Please welcome our new First Year Academic Librarian Experience blogger Ariana Santiago, Undergraduate Services Resident Librarian at the University of Iowa.
How did I get here? I find myself wondering this sometimes. I moved from Florida to Iowa for my first academic librarian position, to someplace I never imagined I would be, and in a career field that just a few years ago I hadn’t thought of as an option for myself. Of course, I know how I got here, it’s just amazing to think how much has changed recently.
I didn’t exactly do my research on the librarian job market before deciding to get an MLIS degree, but at some point during graduate school I became well aware of the fact that jobs are scarce and the competition to get one would likely be tough. With that information in mind, I did what I could to get the most out of my time as a student so that I could hopefully be well prepared for the job search and life after graduation.
I wasn’t always a perfect student or academic over-achiever, but I fortunately was able to get a good deal of valuable experience working in an academic library. I started as a full-time student with no other job, then got a part-time job in Special Collections while in school, then a full-time job in Interlibrary Loan, then also began taking classes towards a second master’s degree (the fate of my involvement in the second master’s program is yet to be decided!). Those various work experiences were instrumental in complementing my education, and combined with the support of my mentors and previous coworkers, that has all led me to where I am now – three months into my new job as an Undergraduate Services Resident Librarian at the University of Iowa.
I started in August, just in time for the rush of the Fall semester. My first day on the job was just two weeks before students would be in their first day of class. It was also two weeks before the opening of the new Learning Commons in the Main Library. This meant that in addition to being the “new kid” and everything that goes along with that, there was an additional element of excitement and energy at the time for everyone. The library was abuzz about the major renovations, students trickled in (and then appeared en masse), and the entire campus was gearing up for the coming academic year.
As for the Learning Commons and newly consolidated Service Desk that would open with the start of Fall classes, all units involved were diligently preparing, but no one knew exactly what to expect when the changes would be put into motion. Rather than panic, dread, or apprehension, the attitude I picked up from the people around me was a positive one: jump right in, but be ready to be flexible and adapt. And jump right in I did – namely, to various first-year student orientation events, representing the Library along with a colleague. It was intimidating at first, seeing as I wasn’t fully oriented myself, but I kept in mind that “roll with the punches” attitude.
Although librarians and library staff were intoning that mantra in anticipation of the unknowns of the changing Service Desk, it can be applied to so much more. Talking to students about the library that I was still learning about myself. Getting in front of a class and giving instruction for the first time. Attending events in the community. Meeting people and making friends outside of work. The list goes on. The first step is often the hardest one to make, but it will be made all the easier by maintaining open-mindedness and adaptability. It definitely helped me keep a positive attitude through adjustments to my all new surroundings and environment: work, home, people, even the weather (yes, I am about to go through my first real winter, and I truly enjoyed the first snowfall earlier this week).
Jump right in, but be ready to be flexible and adapt. Three months in and that is one of my main takeaways so far. So, I can reflect incredulously on how I got here and the effort it took, and I can think forward to what will come next. Either way, I’m glad “here” is where I ended up, because I think it”s a pretty great place to be.
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