My name is Carla and I have been a librarian for 15 years. I received my MLIS from Catholic University in Washington, DC, in 1997.
After two (2) years in a public library, I was hired by a private school to totally begin their "upper school" (grades 9-12) library. The library was already designed and being built, but I did all of the collection development from the beginning. I chose to do this because it would be "totally mine" and I would learn every aspect of running a library: collection development, cataloguing, processing, circulation, reference, etc.
For twelve years, I ran the library by myself. It was very popular with the students and I think I created great enthusiasm for libraries (and hopefully reading) during my time with them. As the years went by, I was increasingly asked to do other jobs. I taught high school English once upon a time and I "took over" an English teacher's job for a semester. I was asked to teach English electives, which I did. (I taught Mythology courses.) I didn't feel like a "full time" librarian anymore and I decided it was time to try new things.
I am trying to decide if I want to continue being a school librarian or if I want to go back into public librarianship. This past year, I have been working in a large elementary school as the "library teacher" for grades PreK through 5. It is very different from any other librarian position I've had and I jumped into it blind - absolutely no elementary experience at all. I have discovered that I do not want to be an elementary "library teacher" although there are aspects of it that I will really miss. And I now have extreme respect for elementary teachers of all kinds, though, because that is one hard job.
In order to work in public schools, of course, you have to be certified by your state. I live in Fauquier County (VA) and the VDOE gave me a 5 year license to teach English but I needed one class in order to get a 5 year license in "library media Prek-12". This is the class.
Hi Carla, welcome to this class. I originally got my MLS to be an academic librarian hoping to work in reference. Very long story but I ended up in school libraries - later got a PhD and came to ODU. So I understand the roundabout route. Thanks for sharing - your experience will be a real asset.
ReplyDeleteHow is the private school library areas? I have no idea what I want to do. Can't wait to hear some of your stories.
ReplyDeletehttp://datlibrarylover.edublogs.org/
Hi Tanisha. Are you interested in working in a private school? It is really different from public schools, so I'm learning, but private schools don't pay very well. There are some advantages to a private school - you don't need a state license, just an MLS. And the student body is usually smaller and - if you are lucky - you might have a bigger budget to spend. I am hoping to be a public high school librarian in August, and I will have more information to compare with then.
DeleteHi Carla,
ReplyDeleteNice to read about you! I would like to say that I'm shocked that you are required to take this one class, but I'm not. I'm a career switcher and from the business point of view, your credentials should make you well qualified. However, I do realize this is how the world of education works. I'm sure we will all benefit from you being in this class this semester and I hope you figure out what you want to do :) Best of Luck!
Mary