Madame Librarian.
Yes, that is a Music Man reference. No, I don’t want to talk about it.
For the last little while, I have been entertaining the idea of becoming a librarian. That is, obtaining a Master’s in that field and then becoming a librarian.
Is that insane? Is the position of Librarian an increasingly archaic one? Aren’t libraries run by robots now? Bah.
I love books. I love libraries. Moreover, being a librarian is much more about “managing information” than it used to be. I’m a research geek. You would not believe some of my link collections. Information for the sake of information.
I enjoy writing, it’s true. I suppose the kids would call that “content generation”—a modern and somewhat depressing way of describing the process. And part of that enjoyment has to do with my own deep respect for the writers who create the content that changes our minds and our lives, or at the very least expands them.
When I was 19, I spent hours in the university library creating a lexicon of the etymology of the slang in A Clockwork Orange. A little obsessive. Who creates dictionaries in their free time, and sits around pouring over Slavic word origins? I wonder what ever happened to that notebook.
In my 20s, I accrued years of experience in the publishing field at places ranging from big name houses to a digital textbook start-up. I wonder what all those books look like, professionally speaking, on the other side of the equation?
poshdeluxe replied:
my mom was a librarian, and i can definitely thank her for instilling in me a deep love of reading, not to mention the smell of old books.
UT has a great school of information science, although i can’t speak well for the one class i took there (YA Lit, the single worst course i have ever experienced in graduate school). but i think a librarian career seems like a good idea for you, and definitely worth exploring! exciting!
Apr 1, 2008 at 9:03 am. Permalink.
Felicia replied:
Just popping by to wish you a wonderful week!!
*huggles*
=0)
Apr 1, 2008 at 9:07 am. Permalink.
Comrade GoGo replied:
Posh: Oh my god! How could they botch up a YA Lit course?? Was it the professor? GAH.
Thanks, Felicia!
Apr 1, 2008 at 9:08 am. Permalink.
Stephanie Quilao replied:
So the modern definition of Librarian would include Content Management. Eek, the Silicon Valley geekdom in me is reeking.
Apr 1, 2008 at 5:41 pm. Permalink.
laura k replied:
Librarian = totally not an archaic job. In fact, US News spotlighted librarianship as the best job going in 2008, especially in terms of job satisfaction. I’m a current library school student and I have to say, I think it’s a really exciting field to be in right now. But I’ll also say that it’s getting to be more about technology than books, and if you’re the kind of person who wants to be a librarian because you like books, then I’d recommend taking a closer look before deciding to go to grad school. The field is already full of non-innovators who are afraid of technology and aren’t interested in moving the profession forward.
Good luck!
Apr 2, 2008 at 5:49 am. Permalink.
Comrade GoGo replied:
Stephanie, you are in a geek-friendly zone here :).
Laura K, thanks so much for the info! I’m very much interested in the technology focus that librarianship (is that a word? I doubt it) has adopted, so I’m going to do some more research—and check out your blog!
Apr 2, 2008 at 7:39 am. Permalink.
justoofat replied:
I’m a librarian and I think we’re fucking cool, (though admittedly I’m a bit biased).
And yes.. librarianship is a word, even if mozilla spell checker doesn’t recognize it.
Good luck to you.
j
Apr 9, 2008 at 12:03 pm. Permalink.