Well - at first (after my childhood dreams of being an astronaut, paleontologist or perhaps actor) I wanted to be a teacher, when I was 14. But I always knew I wanted to write, and discovered pretty soon that I would do better not to try to earn a living that way. I first considered becoming a librarian when I was 19, in college, but still thought I might teach. But, after graduate school, at about the time I took the graduate entrance exam for teaching, I got some substitute teaching experience, and found out that it takes a high-energy extrovert and/or an extremely energetic person to deal with a class of little ones. I did well one on one, or in small groups, with older kids. In graduate school, I also interned under a lovely librarian - that school happened to offer a dual degree, so I got my MLS and have never looked back.
Now, American libraries and Madame Pince. A lot of people don't understand what the library system offers generally, nor what librarians actually do. Libraries are great democratic institutions. There was just a show - a very good one, and it's true enough - about the Public parks as "America's best idea". As I said, true enough. But, what the National, state and local parks do for our wildlife and landscape, our public libraries do for learning and ideas. Anyone can come to a library and study anything he or she wants, free of charge. What we do not have ourselves, we can obtain from the web or from other libraries at low cost. We are in the forefront of forming an educated electorate - just as much so as schools - we are builders and preservers of community, and we are in the forefront of preserving the first amendment. (That's freedom of speech and information, as well as freedom of assembly and freedom to dissent - and it's something a lot of Europeans don't understand. But I think you probably do.)
But, aside from that rant, being a librarian is a great job for a writer, or for someone who's generally interested in learning. You get to see all kinds of books, and read some of them; you learn what is popular, and (perhaps) why; you get to learn all the time - the kids will teach you new ways to use technology, new methods of outreach, and they'll tell you what they like and want - if you ask them. It's fun! Of course, you can't write on the job, but it isn't a job that saps one's creative energy, and I love the contact with the public and being helpful to people. It took me awhile to get to it, but I think I have a great job!
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Well - at first (after my childhood dreams of being an astronaut, paleontologist or perhaps actor) I wanted to be a teacher, when I was 14. But I always knew I wanted to write, and discovered pretty soon that I would do better not to try to earn a living that way. I first considered becoming a librarian when I was 19, in college, but still thought I might teach. But, after graduate school, at about the time I took the graduate entrance exam for teaching, I got some substitute teaching experience, and found out that it takes a high-energy extrovert and/or an extremely energetic person to deal with a class of little ones. I did well one on one, or in small groups, with older kids. In graduate school, I also interned under a lovely librarian - that school happened to offer a dual degree, so I got my MLS and have never looked back.
Now, American libraries and Madame Pince. A lot of people don't understand what the library system offers generally, nor what librarians actually do. Libraries are great democratic institutions. There was just a show - a very good one, and it's true enough - about the Public parks as "America's best idea". As I said, true enough. But, what the National, state and local parks do for our wildlife and landscape, our public libraries do for learning and ideas. Anyone can come to a library and study anything he or she wants, free of charge. What we do not have ourselves, we can obtain from the web or from other libraries at low cost. We are in the forefront of forming an educated electorate - just as much so as schools - we are builders and preservers of community, and we are in the forefront of preserving the first amendment. (That's freedom of speech and information, as well as freedom of assembly and freedom to dissent - and it's something a lot of Europeans don't understand. But I think you probably do.)
But, aside from that rant, being a librarian is a great job for a writer, or for someone who's generally interested in learning. You get to see all kinds of books, and read some of them; you learn what is popular, and (perhaps) why; you get to learn all the time - the kids will teach you new ways to use technology, new methods of outreach, and they'll tell you what they like and want - if you ask them. It's fun! Of course, you can't write on the job, but it isn't a job that saps one's creative energy, and I love the contact with the public and being helpful to people. It took me awhile to get to it, but I think I have a great job!