Interview
Questions about your mentor
What are your main duties and responsibilities? Oversee the Teen Services Department, this means ordering books, planning and running programs, doing outreach at schools, coordinating dozens of high school volunteers Working the public service desks in the Library, which includes talking to customers to find books, do research, and advertise our resources. Participate on community committees· · Why did you choose to work here? I love the community aspect of working at a public Library. I get to really connect with people. I love working as a Teen Librarian because I get to have so much FUN while working. There is also something so special about a place where all types of people are welcome and can hang out all day without spending any money! · How did you end up doing the job that you do? Well, I actually got my Bachelor’s degree in Finance, and when I was job-hunting after graduation, I realized my heart just wasn’t in it. I was working at a Public Library part time during college and loved it so much that I decided I wanted to grow my career in that environment. I went on to get a Master’s in Library and Information Science and became a “real” librarian. I started out working in the Adult Services Department and took a chance in Teen Services on a whim. Best decision I ever made! I love working with middle and high schoolers and have so much fun every day in my job!· · What skills and training are necessary for your position? Lots of customer service skills! You really have to be someone who loves talking to people and helping them. Computer skills and research skills are a must and understanding data analysis is helpful. You basically need a desire to learn new things constantly. I am consistently trying to things and figuring out things I’ve never done before, like learning how to using a sewing machine for a program! There are a lot of group projects so the ability to work well on a team is also necessary. · How did you acquire these skills? Through school? On the job? Both! I worked in public libraries since I was 15 years old, so A LOT of what I know I learned over time in my jobs. I’ve worked in almost every library department which really helps me understand the day to day workings. However, my Master’s degree was helpful in learning the fundamentals of librarianship, like advanced research skills and cataloging books. Learning new skills never ends though, we participate in professional development opportunities several times a year to improve our skills and learn new ways to offer services to our customers. We do this by attending workshops, taking online classes, and meeting with other librarians around the county and state.· · What do you enjoy most about your job? Getting to know people in our community. Making a difference in people’s lives, especially teens. · Questions about the organization What should I know about this organization as I start working here? The Library’s Mission is to engage, inform, connect, and inspire. Everything we do at the Library is to support this mission. · What is a typical work day like? Different every day! All staff takes turn working the various customer service desks in the Library and answering customer questions. When not working at a public desk, staff is busy doing collection development (researching and ordering books, analyzing stats of books, discarding books), planning programs (including buying/making supplies, creating publicity, and running the program), attending meetings with outside organizations, visiting schools or events around the community, working with volunteers, and various other day to day tasks. · · How is this organization structured? The Library is under the management of the City of Oceanside. The head of the Library is the Library Director, and they along with two Deputy Library Directors, over all the workings of the Library and the staff. Each department in the Library also has a manager, a Principal Librarian, who oversees day to day operations of their department.· · What is the purpose of this organization? Check out this website for our vision and strategic plan. It will help you get an idea for this question. https://www.ci.oceanside.ca.us/gov/lib/about/default.asp · Questions about this career How important is getting along with other people in your career? The #1 most important thing!!! Most skills can be taught later (like computer skills, research skills, data analysis), but having a friendly personality and the ability to get along with all types of people is something that needs to be there from the beginning! Not only do we work closely with other staff all day long, but we work closely with the public. We often have customers with special needs or disabilities or mental health issues that we need to be able to overcome in order to help them.· · What other personality traits, skills, or knowledge are important here? Hard worker, team player, creativity, desire to help, willingness to try new things, knowledge of how books are organized and cataloged, attention to detail, patience – just to name a few! Is there anything else you’d like to add or share about your current job or career path? Librarianship is quickly becoming more of a technology-focused occupation, where things like coding, data analysis, and web design are more important than ever. We do so much more than house books. Libraries are now community focused meeting spaces for healthy meals, social interaction, unique events, and a myriad of social services. Also, it’s super fun! Reflection Overall, my internship experience so far has been really fun and full of laughter. Through all of that, I've been able to learn about the duties of librarians and the impact they have on the communities around them. The questions I have about the internship really just surround the work that librarians have to do beyond putting books on the shelves. Luckily, these are all being answered each day I'm there. The skills I've mastered at school, which include communication, collaboration, and working with others has helped me numerous times during this internship already. I was able to help run a science fair in the kids section, which allowed me to talk and help them learn some science topics. I felt like I was able to be useful and consistently make an impact on the kids through the interactions. The new skills I'm developing for this internship specially are patience and determination. Our first project required Cora and I to shift the entire teen fiction section, which took 3 days. In the thick of it, we saw shelves and shelves of books still and thought we were never gonna finish. However, the hard work we put into it allowed us to finish it in a timely manner. I've also learned about the library's impact on the community through the variety of programs they host and the people I've met on different days. I've been able to hear how the library has impacted them. Compared to last year, this internship has many of the same elements of community outreach and engagement, but is more instant with results. Everything is mostly done within a short amount of time, which gives me hope on the amount of experience I'll be able to gather. Overall, I'm looking forward to the coming weeks very much!
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