Thing 2: Why I Became a Librarian

This is post is part of the Rudai 23 course of  which I am course coordinator. I'm not going to blog for every module but I thought it made sense to write about this one. 

Why I became a Librarian.

My first memory of the library was a one room library with a very small section of children's books,presided over by a formidable woman who struck fear into the hearts of every child that entered there. Phew! Thankfully things have changed since then. 

Like a lot of people, I didn't intend on becoming a librarian. My only love and ambition for a long time was art. A career was not on the top of my agenda and I worked simply to live and fund my art habit. I eventually realised that perhaps I could combine my artistic endeavours with a paid job. A library assistant position came up in Kildare, and knowing that the Kildare Library Service was closely linked to the arts centre in Newbridge, I went for it.

 I got the job and was assigned to Celbridge Library. Not as closely linked to the art side as I would have hoped but I soon discovered that i enjoyed the work. Then I discovered that you could study to be a qualified Librarian. A whole new world opened up to after that. I took a career break to study the HDip in Library and Information Studies in UCD and as soon as I finished my exams I moved to Galway and got a job as a library assistant there. 

And this is where things slow down a little.  One mortgage, a wedding, two babies, a recession and nine years later I'm still a library assistant.

 I try to suppress the jolt of frustration that I feel when I say those words. I certainly didn't expect to be still at the bottom of the ladder after such a long time. 

Instead I focus on the positives. I have learned so much from my work. I've said yes to pretty much a.ny.thing that has come my way and as a result opportunities (like this course) have presented themselves when I least expect it. 

That is definitely one of the reasons why I love this job. The variety of work and the potential for exploring so many different aspects of librarianship during an average working week keeps me hooked. There is always an opportunity to learn, and to pass on what you've learned to others. The daily connections that I make with people, whether it's online or in person and the opportunity to help them are the reason i love the job so much. 

Onwards and upwards from here.