Just prior to my graduation I was offered a position at a new branch campus of Johnson and Wales University, a small private school esteemed for its culinary program. Largely due to the advice of my professors I decided to make the leap from graduate school into the unknown territory of this new university and its new library. My library science professors had often extolled the virtues of being involved in the birth of a new library; their wondrous depictions of their experiences inspired me to get involved as well. Of course, my professors had not so often mentioned that starting a new library (or any business) can be a chaotic experience that will always defy your expectations. In this article I hope to tell other would-be library planners what they can expect from this type of venture and add my voice to the chorus of those who recommend the experience

Steiner, Sarah

English

ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University

Georgia State UniversityScholarWorks @ Georgia State UniversityUniversity Library Faculty Publications Georgia State University Library10-2004Being a New Librarian in a New Library: What toExpect When You Take the PlungeSarah SteinerGeorgia State University, ssteiner@gsu.eduFollow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/univ_lib_facpubPart of the Library and Information Science CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Georgia State University Library at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has beenaccepted for inclusion in University Library Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For moreinformation, please contact scholarworks@gsu.edu.Recommended CitationSteiner, Sarah, "Being a New Librarian in a New Library: What to Expect When You Take the Plunge" (2004). University LibraryFaculty Publications. 17.https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/univ_lib_facpub/17LIScareer.com -- The Librarian & Information Professional's Career Dev... http://www.liscareer.com/king_newlibrary.htm1 of 2 2/23/2007 2:08 PMThe Library & Information Science Professional's Career Development CenterWant to comment on this article? Comment (0) | Trackback (0) Being a New Librarian in a New Library: What to Expect When You Take the Plungeby Sarah C. KingJust prior to my graduation I was offered a position at a new branch campus ofJohnson and Wales University, a small private school esteemed for its culinaryprogram.  Largely due to the advice of my professors I decided to make the leap fromgraduate school into the unknown territory of this new university and its new library. My library science professors had often extolled the virtues of being involved in thebirth of a new library; their wondrous depictions of their experiences inspired me to getinvolved as well.  Of course, my professors had not so often mentioned that starting anew library (or any business) can be a chaotic experience that will always defy yourexpectations.  In this article I hope to tell other would-be library planners what they canexpect from this type of venture and add my voice to the chorus of those whorecommend the experience.Fair Expectation #1: It Will Be Different from Your Past ExperiencesIf and when you decide to venture into new-library land, you will quickly discover thatnothing is the same as it was in a. the other libraries you worked in, or b. graduateschool.  Even if the library you’re starting is similar in size and scope to the ones youworked for in the past, you’ll be working with different people, a new patron base, anda different bureaucracy. These differences can sometimes seem like a curse, but actually they provide anexcellent opportunity to both new and old librarians.  In fact, part of the charm ofopening a new library is the challenge of creating the best system for the population itwill serve.Librarians stand to reap a number of benefits in planning and opening a new library. New librarians will be given first-hand experience in the planning and implementationof a new organizational system, and will quickly gain confidence in their abilities. Experienced librarians will be forced to challenge their ideas of what works best, andwill ultimately expand their knowledge base.  In either case interesting new innovationsand teamwork are likely to thrive and everyone will end up with a sense of pride andaccomplishment. Fair Expectation #2: Your Schooling Will Not Have Prepared You for EverythingIn reality it is unfair to expect that the theory imparted in the classroom will fullyprepare you for your first job as a librarian, because in all likelihood it will not.  Ingeneral I feel fortunate to have received a wonderful and useful education at thehands of my alma mater’s faculty, but I still feel that my training was lacking in a fewmajor areas.  