Blog post #3: Reflection on Class 2 and on Research Virtuoso Submit Assignment
I was shocked, shocked I tell you, about how many people were interested in working in D.C. because of that cash flow! Holy crap, $100,000 salary?! That's crazy money in my mind. So many folks had that as their dream job, so if a quarter of our class has that as their dream job then those must be coveted positions all over the place. My dream job is truly to make a substantial amount of money for a single person but doing what I love which is working with kids. I really just want to do programs and help them pick out books and play with puppets and sing silly songs, is that too much to ask?
That was an interesting activity, seeing how all of us are interested in various jobs, how our jobs wants varied, and how some of us have a different pay scale in mind then others.
Katie Dunn is a peach and she knows it. She really does seem to know everything and I am very thankful that she was able to come into our class to discuss internships. I know for me getting an internship is a very daunting task to accomplish. I feel like I am constantly being hired and then quitting jobs after getting them to further my resume, which is something I am nervous about this upcoming year. I just got a new job and don't want to quit just to have an internship for 3 months and then have to go find a new one? Does anyone have any insight on this because I'm really panicking about it.
The rest of the readings for our class did not spark anything crazy in my mind. I really enjoyed learning about the libraries bill of rights and the point of why we are truly here. I do understand that there are some problems with how the constitution is currently set up and that people want to fix it, however, I think that people need to understand that no matter how much you accomplish by revising, there will always be a glitch. We are not perfect and neither are libraries, no matter how much we want to believe it.
The Research Virtuoso reading for me was very boring. I think it really didn't pique my interest because I just completed my undergrad degree in May, so how to research and how to find information is still really fresh in my mind. I see how for people who have not been in college in years would find this helpful or if you have never researched before it would be a very helpful book. It truly felt like something I would have read in high school and that was not fun for me.
That was an interesting activity, seeing how all of us are interested in various jobs, how our jobs wants varied, and how some of us have a different pay scale in mind then others.
Katie Dunn is a peach and she knows it. She really does seem to know everything and I am very thankful that she was able to come into our class to discuss internships. I know for me getting an internship is a very daunting task to accomplish. I feel like I am constantly being hired and then quitting jobs after getting them to further my resume, which is something I am nervous about this upcoming year. I just got a new job and don't want to quit just to have an internship for 3 months and then have to go find a new one? Does anyone have any insight on this because I'm really panicking about it.
The rest of the readings for our class did not spark anything crazy in my mind. I really enjoyed learning about the libraries bill of rights and the point of why we are truly here. I do understand that there are some problems with how the constitution is currently set up and that people want to fix it, however, I think that people need to understand that no matter how much you accomplish by revising, there will always be a glitch. We are not perfect and neither are libraries, no matter how much we want to believe it.
The Research Virtuoso reading for me was very boring. I think it really didn't pique my interest because I just completed my undergrad degree in May, so how to research and how to find information is still really fresh in my mind. I see how for people who have not been in college in years would find this helpful or if you have never researched before it would be a very helpful book. It truly felt like something I would have read in high school and that was not fun for me.
Your worries about balancing jobs and internships is something that I worry about as well. The biggest piece of advice I have is to communicate with your employers now, and let them know what is coming up in the summer and what they can expect from you. I think a lot of places are very willing to work with students, and understand that our schedules can be hectic and changeable. Especially if you have a library position right now, they might be completely willing to offer you your job back after the internship, and excited about the new skills you will come back with. Maybe I've just gotten lucky in this kind of situation - I have a work study job right now at Hatcher that is very accommodating for my student schedule, but even my previous job in a public library was supportive of my choice to get my master's degree. I was actually really surprised by how eager they were to work around my classes! In our first session for 647 a lot of us talked about the feeling of community in the room, and I think something similar is true for librarianship generally. Librarians supporting librarians is a theme that I've seen a lot of already :)
ReplyDeleteRegarding a $100,000 for DC, you have to think about the cost of living in DC as well. It's a bit different than here so add $30,000~ for any kind of managerial position in Michigan and that's part of the difference. You're right that as a youth librarian in DC, you wouldn't make that kind of money, but, as Dr. Fontichiaro said, do what makes you happy and what fits your needs, not what other people think you should do. In the end, it looks like public libraries have good unions to make sure that, while you won't be rich doing what you love, you'll be taken care of.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the library code of ethics and bill of rights, I'm not sure glitch or errors are exactly the right way to describe the problems in the documents. I'm writing after the third class, so I've had the benefit of reflecting on the class discussion over these problems, but it seems to me that the code of ethics is document that contains a number aspirations and principles, many of which contradict one another. The code of ethics express commitment to safe spaces for the advancement of knowledge but also to freedom of speech and expression of ideas that can sometimes make people feel unsafe. This may not have seemed a contradiction at the time of the composition of the document, but recent political events have brought these two principles in contention with one another, and it will be up to people who have thought about these issues closely to provide a new reconciliation of the principles or discard one or the other. I personally am all for not recognizing hate speech as free speech because, in my experience, it's not intended to stimulate debate and the free exchange of ideas but to intimidate and provoke to violence; this is obviously not conducive to debate. The court in the last fifty years has ruled otherwise, unfortunately.
This was me. Just forgot to mark it earlier.
DeleteIf your job is in Ann Arbor, most employers (university and otherwise) tend to be very familiar with the student schedule and will work with you being gone for the summer. I also find that there are a ton of opportunities for library and information science students on campus, so if things don't work out with your current employer when you leave for three months, you'll have options when you get back. Don't panic! The career services office is such a good resource if you're still concerned.
ReplyDeleteI shared your feelings about Research Virtuoso as it applied to me personally, although I did see value in it as a reminder of where I've been previously. A lot of academic librarians will be talking to freshmen or sophomores who are new to large research projects, and I thought Research Virtuoso was a helpful reminder that oh yeah--not everyone will have a note-taking system, or will even know the differences between sources found on the open web vs. sources that only a library can give you access to.
Here's the catch about $100,000 in DC -- the cost of living is exorbitant. My brother is currently a PhD student in San Francisco and told me that anyone making less that $120,000/year is eligible for government benefits due to the extremely high cost of living (Fortune says it's actually $117,000, but that's still insane!!! http://fortune.com/2018/06/28/san-francisco-housing-crisis-low-income-families/). Definitely pursue what makes you happy, and just remember that a bigger salary may not actually be bigger if everything around you also costs more. It sucks and it's dumb but that's capitalism :D
ReplyDelete