical days. At the beginning of each semester, my days are completely packed with day-to-day-type activities, such as answering support questions and helping instructors create their course sites. The rest of the year, I’ll start my day with those same day-to-day tasks and catch up on email. After that, I’m able to tackle some projects, such as writing or updating Blackboard how-to documents, revising a workshop script, preparing for an instructional session, or planning our social media calendar. I appreciate both the breakneck pace of the busy days and the more project-driven style the rest of the year offers. This job gives me the opportunity to have both. I was already working with the courseware team as an intern, so I had very few surprises when I started full-time.

What do you enjoy most about your job? Thinking about using technology in innovative ways to improve student learning and helping faculty discover ways they can do this in their courses.

What are some of the common misconceptions about your job/your area of librarianship? There’s a misconception that libraries are in panic mode and making drastic changes to stay relevant. The reality for many libraries is evolution, not revolution. We are continuously working to better position ourselves to support teaching, learning and research on campus.

What was the most valuable thing that you did or learned while in library school? Most valuable experience: SCALA. Most valuable class: INFO 608 Human-Computer Interaction.

If you are reading this blog, you likely understand the value of being involved in professional associations. SCALA was the best fit for me; find your niche, whether that’s a student group or a local association, and start getting involved now.

INFO 608 will change how you live your life. You will find yourself analyzing doors, grocery store layouts, web services, always thinking about how a different design would make something more or less intuitive. Much of the reading applies to both digital and physical environments, and you will find a way to apply the concepts in your library or information organization.

What inspired you to choose this career? I got into libraries because I wanted to work with books. I originally wanted to be a children’s librarian. After I started my internship at Penn, I realized that an academic setting was a much better fit for me.

What do you wish you had learned more about? I wish I had taken more digital libraries and systems classes, both because they would support the work I am doing now and because they would have given me a stronger foundation in the technologies that are both the present and future of libraries. I’ve worked in both academic and public libraries, and it’s harder to get the maximum value out of classes that review a lot of what you may have learned on the job (for me, INFO 651 Academic Library Service in my last quarter really drove this point home). Challenge yourself to think about the profession more broadly, and find classes that will help as libraries continue to grow.

Any tips for current students? Grad school is what you make of it. You won’t learn everything you need to learn in class, and sometimes you have to make classes work for you and go beyond the required readings to get something out of it. It’s called the easy way out for a reason, but think bigger and get the most out of every class.

You need to be getting library (or archives or knowledge management and so on) experience while you are in school. The job market is tough, and even if you have an arsenal of valuable skills (accounting, development, communications, customer service), little substitutes for the word “library” (or archives or knowledge management and so on) on your resume. Making time for internships or part-time jobs is going to let you see how the theory you learn in class is actually applied (or ignored) in the real world. It also will help you focus your career goals.

Finally, get involved. It’s networking, it’s learning, it’s professionally developing, and it’s good for you!