My most recent encounter to this type of question was at the hairdressers. I was talking to the trainee hairdresser washing my hair, who happened to ask about what I did today and where I worked.

“Trainee: Did you go to work today?

Me: Yes, I work at the library.

Trainee: What do you want to do when you get older?

Me:  I’m a qualified librarian, so I still want to be working in libraries. 

Trainee: Do you need a qualification to be a librarian, what sort?

Me:  Well I have a graduate diploma of applied science from Charles Sturt University.

Trainee: What! you went to uni to be a librarian?

Me:  Yeah!

Trainee:  So what do you do all day?

Me: Lots of things. I answer research questions, catalogue books so people can actually find them, conduct library training, and supervise other staff members.

Trainee: There’s a lot more behind the scenes stuff going on a library then I thought. I thought you just like checked books out and read them and stuff like that.

Me: (Lots of eye rolling)”

This is a perfect example of why the library profession needs to devote more time, money, and concerted effort towards marketing the librarian profession. People still think that all we do are check books out and then shelve them when they come back. If the community in general knew that there is so much more to the profession then first meets the eye – I’m certain we would experience a surge in younger people entering the profession.

I am a librarian, I went to university, I am still going to university, I do more then checked books out to you. Perhaps you should try my job out for a day and see why you need a university degree, I challenge you!

Rock star librarian moments, what are these? This is my special name for the moment that librarians are recognized out and about away from the library and patrons feel the need to approach you and let the world know that you work in the library. Scott Douglas points out that as a public librarian to the community you are a celebrity.  The instance he described above is a perfect example of what I refer to as rock star librarian moments.

Yes I do work in the library! Yes you did see me at rhyme time! Yes I’ve checked books out to you before! But I don’t appreciate being interrupted when I’m talking to my family and friends just because you recognize me.

What are the rules? – your away from work, but you still have to deliver them with customer service because you know come Monday you might be checking books out to them. You can’t say excuse me, I was talking to my friend; no to them you are the librarian who must listen to them and provide them with answers.

Some of my own librarian rock star moments:

1. I had just broken my knee and was walking around the local plaza with a friend, in a zimmer and  on crutches. A lady bolds up to me and announces with such enthusiasm “you work at the library! What happened to your leg? When are you coming back to work? – we need you at the library. You are always so nice and smile at me.”
2. A little girl in the supermarket. “Look mummy that’s the lady from the library, what is she doing here?” (You think they’d realize that librarians do grocery shopping too and that we don’t live at the library)
3. An old lay approach me at bingo (ok this time I was asking for it – bingo for goodness sake (it was a friends’ birthday)). “Excuse me I know you from somewhere. Is it the library?  Of course the library downstairs. Are you enjoying bingo?” For the rest of the day I heard her not so quietly whispering to her friend “ that must be her sister, and that must be her mother – no maybe her aunt, doesn’t she have lovely hair and such a nice smile, I wonder why she works at the library.” They spent the rest of the breaks during bingo whispering about me. It was very unnerving and extremely uncomfortable.
4. I had recently had just changed my hairdo. I had it died darker and  cut shorter. Whilst talking to an old work colleague I ran into, two library patrons stopped in their tracks near me and began a discussion on if that was the girl from the library. When they finally agreed that yes I was the girl from the library, they then continued to talk about my new hairdo, a mere few meters away.

If your lucky you’ll just hear people whisper she works at the library, and they won’t approach you, but as a public librarian you also add community rock star to your cv. You learn to deal with it, and how to distance yourself from the public. My family and friends think it’s hilarious when people approach me with such enthusiasm and make such a big deal out it because I work at THE LIBRARY. I think perhaps it just displays that the library is a big part of a community.

This event definitely gave life to my career and what I wanted to get out of it. If it wasn’t for NLS4 I might not be a librarian today. Thank you NLS4 organisers and presenters for giving me hope and the courage to follow my heart. (I still wear my NLS4 shirt when I need some inspiration in my day)

Here is a puff piece I wrote that appeared in Incite. (It was originally called ‘The Fire of NLS4′ and had themes running through it, but due to the bushfires in Victoria I edited it heavily)

 THE PASSION OF NLS4

The New Librarians Symposium (NLS4) couldn’t have come at a better time for me. I had graduated as a librarian five months prior to its commencement, and already I was considering abandoning the career, even though I was still so excited by the profession and what opportunities might come my way. But with no luck finding a full-time job, I was at breaking point, ready to return to my days as a barista in a café.

It was the usual story of not enough experience, and no one giving me the chance to gain that experience. So there I was 5 months later, having received a rejection letter from my dream job, degenerated, with a hefty HECS bill, and ready to give up on being a librarian. I was broken. Searching for some hope, I hesitantly enrolled in the NLS4. I really needed to be inspired and that’s exactly what I came away with from NLS4.

I heard stories from respected librarians who started out just like me. No experience, difficulty overcoming barriers in order to attain a full-time position, and stuck with casual and temporary work. They inspired me with the desire to learn more, make changes, think big, and ultimately, not to give up when barriers stacked themselves up around me. I was now no longer ready to weed myself from the library world.