There are already innumerable articles in which you can read diatribes ofvarious library schools’ curricula—this is not one of them.  What I do wish to say is thatas a new librarian you must be prepared to be unprepared.  When I began my new jobI quickly became aware that my classroom experiences had not prepared me to teachbibliographic instruction or to supervise, mainly because both of these activities requireskills that are best learned through practice rather than lecture.  All new librarians willencounter some type of gap in their education; my suggestion is to remain calm andflexible, and be ready to accept the occasional failed BI session or poor referenceinterview as a matter of course.  Fortunately, as librarians we always know how to findmaterials to further our own training, so we generally are not at a loss for long. Fair Expectation #3: There Will Be ChaosIn an established library every person has a well-defined job, a set schedule of tasks,and  the knowledge and materials with which to accomplish them.   The effectivenessand content of policies and strategies have already been evaluated and reevaluated. A new library has none of these things.  It is highly likely that each workday will be asemi-crazed adventure; you may never be sure if you’ll be totally overbooked oralmost completely idle.  In an established library there is a desk schedule and aconcrete borrowing policy; in a new library, schedules and policies must be malleable,since they are apt to change at the drop of a hat. Even so, the daunting chore ofcreating order from chaos is a fabulous lesson in flexibility and patience. Granted, this may be obvious to the experienced librarian, but new librarians oftenhave very clear mental pictures of the Mecca of organization that will be their newLIScareer.com -- The Librarian & Information Professional's Career Dev... http://www.liscareer.com/king_newlibrary.htm2 of 2 2/23/2007 2:08 PMlibrary.  I am by no means an idealist, but I was disconcerted by both my initial inabilityto do things and the difficulty of maintaining organization.  That said, even veteranlibrarians will not be able to foresee all the various ways in which chaos can beset anew library.  Of course, a little disorder is an inevitable part of opening a business—nohuman can be expected to think of every contingency, and the second partiesresponsible for delivering needed items are also highly likely to cause delays.  Again,my suggestion is to not expect immediate perfection.  Rome was not built in day, norwill your library be. Conclusion: The Benefits of Working at a New LibraryOf course, now that time has passed my new library has settled into its own routine. We have established systems of organization and information delivery, and our deskschedule is laminated.   In spite of all the basic equipment problems and myoccasional confusion, I feel that the benefits of opening a new library far exceed thedifficulties.  As an employee of a new library I have had an opportunity to work onwidely-varied tasks, and have been able to cement the theoretical information Ilearned from library school into real life knowledge.  Also, rather than beingpigeonholed into performing one task, I am involved in many aspects of library service,including acquisitions, cataloging, instruction, faculty communication, supervision,scheduling, and reference.  I have also been afforded the opportunity to work closelywith the basic setup of a library. When setting up a new library, you may learn the hardway about important items that you did not remember to order. Building a collection,watching it arrive, and processing it all yourself is highly rewarding and gives you astep-by-step understanding of what is involved in getting a book on the shelf.  Like somany of my professors, I would also heartily recommend keeping an eye out for anopportunity to open a new library. It is impossible to foresee all the difficulties you willencounter, but the gratification of checking out that first book makes even the mosttrying day well worth the effort.About the Author: Sarah King is the Instruction Librarian at Johnson and Wales University CharlotteCampus. She received her MLS from the University of South Florida in 2004, and iscurrently pursuing a graduate degree in English at the University of North Carolina atCharlotte. Article published October 2004Disclaimer: The ideas expressed in LIScareer articles are those of their respective authors and do not necessarily representthe views of the LIScareer editors.Page last updated 10/03/2005 LIScareer.com is © copyright 2001-present Priscilla Shontz View Page Stats 

