A New Transition

Well, a lot of changes have happened in my life recently. I finished graduate school in August. By Labor Day I found myself transplanted in the Seattle area and ready to begin a new full-time job at Barnes & Noble. I think perhaps I am still trying to catch up with myself. It was pretty remarkable how everything came together. I came up to the Seattle area somewhat on a whim to put out feelers for potentially moving. Within the week I found a place to live and was tentatively offered a full-time job. I couldn't help but feel it was "meant to be" as everything fell into place so easily and quickly. Of course, that also meant a whirlwind move with less than a week's notice. As this is not the speed I typically like to conduct my life, it's not unusual that on some days my anxiety threat level has been raised to the color Orange. Lots of changes to endure all at once!

My new job, I think, will be a very useful and relevant step towards building more skills and experience that will relate directly to the library field. Not only will I have the opportunity to work in an environment that provides me with a pulse on what consumers are reading (or at least purchasing), but as head cashier I will gain additional leadership skills and supervisory experience that will help bolster my resume. In this regard, I am very excited about the job. Unfortunately, because it is retail, the salary is far below what I could be making if I chose an alternative path.

I recognize that it is the income issue that is bringing me the most anxiety. It's a trade-off: I desperately wanted to be doing something that would directly add value to my resume and goal of working in a library, but the job does not pay as well as others for which I am qualified. If, instead, I chose to do some administrative staffing work that paid better, I would be more comfortable in the "in between" phase, but the job itself would take me further away from my intended overall path. I'm just not sure how long I can afford to live on a retail salary before my savings runs out! For some reason I have had a hard time letting go of this fear (fear of running out of money) and in some moments the fear consumes me. I suppose it is due to my awareness of the current economic climate and my appreciation that there is little that distinguishes me from those who stand on the street corners with their signs asking for a little help after finding themselves down on their luck. It can happen to anyone. The challenge I am being faced with also involves returning to a more centered and active faith life. I recognize that I cling to this fear when I feel I am relying solely on myself and am afraid of letting myself down. Part of letting go of the fear involves opening myself up and remembering to trust in God--not that I don't have to still be responsible for my own actions and self-discipline, but that I can let go of focusing on the near-sighted details long enough to take a step back and look at the bigger picture in order to better discern when I am on the right path.

So, although I am experiencing many challenges and anxieties right now, I also recognize the value of working through them and see them as a path to growth and greater opportunity for living a fuller life. And that is why I am hoping to also do more blogging, or at least journaling, as I know that being able to write about things is therapeutic as well as helpful towards gaining a more positive perspective.

Resourceful

Lately I've been dealing with a lot of pressure. A busy schedule juggling my practicum, an online course, and trying to apply for jobs. I am usually pretty good multi-tasking within one area, but I start to feel scattered and stressed when my busy-ness stretches across multiple dimensions of my life. Beyond the aspects of a busy schedule, however, the pressure I have been feeling mostly stems from the fact that I will soon my graduating from my MLIS program.

Yes, typically the response should be, "Hooray!! I'm finally graduating!" I won't disagree that I am atypical. Don't get me wrong, I am indeed excited about finishing my program and eager to get into the library field in order to start leaving my mark. It's the depressed economy and the poor outlook of the job market that cause me some anxiety. Also, I am worried that I might be caught in that nebulous area between overqualified and underqualified now that I am soon to have my degree in hand. Overqualified for many of the paraprofessional positions that are out there (by virtue of now having a masters degree in the field), but lacking the experience necessary for landing many of the professional ones. Not only that, but my current situation also makes me a poor candidate for non-library positions, as most employers will easily assume I am not long-term potential for working in another field. So, there is a lot weighing on my psyche these days.

Today I had a very good day at my practicum, however. I started working on a "weeding" project. (For non-library folks, weeding refers to making decisions about which books should be removed from the collection based on a number of different factors--condition of the book, it's uniqueness and/or relevance to the collection, how frequently it gets used, the currency/accuracy of the information, whether a newer edition is available and any number of other factors.) I had been dragging my feet a little in working on this project. The section of the library I was assigned to weed is the reference section. Since books in the reference section cannot be checked out, there are no circulation statistics that I can refer to in order to know how frequently each resource is actually used--if at all! This takes away one key piece of evidence that is most useful to a weeding project! Also, because I am essentially "new" to the library, I haven't had time to develop a familiarity with what kinds of resources get used or requested most frequently or even rarely. I didn't have much confidence in my ability to be very helpful in this task since I felt like I was going into it somewhat blindly, without any real context. Happily, I was mistaken! I managed to be quite resourceful, and this helped boost my confidence exponentially in light of the pressures I've been feeling with regards to the job hunt. I wanted to blog about my experience so that I could later be reminded of the fact that I have a lot to feel confident about!

I began my task by reading the Collection Development Policy for the library. This is the document that describes in detail how the library decides what materials will (and will not) be included in its collection. The part of the policy I was most interested in for the purposes of my weeding task was the section that detailed the specific subject areas that the library wished to target within each academic discipline. This gave me a little more of that "context" that I felt I was previously lacking.

Next, I also made a list of all the different undergraduate and graduate programs that are currently offered by the university. This would also provide more context for the task at hand. In providing library services you need to have a pretty clear picture of who your users are so that you can develop a relevant collection for their needs.