It was great to hear so many librarians talk about their role in the profession and with such enthusiasm. Naturally, that same passion was awakened in the future leaders of libraries who now wanted to do more then sit on the sidelines. Without a doubt, the highlight for me was the intense passion and pride I took away about being a librarian, which I’ve come to realise is a secretly cool profession. Shhhh…  don’t spill the secret yet, we don’t want the profession overcrowded (I’m still hunting for my dream job).

For all those new Librarians out there who didn’t get to attend NLS4 and  are considering abandoning the profession, I urge you to be proud of what you are – a new-age librarian! Before you shelve yourself away in the back row aisles of the dusty stacks – remember you are the future! Proudly show-off your new unread, untarnished pages of knowledge and enthusiasm. Don’t give up – after all, there is nothing more enticing then a brand new book, and one day you’ll meet the manager who like most patrons, bypasses all the old well read books for that brand new one that offers so much.

(Nothing explains things better or as universal as music Suddenly I See by KT Tunstall)

I am truly a librarian now – there’s no going back. This is clearly pointed out to everyone as I wear my “Librarian For Life” badge (even though it’s probably too small to read unless you really LOOK at it).

Well I’d done what I ‘d set out to do, but what now could I possibly do to keep myself entertained for the next few days? ……Visit the Junee Licorice Factory (yum!), the museums & art galleries, bontanical gardens, and of course the public library (I can hear all those moans & groans from family & friends).

As the Saturday came round I did feel a sense of not wanting to leave a place I had not spent much time in, but definately had some sort of connection to. Still I was looking forward to returning home, & returning to work at my 2 libraries. It seemed like the perfect time to crack open my packet of organic licorice and say goodbye to Wagga Wagga, the town where many librarians are created, and who then go on to create their own stories (like this one).

I am so looking forward to my developing career and I hope I can make a positive difference to the libraries of the future. I am so proud to be able to call myself a librarian.

My graduation ceremony is on April Fool’s Day. This is a little off-putting. Does everyone think that librarians are a joke?

I had heard CSU Wagga Wagga campus described over the radio one day……”a university in the middle of a paddock, in the middle of no where, surrounded by kangaroos” – I did not have high hopes for the university I had never laid eyes on.

As we drove up the driveway to the university, the main entrance was not anything flash – just a brick wall with the CSU symbol & the words Charles Sturt University across it. It did not empower me or send a feeling of passion through me (as the entrance of Deakin University always does). But at least I knew I was in the right place!

Sure enough the university was in the middle of no-where, but much to my dissapointment I did not see any kangaroos. It is a dry, large, run-down, and not very well signaged place.

Having said that, it was nice to finally see the university I now had an association with.

After photos & getting gowned (heavy bloody thing) I was eager to just get on with things. As I sat in the graduation hall with the other graduates I couldn’t help but think ‘these are the library leaders of the future”, “and what a bright future it will be”. When I finally walked across the stage to get my degree it was empowering to in a way declare before every one there that yes I am a librarian and I couldn’t be happier.

The CSU motto is “For the Public Good”. This I take with me on my journey to make libraries remain and grow as a part of the greater good of our democratic society.

The university might not look like much, but the heart of it is something that stays with every student that walks through it. And your heart can led you on an amazing journey.

Today my journey begins to Wagga Wagga, so that I may “officially” become a librarian. I successfully completed my graduate diploma of applied science (library & information management) [geez that's a mouth full] at the end of June 2008, and I have been waiting a long time to finally have that piece of paper I worked so hard for. I’m so excited.

I’ve hijacked my parents and my dog for the occassion to keep me company on my journey. As we pass the outskirts of Wandon & Kilmore (after the horrible Victorian bushfires) an eerie feeling still lingered amongst the burnt trees – dead, but still standing. As we travelled further along the outskirts some of the burnt trees were sprouting green leaves – a sign of hope, of life returning – a sign that the community could re-grow in these towns.

Most of the road after this was bland, without interest or beauty. 6 hours we were on the road & whilst it was a good run – it is by far one of the most boring strips of road to travel on — thank goodness for CD’s & rock n’ roll.

I was so glad when we finally entered Wagga Wagga (Never call it Wagga – the locals don’t like it), it didn’t look like much, but I’m so excited to finally be here and I’m wondering what tomorrow will hold as I finally  receive my librarian qualification.

Ideally it would have been better if I’d started this blog at the beginning of my librarian career – the day I decided to enrol in a course to become a librarian. The best I can do now is begin at another beginning – my librarian graduation. On the 1st of April 2009 I “officially” graduated with a Graduate Diploma of Applied Science (Library and Information Management).

The next 3 posts will be entries I wrote down in my notebook, whilst visting Wagga Wagga for my graduation ceremony at Charles Sturt University. As I’m still studying, this time for my masters, time has escaped me once again, and I’m running a bit behind in getting this blog up and running.