Being a New Librarian in a New Library: What to Expect When You Take the Plunge

Georgia State University

Georgia State University
ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University
University Library Faculty Publications Georgia State University Library
10-2004
Being a New Librarian in a New Library: What to
Expect When You Take the Plunge
Sarah Steiner
Georgia State University, ssteiner@gsu.edu
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/univ_lib_facpub
Part of the Library and Information Science Commons
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Georgia State University Library at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been
accepted for inclusion in University Library Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more
information, please contact scholarworks@gsu.edu.
Recommended Citation
Steiner, Sarah, "Being a New Librarian in a New Library: What to Expect When You Take the Plunge" (2004). University Library
Faculty Publications. 17.
https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/univ_lib_facpub/17
LIScareer.com -- The Librarian & Information Professional's Career Dev... http://www.liscareer.com/king_newlibrary.htm
1 of 2 2/23/2007 2:08 PM
The Library & Information Science Professional's Career Development Center
Want to comment on 
this article? 
Comment (0) | 
Trackback (0) 
Being a New Librarian in a New Library: 
What to Expect When You Take the Plunge
by Sarah C. King
Just prior to my graduation I was offered a position at a new branch campus of
Johnson and Wales University, a small private school esteemed for its culinary
program.  Largely due to the advice of my professors I decided to make the leap from
graduate school into the unknown territory of this new university and its new library. 
My library science professors had often extolled the virtues of being involved in the
birth of a new library; their wondrous depictions of their experiences inspired me to get
involved as well.  Of course, my professors had not so often mentioned that starting a
new library (or any business) can be a chaotic experience that will always defy your
expectations.  In this article I hope to tell other would-be library planners what they can
expect from this type of venture and add my voice to the chorus of those who
recommend the experience.
Fair Expectation #1: It Will Be Different from Your Past Experiences
If and when you decide to venture into new-library land, you will quickly discover that
nothing is the same as it was in a. the other libraries you worked in, or b. graduate
school.  Even if the library you’re starting is similar in size and scope to the ones you
worked for in the past, you’ll be working with different people, a new patron base, and
a different bureaucracy. 
These differences can sometimes seem like a curse, but actually they provide an
excellent opportunity to both new and old librarians.  In fact, part of the charm of
opening a new library is the challenge of creating the best system for the population it
will serve.
Librarians stand to reap a number of benefits in planning and opening a new library. 
New librarians will be given first-hand experience in the planning and implementation
of a new organizational system, and will quickly gain confidence in their abilities. 
Experienced librarians will be forced to challenge their ideas of what works best, and
will ultimately expand their knowledge base.  In either case interesting new innovations
and teamwork are likely to thrive and everyone will end up with a sense of pride and
accomplishment. 
Fair Expectation #2: Your Schooling Will Not Have Prepared You for Everything
In reality it is unfair to expect that the theory imparted in the classroom will fully
prepare you for your first job as a librarian, because in all likelihood it will not.  In
general I feel fortunate to have received a wonderful and useful education at the
hands of my alma mater’s faculty, but I still feel that my training was lacking in a few
major areas.  There are already innumerable articles in which you can read diatribes of
various library schools’ curricula—this is not one of them.  What I do wish to say is that
as a new librarian you must be prepared to be unprepared.  When I began my new job
I quickly became aware that my classroom experiences had not prepared me to teach
bibliographic instruction or to supervise, mainly because both of these activities require
skills that are best learned through practice rather than lecture.  All new librarians will
encounter some type of gap in their education; my suggestion is to remain calm and
flexible, and be ready to accept the occasional failed BI session or poor reference
interview as a matter of course.  Fortunately, as librarians we always know how to find
materials to further our own training, so we generally are not at a loss for long. 
Fair Expectation #3: There Will Be Chaos
In an established library every person has a well-defined job, a set schedule of tasks,
and  the knowledge and materials with which to accomplish them.   The effectiveness
and content of policies and strategies have already been evaluated and reevaluated. 
A new library has none of these things.  It is highly likely that each workday will be a
semi-crazed adventure; you may never be sure if you’ll be totally overbooked or
almost completely idle.  In an established library there is a desk schedule and a
concrete borrowing policy; in a new library, schedules and policies must be malleable,
since they are apt to change at the drop of a hat. Even so, the daunting chore of
creating order from chaos is a fabulous lesson in flexibility and patience. 
Granted, this may be obvious to the experienced librarian, but new librarians often
have very clear mental pictures of the Mecca of organization that will be their new
LIScareer.com -- The Librarian & Information Professional's Career Dev... http://www.liscareer.com/king_newlibrary.htm
2 of 2 2/23/2007 2:08 PM
library.  I am by no means an idealist, but I was disconcerted by both my initial inability
to do things and the difficulty of maintaining organization.  That said, even veteran
librarians will not be able to foresee all the various ways in which chaos can beset a
new library.  Of course, a little disorder is an inevitable part of opening a business—no
human can be expected to think of every contingency, and the second parties
responsible for delivering needed items are also highly likely to cause delays.  Again,
my suggestion is to not expect immediate perfection.  Rome was not built in day, nor
will your library be. 
Conclusion: The Benefits of Working at a New Library
Of course, now that time has passed my new library has settled into its own routine. 
We have established systems of organization and information delivery, and our desk
schedule is laminated.   In spite of all the basic equipment problems and my
occasional confusion, I feel that the benefits of opening a new library far exceed the
difficulties.  As an employee of a new library I have had an opportunity to work on
widely-varied tasks, and have been able to cement the theoretical information I
learned from library school into real life knowledge.  Also, rather than being
pigeonholed into performing one task, I am involved in many aspects of library service,
including acquisitions, cataloging, instruction, faculty communication, supervision,
scheduling, and reference.  I have also been afforded the opportunity to work closely
with the basic setup of a library. When setting up a new library, you may learn the hard
way about important items that you did not remember to order. Building a collection,
watching it arrive, and processing it all yourself is highly rewarding and gives you a
step-by-step understanding of what is involved in getting a book on the shelf.  Like so
many of my professors, I would also heartily recommend keeping an eye out for an
opportunity to open a new library. It is impossible to foresee all the difficulties you will
encounter, but the gratification of checking out that first book makes even the most
trying day well worth the effort.
About the Author: 
Sarah King is the Instruction Librarian at Johnson and Wales University Charlotte
Campus. She received her MLS from the University of South Florida in 2004, and is
currently pursuing a graduate degree in English at the University of North Carolina at
Charlotte. 
Article published October 2004
Disclaimer: The ideas expressed in LIScareer articles are those of their respective authors and do not necessarily represent
the views of the LIScareer editors.
Page last updated 10/03/2005 
LIScareer.com is © copyright 2001-present Priscilla Shontz
 
View Page Stats
 


https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1016&amp;context=univ_lib_facpub

Being a New Librarian in a New Library: What to Expect When You Take the Plunge

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University

Georgia State University