On the Hunt for a Job

Well, it’s an exciting and scary time around here. With graduation less than two months away, the job hunt is full under way. People love to give students job search advice. I think it’s probably because we really love to receive said advice. Our main goal in life is to find a job and in this economy and this job market, things can get pretty desperate. However, when there is too much advice on any one subject, a lot of it can start to sound pretty contradictory. Start applying for jobs early they say, but don’t apply if you aren’t available yet they say. Really all it comes down to is try to convey why you are right for the job.

There are some really fantastic job openings out there right now. I’m getting really excited about some of these. I read the job descriptions for children’s and youth services librarians and I just think to myself, that is the perfect job. I can’t wait until I get to be doing that every day! The other thrilling aspect of all this is thinking of all the different parts of the country I could be living in by summer. I seriously have no idea what state I’m going to be in next, and that is really exciting! I am so lucky that I am in a situation where relocating is an option. All the cities and areas I’ve researched sound like wonderful places to live. I just can’t wait to find out where the next stage of my journey will take me.

Presentation on Blogs for Children’s Librarians

On Friday I gave a presentation to my student organization: Social Networks and Blogs for Today’s Children’s Librarian. The title of our group is Children’s and Young Adult Library Services Student Organization. We call ourselves C-YA for short. My friend Amanda started the group last year when she saw a gap in our school’s options and opportunities for those interested in youth services. And luckily I get to be vice-president! It’s been an awesome year watching us grow as an organization! Hopefully soon we’ll be passing it on to another cohort of great students to continue the tradition.

For my presentation, I wanted to try using Prezi. It is an online presentation software that just recently entered my radar and I’ve been dying for an excuse to try it out. I was happy that our C-YA meeting was the perfect chance to do that. Prezi is a really cool departure from the slide-based metaphor of presentations. If you think about it, it really makes sense. How many outdated metaphors do we cling to long after they no longer make sense? Slide presentations when it’s been decades since anyone used an actual physical slide. Card catalogs when we’re no longer limited to those tiny 7.5 by 12.5 cm cards? When everything has moved online, it makes sense that we start letting some of those old ideas go.

Hence, Prezi. It isn’t your standard, linear, bullet point presentation. It zooms, it twists, it goes in circles, basically it flows. You can make a pretty good point that it more closely represents though processes, especially when it comes to brainstorming and creative planning and such. It shows connections and relationships. And really, who I am I kidding, it just looks really really cool.

So, in the spirit of emerging technologies (which is fitting considering my topic), I made a prezi. And you should totally click on the link above and check it out. You can even use it to start making your own. I had a lot of fun with it. While I’m sure I still have a lot to learn, for the most part it is really intuitive.

I had a lot of fun with the topic as well of course. I am really starting to get sucked into the blogging world and it is SO MUCH FUN! And much credit goes to Abby the Librarian and her wonderful blog. I got a lot of ideas from her CYPD handout on a similar topic, which she presented with Melissa from Mel’s Books and Info. Thank you so much! I just wanted to post the link today, more thoughts on this topic to come later this week, as well as my favorite blog discoveries so far!

Introductions are in order

My name is Allison McLean. I am a second year graduate student in a Masters of Library Science program. I am specializing in Children’s and Young Adult Library Services and this is a blog about my experiences as a new member of the library profession.

My hope is to find a job as a children’s librarian at a public library after I graduate this May, though I am open to all different types of libraries as well. I’m interested in reader’s advisory for young people and developing early literacy skills as well as information literacy and library instruction for library users of all ages.

I am currently an intern in an outstanding children’s department and gaining invaluable experiences in programming and reference work there. I have several jobs on campus as well, including supervising a library in the family and apartment housing on campus.

This blog will feature my thoughts and ramblings on my experiences leading up to graduation and looking for a job in the field as well as book reviews and other various topics I find interesting and relevant. I hope you keep reading and discovering this exciting world with me!