Journey of Transition: From Clerk to Academic Librarian

From Clerk to Librarian The Growth of a New Academic Librarian "Seedlings Common chickweed" by --Tico- - is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Librarians are almost always very helpful and often almost absurdly knowledgeable. Their skills are probably very underestimated and largely underemployed. Charles Medawar "n190_w1150" by BioDivLibrary is marked with CC PDM 1.0

Employment There were 146,500 jobs held by librarians or library media specialists in 2019 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2021). The estimated employment change between 2019 and 2029 is projected at 7,300 additional jobs by 2029 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2021). However, the pandemic may negatively impact that estimate from 2019. It has long been a field where the number of jobs has decreased. Total employment by librarians, library technicians, and library assistants has decreased from 394,900 to 308,000 between the years of 2006 and 2019 (Department for Professional Employees, 2020).

My Journey Possessed an MLS, with special project field experience Was not able to relocate Kept a lookout for positions in the local area Rochester Regional Library Council Job Postings ALA JobLIST "Many sunflower seeds" by flickrich is licensed with CC BY-NC 2.0. Various library related listservs Remained in ALA and took an online continuing education course While employed in another industry, made conscious decisions about my internal job changes and how the skills developed outside the library setting could be leveraged in seeking employment

Taking a Leap "leap of faith" by neil1877 is licensed under CC BY- NC-ND 2.0 Evaluated options and changes I d be willing to make for a long-term goal Decided to leave a 15-year career in the private sector to take a clerical position at a State University of New York library Hoped to make connections, increase networking, demonstrate my value, work ethic, and abilities Increased my working knowledge of Library Management Systems, ILLiad, and Springshare Kept current in library trends and issues, particularly regarding the academic setting Accepted the risk of getting pigeonholed in a clerical role

Seizing Opportunity "Epigeal germination of cowpea" by IITA Image Library is licensed with CC BY-NC 2.0. Since earning my MLS, I applied for many local library and library-adjacent positions. Learned from each attempt Provided an opportunity to refine resume/CV and interview skills Considered what types of libraries and areas within libraries I could be most useful in and had a passion for pursuing Noted skills and experience being emphasized on postings and reflected on skills I had or needed to develop to bridge the gap Remembered why I was passionate to work in this field Successful in achieving a position as Technical Services Librarian at SUNY Brockport in April 2020

Transitioning From Clerical Staff to Librarian Within the Same Institution Navigating the Differences Different responsibilities Seeing the Similarities Importance of maintaining the patron first approach in whatever capacity I work Needed to transfer previous responsibilities when my clerical position was still unfilled Already have a knowledge of the library and campus and know librarians as well as many of the faculty, staff, and students Working with the same colleagues and professors, but in a different capacity APT responsibilities Already know the systems and workflows of library operations, helpful in thinking through impacts of potential library changes and with patron interactions Different union and benefits Flexibility and greater autonomy need to ensure continuing professional development and finding opportunities independently

Using a Remote Structure to My Benefit Started working early in the pandemic Capitalized on working remotely Online training Free online professional conferences Viewed previously recorded webinars Downside was not getting any in-person training Relied on video conferencing meetings and emails to receive training Became actively involved in a SUNY wide library consortium and SUNYLA

How it Went What Worked Persisted and didn t lose sight of my passion and goal What I Would Have Changed Been more active participating in professional organizations and done more networking while working in another field Learned from every attempt to obtain a position Valued the transferable skills I possessed coupled with my education More seriously considered relocating Took a chance that in the short term was a step down in position, seniority, benefits, and pay but opened more opportunities and brought me into the library world

References Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2021, June 2). Occupational outlook handbook, librarians and library media specialists. U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/librarians.htm Department for Professional Employees. (2020). Library professionals: Facts and figures, 2020 fact sheet. American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations. https://www.dpeaflcio.org/factsheets/library- professionals-facts-and-figures

Thank You! Dana Laird, MLS Technical Services Librarian, SUNY Brockport dlaird@brockport.edu "Sunflower" by Mrs B22 is licensed with CC BY 2.0.