As I began the actual task of weeding, my primary focus was going to be looking at the currency of the item--noting how long ago it was published. Old does not always mean outdated or irrelevant, but I was also looking to see if newer editions might have been published since. As I moved through the collection fairly methodically I began to make some connections and notice that I do have more context than I anticipated. For example, knowing how to address the issue of outdated computer science reference books was influenced by my knowledge of the fact that NCU does not offer a computer science program. Why buy a $500 computer science encyclopedia that will rapidly become out of date almost as soon as you put it on the shelf when your institution does not have a particular need for the resource to begin with? Similarly, I relied on my knowledge of the fact that NCU has a strong education program as I analyzed the reference books that focused on children's literature. Clearly these resources would be valuable for students preparing to work with elementary aged children.

Today's exercise was key for me in grasping how useful my academic study of library and information science has been. Although I am still looking for ways and opportunities to put into practice what I have learned, today was a huge step in giving me the confidence to know that I do have the necessary tools to be able to figure things out as they unfold even without prior direct experience. This confidence will be key as I continue to wrestle with the job hunt and the potential it has to downgrade one's confidence along the way.

I am definitely resourceful. That is one of my primary reasons for becoming a librarian. It is my desire to help connect others with the resources they need.

Catching Up

Eek! My last blog post hasn't been since January? My how time flies when you are trying to finish up school!

My sister, Cindy, is an excellent blogger. In fact, she could literally add "Blogger" to her resume as she has become quite the prolific writer in the blogosphere. Needless to say, her blogging inspires me to step up the pace in order to do a little of my own. Apart from her modeling what authentic blogging looks like (i.e., actually making regular posts on one's blog!), I have also felt the naggings coming from my own life to blog more frequently. I am coming upon some more life transitions in the near future as I approach finishing library school, beginning the job search and making decisions about where the next stage in my life might take me. Transitions can provide lots of food for thought and therefore plenty of space for making "marginal notes."

I am currently in the midst of doing my library practicum work at Northwest Christian University in Eugene, OR. My on-site hours will wrap up July 2, after which I will have a practicum paper to prepare as a portion of my practicum requirements. I will wrap up my regular coursework after I complete a 2 week workshop on Young Adult Literature that starts on Monday. The end is in sight and I am on course to graduate with my MLIS degree from Kent State this August!

It's both an exciting time and an anxiety-raising one. In particular, the less than stellar economy casts a shadow of a doubt on how successful my library job search is apt to be. Hopefully, I will find something sooner rather than later!

Turn on the Music and Let's Dance!

So, I am just loving my new GoWear Fit armband! Just putting it on is inspiring for me--it makes me want to jump up and get moving so that I can see the numbers go up: calories burned, steps taken, etc. A great invention for those of us who have both obsessive and perfectionist tendencies: now exercise has become a self-imposed contest!

This afternoon I turned on some dance music in order to encourage myself to get moving as I was tackling chores around the house. Get moving I did! An hour and 15 minutes later I had burned over 500 calories!! All by just dancing around, picking up a couple of hand weights, and making up my own routine. Exercise doesn't have to be complicated. Just do whatever you can to get your body moving and your heart rate up.

Let's dance!

Happy New Year 2009

Happy New Year! Since I didn't really contemplate a particular resolution for the new year (other than my ongoing resolutions that continue year-round!), I guess I could select "blog more" as my resolution for 2009. I certainly can't do it much "less" so I am practically guaranteed success at carrying out my new resolution!

I had a wonderful Christmas. It was the first time in years (5 or more....) that my parents and sisters and I were all together for Christmas. It was lovely to have everyone together for the holiday. Cindy and Don visited from LA. My niece, Amber, made out like a bandit. I believe she now owns stock in Target if I'm not mistaken. Amber will turn four in March. Although she claims she wants to be a doctor when she grows up, Terri is convinced that Amber is going to become a personal trainer, as she already is leading us in exercise ball, hand weights, flex bands, and pilates routines. She even got her first exercise bike for Christmas! Now that Cindy and Don have a PS3, we can do our exercises with Aunt Cindy over the PS3 webcam hooked up to our TV. Looks like 2009 is going to be a fit year for the Messlers, Coles and Earlys!

Speaking of getting fit, I have maintained the weight I was at before moving cross-country this past August. I lost about 25 pounds after working with a personal trainer in Columbus, and when I moved I was half-way towards my goal of losing 50 pounds. Now that I am more settled and the holidays have passed, I am looking forward to tackling the rest of the remaining pounds. I joined Gold's Gym so I can have access to weights, cardio machines, exercises classes, etc. Having Cindy here for Christmas helped inspire me to get back into the routine of cooking delicious meals from Cooking Light. (Eating healthy, when done right, can definitely be delicious!!) Of course, I'm jealous that "in season" in California means something different than "in season" in Oregon...!

Also, as an early birthday present I received a GoWear Fit Armband, similar to the Body Buggs they use on the Biggest Loser reality weight-loss series. The multi-sensor armband measures and records several things including calories burned, physical activity, and steps taken, as well as sleep duration and efficiency. I just started using it today and have so far burned 754 calories and walked 2304 steps since waking up this morning. I can't wait to download the information to my computer and see what else the software can interpret for me. It definitely makes me want to run around the house so that I can see the increase in my rate of calories burned per minute. Can't wait to see how it reacts when I take it to the gym!

As another motivating factor, I am going to participate in a fitness challenge organized by someone my sister, Terri, works with. The initial assessment is January 11, and lasts six weeks. In addition to percentage of weight loss, it measures improvements in a wall-sit, plank, pushups, and one mile run. I am already anticipating the mile run will be my biggest improvement area--should be interesting!!!

Well, I guess I should stop here so I have something left to blog about next time. Today we are celebrating Terri's birthday. Right now everyone is having Panini sandwiches made with the new Panini press Cindy and Don gave our parents for Christmas. Or, as Amber says, "piano sandwiches." Whatever they are called, they are deeee-licious!

Happy New Year everyone!