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Thursday, November 14, 2013

ALA's First Librarian Panel


Greetings Future Librarians,
I have had such a stressful, but rewarding today. Today was the first of two UCLA Librarian Panels and all I can say is that the experience exceeded all of my expectations. I felt like a lot was riding on the success of this panel. For one, I needed to show my fellow students that the ALA student group is a presence in the MLIS program. Secondly, I think that attendance was really important because it demonstrates that students in the MLIS program are interested in the work that is currently being done in our field. Lastly, I feel like this event was my baby and I do want it to be continued by future ALA presidents. For me personally, a lot was riding on this panel because this is the first time that I have organized a professional event. While contacting the librarians was tough and time-consuming (don't even get me started on how I was able to get five busy librarians to be in one place for ninety minutes), this experience was so rewarding, both personally and professionally, and I am grateful that ALA has given me the resources to put together an event like this

In attendance was one librarian from the undergraduate, arts, law, east asian, and biomedical libraries. The panel itself was structured in three parts: the first part was dedicated to getting to know the panelists. The second was dedicated to understanding the work that these librarians do in their respective libraries. For the last part, I actually created a Google form so that students could submit questions to be asked in the panel. Unlike traditional panels, I had each of my panelists sit together in chairs and take turns answering questions. I felt this informal structure would encourage the librarians to interact with both me and each other; much like a talk-show.

Coming into this, one of my biggest concerns was that the panelists would be shy. Let me just say that librarians are more than happy to talk about the work they do! I hope that the audience was able to see that while the duties of these librarians can be similar, the topics of questions, the resources, and the patrons of their respective libraries can really make a difference in the work you do. Another interesting phenomenon found in this panel was that many librarians now work in libraries that specialize in fields that they did not study as undergraduates. In fact, the panelists stressed that librarians need to be good generalists!  Despite these differences, the common thread found among each of the panelists was their love of helping people. In fact, when asked what they liked most about the job, they all said that it was working with and helping students. It was really touching to see how passionate these professionals are about their work.

The field of librarianship attracts so many different kinds of people. My classes are filled with people of different ages, sexes, ethnicities, and professional as well as academic backgrounds. This has made for some very interesting class discussions. Despite these differences, we are all driven together because of our desire to help others find information. While it may not sound like a lot, information is truly the great equalizer and we are all working to ensure that EVERYONE is able to find the resources needed to answer their questions. I came into the program because I was interested in who the librarian was as a person rather than an information resource. After this panel, I have a much better idea of who the librarian truly is and I can say with certainty that I am on the right path. I look forward to next week's panel.

Nick
ALA President