Libraries have always been about the people (which should include the ones who work there!)

Libraries saved me.

That’s kind of a dramatic way to start a little “about me” for your blog, but maybe this story helps you understand why I am so passionate about this line of work. Rewinding back to the end of my undergraduate years, I (like many students) was completely lost and wasn’t sure what I wanted to do next. I just got a degree in a subject I realized was nothing like I expected a bit too late in the game. Plenty of people end up working jobs totally different from what they studied, so that’s nothing new. But there I was, having to move back in with my parents till I figured things out. . . and I was clueless.

Then the Covid-19 pandemic hit the United States,

I lost my “get by” job as a substitute teacher, and things got pretty rough mental-health-wise. With even more time to sit and think, that feeling of being lost only got worse. Months later, it felt a little safer to get out of the house, and I randomly checked the website of my local public library to see if they had fully opened again to the public. They had, and they were also looking for a part-time library assistant.

Everything suddenly clicked in that moment. Even just considering the idea of getting into libraries gave me some much-needed hope, and the more I researched what library work was like and what it took to make a career out of it, the more it sounded like exactly what I needed. I can’t say I have a clearly defined “life’s purpose” but one driving force behind much of what I do has always been helping others in whatever way I can. I have always wanted my 9-5 to reflect that value and contribute to some sense of meaning in my life.

I got the job! (after applying twice)

I also got into library school for my master’s degree (second time was the charm again, apparently, with applications). I’ve gone from being a library assistant to working at a different public library as a youth education coordinator, and now I am approaching the end of my second year as a prison librarian. I am also almost done with my MLIS program, and I feel like I have learned so much in my journey so far doing this work. And yes, I really do mean it when I say that this work saved me (alongside therapy and support from loved ones).

I am, of course, far from an expert when it comes to this field. My journey has really just begun. However, the reason I want to develop this blog is because I see the library world, especially in the United States, really struggling right now. Like I say elsewhere on this site, library workers (an umbrella term I use to include librarians and all other types of library positions) are not being supported nearly enough to truly thrive.

Can I solve all of the problems contributing to that?

Unfortunately, no. But what I can do is play my part in a larger community, share what I have learned (not only in my studies but also in conversations across the Internet / IRL), and help make readers feel a little less alone in their experience working in the LIS field.

This project, much like my career, is in its beginning stages, but that mission will always be at the heart of whatever I do here and on any other online platform I dedicate to library work. The only way we push forward is together, and I want to be part of that effort of supporting all library workers in their journeys and making libraries as amazing as they can be.